Vocab For Assignment 1 Ocean Currents & Natural Systems

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Alginate

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A carbohydrate found in certain brownalgae, such as kelp, that is used commercially as a stabilizer for many products including ice cream.

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Biomass

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The total mass of living matter in a given area or, plant material sometimes used as an energy source.

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Breakwater

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A structure built by humans to protect a bay or harbor from wave action.

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California Current

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A cold, slow current that flows southward from Alaska along the California coast to northern Baja California.

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California Department of Fish and Game

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The agency responsible for the management of

California’s diverse natural resources and natural communities, as well as the diversified use of fish and wildlife for recreation, commerce, science, and education.

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Cyclic temperature fluctuation

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Long-termpatterns of temperature change that are repeated.

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Distribution

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The geographic area inhabited by a species.

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Dredging

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The use of heavy equipment and machinery to remove sediments from one location and transport them to another.

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Filter feeder

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An organism that feeds on particles

of suspended matter by straining them from water.

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Fishery

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An ocean region where humansharvest or raise marine animals, such as fish and invertebrates. It is also used to refer to the processes of harvesting and raising marine animals.

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Gyre

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A global circular motion of ocean currents

that flow clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Habitat destruction

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Damaging a habitat byremoving plants, disturbing the soil, or substantially changing other parts of the natural system.

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Jetty

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A coastal structure that runs perpendicular

to the shoreline, built by humans to influence

currents, and protect harbors and coastal areas.

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Kelp

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Large brown algae that grow primarily

in shallow ocean water in temperate and

arctic regions.

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Latitude

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An angular measurement of the

distance north or south from the Equator.

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Longshore current

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A current that runs parallel

to the shore and carries sediments along the

coastline.

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Natural system

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The interacting components, processes, and cycles within an environment, as well as the interactions among organisms and their environment.

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Overfishing

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Harvesting a fish species faster than

its population is replenished by reproduction.

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Pacific sardine

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species of fish found in coastal areas of the eastern Pacific Ocean that filter feeds on phytoplankton and small zooplankton.

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Phytoplankton

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Plankton, such as diatoms and dinoflagellates, that are capable of producing food energy through photosynthesis.

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Plankton

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Any organism in fresh or sea water that

passively drifts with currents. Plankton range in

size from microscopic bacteria to large jellies.

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Population

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The number of individuals of one or

more species living in a place at a given time.

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Primary productivity

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The conversion of solar energy to organic material that is synthesized through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis and

is available to organisms in an ecosystem.

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Resource management

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The management or restoration of natural resources, such as ecosystems, to maintain or improve the condition of the natural system or a particular resource.

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Salinity

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The total amount of salts dissolved in

water; sea water averages 35 parts per thousand.

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Scientific research

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Investigations conducted according to the principles and methods of science, including the empirical testing of hypotheses.

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Seasonal thermocline

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The seasonal change in water temperature caused by increased solar radiation in the spring and summer, that results in the presence of a thermocline.

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Sustainable population

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A population of organisms that is large enough to maintain itself for a long time.

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Thermocline

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A vertical gradient in the ocean

or a lake characterized by a rapid change of

temperature with depth.

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Upwelling

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The wind-driven movement of cold, usually nutrient-rich water from ocean depths to

the surface.

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Variable

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A factor or function that changes in response to varying conditions or over time.

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Vertical current

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The movement of water from deeper depths to the surface, as in upwelling or convection.

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Vertical layering

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The layers of water in a lake or the ocean that result from differences in temperature and density.

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Zooplankton

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Animals, such as copepods, jellies, and fish larvae, that are part of the plankton that drift with currents.