Radience

Oceans

Science

abyssal plain

a large, flat area of the deep ocean floor
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aquaculture

the farming of water organisms like fish
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benthos

organisms that live on or near the ocean floor
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breaker

a wave that forms in shallow water and breaks on the shore
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continental shelf

a shallow, gently sloping area of the ocean floor, at the edge of a continent
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continental slope

a part of the ocean floor that dips steeply down from the continental shelf
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coral reef

a diverse marine ecosystem made of coral fragments
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coriolis effect

the effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and current
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El Nino

a worldwide climate change, caused by an increase in the Pacific Ocean’s temperature
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estuary

an area where fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water
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intertidal zone

the shoreline between high and low tide
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La Nina

a worldwide climate change, caused by a decrease in the Pacific Ocean’s temperature
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longshore current

a water current parallel to the shoreline
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longshore drift

the movement of sediment along a beach by waves
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mid ocean ridge

a long mountain range on the seafloor formed by lava eruptions through Earth’s crust
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neap tide

the tide with the smallest difference between high and low tide
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nekton

a marine organism that can actively swim, as opposed to those moved by the current
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ocean current

the movement of streams of ocean water
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ocean trench

a deep part of the seafloor where a subducting slab bends down
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plankton

tiny microscopic organisms that float or drift in water
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rip current

a swift current that flows from a sandbar to deeper water
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salinity

the amount of salt dissolved in water
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sonar

the use of the reflection of sound waves to locate underwater objects
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spring tide

a tide with the greatest range between high and low tides
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surface current

the horizontal movement of water at or near the ocean’s surface
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tsunami

a huge wave caused by an underwater earthquake
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upwelling

the vertical movement of cold water from the deep ocean to the surface
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wave

a repeating disturbance that transfers energy through matter or space
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