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128 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
shore
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the zone between lowest low tide and area reached by highest storm waves.
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coast
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contains all ocean-related features located near the shore.
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backshore
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The shore contains this, which is above high tide and only water covered during storms
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foreshore
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The shore contains this, the portion between high and low tide levels
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nearshore
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extends from the foreshore to the point where waves break during low tide.
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offshore
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Beyond the nearshore is the this zone, rarely affected by waves
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beach
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is the accumulated sediment in the shore and nearshore zones
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swash
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is the water from breaking waves that moves up the foreshore
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backwash
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is the water that rushes back into the ocean when the wave has passed
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summer beach
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develop when waves are light and sand accumulates on the foreshore and backshore berms.
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winter beach
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form when waves are heavy, and sediment is moved to longshore bars.
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wave refraction
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generates currents that move sediment and water parallel to shore.
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longshore currents
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The water movements that result from wave refraction are known as ...
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longshore drifts
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After wave refraction, the resulting movement of sediment is known as ...
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rip currents
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develop when backwash from breaking waves concentrates into a steady, strong offshore flow perpendicular to the coast.
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erosional coast
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typically have sharp cliffs and dramatic features such as sea arches and stacks. They are often associated with tectonically active areas, like the Pacific coast.
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depositional coast
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are dominated by large accumulations of sediment, such as barrier islands and spits, and are often found in areas with little or no plate tectonic activity, such as the Atlantic coast.
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sea cliffs
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Erosional coasts often feature steep ...
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sea caves
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Erosion at the base of cliffs may also produce ...
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sea arches
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Wave energy is focused on headlands, which may eventually form ...
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sea stacks
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Form from the collapse of sea arches
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wave-cut benches
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form from uplift of land or falling of sea.
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marine terraces
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They form from tectonic uplift or a drop in sea level.
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emerging coastline
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Each terrace step represents a former shoreline and sea cliff position. they represent a ... - land rising up out of the sea.
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spits
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are small ridges of sediment that extend out into the sea. They result from the action of sediment transport by longshore drift.
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bay barriers
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In some cases, the spit may grow large enough to block most of a bay. These large spits are known as ...
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tombolos
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are islands connected to land by a narrow ridge
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barrier islands
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Long offshore accumulations of sand that are parallel to the coast are known as ...
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lagoons
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A shallow ... separates the island from the mainland.
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dunes
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develop when wind blows sand inland during dry conditions
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barrier flats
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created by deposition of sand during storms
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salt marshes
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form behind the island in the tidal zone
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peat deposits
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the remains of salt marshes buried by shifting sands
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deltas
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accumulate where sediment-rich rivers enter the ocean. They take on many forms depending on the sediment supply from the river, and the strength of waves, tides, and currents in the ocean.
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bird’s-foot delta
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This form suggests that sedimentation from the river is stronger than the action of waves and currents.
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avulsion
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As the distributaries fill the coastal area with sediment, the river may switch position to a lower part of the coast. This channel relocation is known as an ...
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beach compartments
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are isolated portions of coastline with self-contained sediment transport systems.
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isostatic rebound
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Ice melts faster than continents can bounce back from the weight of the missing ice. Because this movement is related to the isostacy of the continents, this process is known as ...
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eustatic
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Sea-level also changes globally due to the growth and melting of large ice sheets. These global changes are known as ...
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hard stabilization
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is the building of permanent structures to protect from erosion or prevent movement of sediment.
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groins
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are solid piers built perpendicular to a coastline. Built of rip-rap
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rip-rap
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Groins are most commonly built of large blocks of rock called ...
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jetties
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are built perpendicular to the coast using rip rap, but they are designed to protect the entrance to a harbor from waves.
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breakwaters
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are built parallel to shoreline. Because the interfere with waves, they can also disrupt longshore sediment transport.
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sea walls
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are the most extreme form of hard stabilization. A wall of concrete or stone is built parallel to the sea.
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beach replenishment
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(nourishment). Damming of rivers reduces the natural rate of sediment supply to the oceans, worsening coastal erosion problems. In some cases, sand can be added to beaches to help balance erosion, but the costs of transporting sand are often too high to justify ongoing effort.
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Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
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extending from all land including islands of a nation. provides jurisdiction over fishing, mining, and pollution.
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estuaries
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are partially enclosed coastal water bodies diluted by freshwater.
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coastal wetlands
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are areas with water-saturated soils near the coast. They provide important habitats for animal life, can absorb some forms of pollution, and help naturally protect the coast from erosion.
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salt marshes
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One main type of coastal wetland -are filled with grasses and other salt-tolerant plants. They can occur from the equator to the Arctic circle.
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mangroves
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One main type of coastal wetland. They are restricted to tropical areas between the equator and about 30-degrees latitude.
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subsidence
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sinking of land into the sea
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marginal seas
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are areas that have become isolated from the world ocean, often as a result of long-term tectonic changes. The Caribbean and Mediterranean are examples.
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sewage sludge
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consists of the materials left over after initial treatment. It contains many toxic compounds.
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bioaccumulation
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accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism
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Minamata disease
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results from extreme cases of mercury consumption, and is named after a Japanese village where fish became contaminated by a chemical plant.
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Plankton
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are organisms that drift with ocean currents.
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phytoplankton
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are photosynthetic organisms that create their own food from nutrients and sunlight (autotrophic).
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heterotrophic
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relying on food produced by other organisms
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autotrophic
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create their own food from nutrients and sunlight
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zooplankton
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Heterotrophic plankton. They include simple, microscopic organisms without specialized tissues, fish eggs and larvae, and small animals related to insects.
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holoplankton
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Organisms that spend their entire lifecycle as plankton are called ...
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meroplankton
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are animals that spend only part of their lives as plankton
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macroplankton
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are large free-floating organisms such as jellyfish, and some types of seaweed and algae.
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nekton
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are animals that are capable of swimming or moving independently of ocean currents. They include, fish, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates such as squid and shrimp.
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benthos
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are organisms that live on or in the sea floor. They include crabs, clams, starfish, and snails.
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epifauna
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live on the surface of the sea floor or attached to rocks.
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infauna
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live burrowed into sands or muds of the sea floor.
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benthic
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Most marine species are ... living in or on the sea floor.
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pelagic
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Only 2% of marine species are ... living in the water column.
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copepod
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Because warm water is less dense than cold water, warm water plankton are often smaller, or have adaptations to prevent sinking, as evidenced in the ... (zooplankton related to insects)
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biomass
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Warm water species live fast and die young. Although productivity and diversity are higher in warm water areas, total ... of cold water species exceeds that of warm water species.
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hypotonic
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body fluids are less saline than the environment. salt water fish
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hypertonic
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fluids in body are more saline than environment
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countershading
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involves contrasting coloration on the body—dark on top, light on bottom, so they blend in with deep water below or sunlight above.
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disruptive coloration
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can often help animals blend in colorful environments like a coral reef.
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neritic province
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includes all areas between the shore and 200 meters water depth.
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oceanic province
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extends from the edge of the neritic province and covers the rest of the ocean basin.
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epipelagic
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Oceanic provinces - from 0 to 200 meters
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mesopelagic
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oceanic provinces - from 200 to 1,000 meters
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bathypelagic
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oceanic provinces - from 1,000 to 4,000 meters
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abyssopelagic
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oceanic provinces - from 4,000 meters and deeper.
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euphotic
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extends from the surface to a depth that can still support photosynthesis, rarely more than 100 meters.
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disphotic
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has measurable light, and is rarely deeper than 1,000 meters.
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aphotic
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has no light.
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dissolved oxygen
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are highest in the euphotic zone, where photosynthesis is active. Nutrient levels are also low in this interval because of intense productivity.
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littoral
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corresponds to the area between high and low tide.
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sublittoral
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consists of the environments between the littoral zone and 200 meters depth.
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bathal
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environments extend to 4,000 meters depth
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abyssal
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environments to 6,000 meters depth
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hadal
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deeper than 6,000 meters
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Primary productivity
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is the creation of organic compounds (e.g. sugar) from energy derived from sunlight (photosynthesis) or chemical reactions (chemosynthesis).
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Redfield Ratio
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is the ratio of carbon to nitrogen to phosphorous in algae where nutrients are freely available (106:16:1 = C:N:P)
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oligotrophic
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low productivity
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eutrophic
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high productivity
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dead zones
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may develop when the remains of dead algae decay and consume oxygen, suffocating animals in the water.
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red tides
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form when a specific microorganism is abundant. Sometimes they produce toxins which can poison animals who eat seafood (including people).
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domoic acid
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is a toxin produced by some diatoms. This poisoning causes erratic behavior in animals
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ecosystem
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is the assemblage of all organisms in a given area and the environment with which they exchange matter and energy.
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biogeochemical cycling
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is the sum of all inorganic and organic processes that control the production and movement of nutrients.
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trophic level
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The nourishment level in a food chain is known as the ...
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overfishing
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occurs when too many fish are harvested and the remaining population of fish is unable to replace the harvested fish
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maximum sustainable yield
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for individual fisheries, which is the amount of fish that can be harvested without threatening the fish population.
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bycatch
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Any organisms that are taken accidentally along with harvested fish are known as ...
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biomass pyramid
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a representation of trophic levels that illustrates the progressive decrease in total biomass at successive higher levels of the pyramid.
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anoxia
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without oxygen
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DDT
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pesticide banned in 1970s - weakened bird egg cells
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PCBs
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Insulating oils, toxic to the nervous systems - banned in 1970s - doesn't break down easily, still in environment today
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non-point source pollutants
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Any type of pollution entering into the surface water system from sources other than underwater pipelines - AKA "poison runoff"
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Box jellyfish
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invertebrates related to corals - venom could result in death within minutes
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cephalopods
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invertebrates including octopus and squid - Some species have internal shells to regulate buoyancy. Largest and most intelligent—problem solving, pack hunting
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Humboldt squid
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Mexico/California coasts - up to 100 lbs - have been known to attack divers and fisherman
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Colossal squid
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up to 45 ft. long - largest invertebrate in the world - rarely seen and lives deep in southern ocean
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cartilaginous fish
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Sharks and rays - fossil record extends 385 million years
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Megalodon
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60 foot shark went extinct 2 million years ago
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sperm whale
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largest animal with teeth - up to 67 ft. long and can live for 70 years - hunts giant squid
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spermaceti
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oil used for lighting in early 19th century - in sperm whale's head
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killer whales
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26 ft. long - They can live up to 90 years and travel in large groups (pods), and display complex social behaviors (including pack hunting). They are known to hunt seals, sharks, dolphins…but not people (most human fatalities are known from captivity)
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baleen whales
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have specially adapted jaws for filtering out small animals (crustaceans, usually krill) in large quantities from the water.
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blue whales
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is likely the largest animal ever to have lived, as long as 108 feet long and weighing 180 metric tons (= 40 elephants).
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cosmopolitan
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whales found throughout the oceans
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pinnipeds
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include seals, sea lions, and walruses. They are related to bears, dogs, and cats. Carnivore - flipper foot - part of life on shore
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giant isopod
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Deep sea scavenger; feeds on dead whales.
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chemosynthetic
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adapted to using chemical energy from volcanic vents
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coral polyps
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live in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae, which provide them with an additional source of nutrients, and give the coral their colors.
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symbiosis
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a relationship between two species in which one or both benefit or neither one is harmed.
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zooxanthellae
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a form of algae that lives as a symbiosis in the tissue of corals and other coral reef animals and provides varying amounts of their required food supply
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coral bleaching
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occurs when the zooxanthellae algae are lost from the coral. The corals lose their color, and the coral polyp may eventually die.
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