VOCABULARY LIFE ZONES OF THE OCEAN

PLANKTON THE LARGEST GROUP OF ANIMALS OR PLANTS (THEY FLOAT ON OR NEAR THE SURFACE)

NEKTON FORMS OF OCEAN LIFE THAT SWIM

BENTHOS ORGANISMS THAT LIVE ON THE OCEAN FLOOR

PREDATOR ORGANISMS THAT EAT OTHER ORGANISMS

PREY ORGANISMS THAT GET EATEN

INTERTIDAL ZONE THE REGION THAT LIES BETWEEN THE LOW AND HIGH TIDES, SOMETIMES OCEAN AND SOMETIMES DRY LAND. ALSO KNOWN AS THE LITTORAL ZONE

SUBLITTORAL ZONE EXTENDS FROM THE LOW TIDE LINE TO THE EDGE OF THE CONTINENTAL SHELF

NERITIC ZONE THE VOLUME OF WATER THAT COVERS THE CONTINENTAL SHELF

PELAGIC ENVIRONMENT THE ENTIRE VOLUME OF WATER IN THE OCEAN AND THE MARINE ORGANISMS THAT LIVE ABOVE THE OCEAN FLOOR. ALSO CALLED THE OPEN OCEAN OR OPEN SEA ZONE

EPIPELAGIC OR EUPHOTIC ZONE TOP LAYER OF THE OCEAN WHERE ENOUGH SUNLIGHT PENETRATES TO ALLOW PHOTOSYNTHESIS TO OCCUR(PHOTOSYNTHETIC ZONE OR PHOTIC ZONE)

MESOPELAGIC ZONE TWILIGHT ZONE-SOME SUNLIGHT PENETRATES BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS TO OCCUR (DISPHOTIC ZONE)

BATHYALPELAGIC ZONE PART OF THE OPEN OCEAN ZONE THAT EXTENDS FROM THE CONTINENTAL SLOPE TO ABOUT 2000M, (APHOTIC)LIGHT DOES NOT PENETRATE THIS ZONE (BATHYAL ZONE)

ABYSSOPELAGIC ZONE ABYSSAL ZONE- PART OF THE OPEN OCEAN ZONE EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BATHYAL ZONE TO THE ABYSSAL PLAIN, (APHOTIC) NO LIGHT AND FREEZING. ALSO KNOWN AS THE ABYSS

HADALPELAGIC ZONE HADAL ZONE- (APHOTIC) DEEPEST BENTHIC ZONE, WHICH CONSISTS OF THE FLOOR OF THE OCEAN TRENCHES, AND ANY ORGANISMS FOUND THERE. GREATER THAN 6,000 METERS

WAVES, CURRENTS, AND TIDES THE 3 BASIC MOTIONS OF OCEAN WATER

WAVES THE UP AND DOWN MOTION OF THE OCEAN

WAVELENGTH THE DISTANCE FROM 1 WAVE CREST TO THE NEXT OR 1 WAVE TROUGH TO THE NEXT

CREST THE HIGHEST POINT OF A WAVE

TROUGH THE LOWEST POINT OF A WAVE

WAVEHEIGHT THE VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE WAVE CREST AND THE WAVE TROUGH

TSUNAMIS TIDAL WAVES

SURFACE CURRENTS CONTROLLED BY: GLOBAL WINDS, CORIOLIS EFFECT, AND CONTINENTAL DEFLECTIONS (GULF STREAM), WARM AND COLD WATER CURRENTS

CORIOLIS EFFECT EARTH’S ROTATION CAUSES SURFACE CURRENTS TO CURVE TO THE RIGHT IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE AND THE LEFT IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

GLOBAL WINDS WINDS BLOWING ACROSS EARTH’S SURFACE CAUSING SURFACE CURRENTS

CONTINENTAL DEFLECTIONS WHEN SURFACE CURRENTS MEET CONTINENTS THEY ARE DEFLECTED

DEEP CURRENTS DUE TO TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY, DENSITY OF WATER CHANGES CAUSING DIFFERENT CURRENTS TO RUN AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS AND SPEEDS

LONGSHORE CURRENTS CURRENTS THAT ARE MORE PARALLEL TO THE SHORELINE

RIP TIDE CURRENTS THAT RETURN TO THE OCEAN IN A POWERFUL NARROW FLOW

UPWELLING RISING OF DEEP, COLD WATER CURRENTS TO THE OCEAN’S SURFACE

EL NINO PERIODIC CHANGE IN THE LOCATION OF WARM AND COOL SURFACE WATERS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN THAT AFFECTS WEATHER

SWELL ROLLING WAVES THAT MOVE IN A STEADY PROCESSION ACROSS THE OCEAN

WHITECAPS A WHITE, FOAMING WAVE WITH STEEP CREST THAT BREAKS IN THE OPEN OCEAN

STORM SURGE LOCAL RISE IN THE SEA LEVEL NEAR SHORE CAUSED BY STRONG WINDS FROM A STORM- OFTEN THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE PART OF A HURRICANE