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31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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salinity
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the measure of dissolved salt in a given amount of liquid
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crest
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the highest point of a wave
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trough
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the lowest point of a wave
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wavelength
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the distance between two successive points on a wave
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amplitude
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half of the wave height; the change in height or depth from the water level
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tsunami
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a very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption
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undertow
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a flow of water back out to the ocean after a wave breaks on shore
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rip current
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a strong, narrow current that forms when water returns tot he ocean through a break in an underwater sandbar
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gulf stream
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a warm surface current in the Atlantic ocean that flows up the eastern coast of North America and then east to Europe
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Coriolis effect
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the curving of moving objects from a straight path due to the earth's rotation
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tidal range
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the difference in water height between high and low tide
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spring tide
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a tide with a wide daily tidal range that occurs when the sun and the moon are aligned and pull at the oceans together
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neap tide
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a tide with the lowest daily tidal range that occurs when the sun and the moon are at a right angle to each other
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continental margin
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the part of the earth's surface beneath the ocean that is made of continental crust
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continental shelf
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the flattest part of the continental margin
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continental slope
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the steepest part of the continental margin
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continental rise
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the base of the continental slope
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trench
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a deep underwater valley
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abyssal plains
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vast stretches of flat land at the bottom of the continental slope
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seamount
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an underwater volcanic mountain on the ocean floor
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midocean ridges
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the mountain chains that form on the ocean fllor where tectonic plates pull apart
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submersible
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a small underwater vessel
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echo sounders
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instruments that measure ocean depth by bouncing sound waves off the ocean floor
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plankton
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microscopic organisms that live near the surface of the water
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nekton
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free-swimming ocean organisms
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benthos
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organisms that live on or in the ocean floor
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intertidal zone
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the marine environment between the land and where the tides go in and out
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bathyal zone
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the ocean zone that extends from the outer edge of the continental shelf to the abyssal plain
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abyssal zone
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the ocean zone on the abyssal plain
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hadal zone
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the deepest ocean zone which consists of the floor of the ocean trenches
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desalination
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the process of removing salt from ocean water to obtain fresh water for drinking, irrigation, or industrial use
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