Ocean Floor Flashcard

Front

What role do phytoplankton play in the marine food web?

Back

They are primary producers.

Front

What is the significance of the thermocline in oceanography?

Back

It affects ocean circulation.

Front

Which layer of the ocean is typically the warmest?

Back

Surface layer.

Front

Describe ocean trenches. How do they look and what is their depth?

Back

Ocean trenches are deep and narrow.

Front

What is the benefit of being a swimming organism in the ocean?

Back

To move to find food.

Front

What are primary producers in the ocean?

Back

Organisms that produce energy through photosynthesis, like phytoplankton.

Front

What is the thermocline?

Back

A layer in the ocean where temperature changes rapidly with depth.

Front

What is the deep ocean?

Back

The part of the ocean below the thermocline, usually very cold and dark.

Front

What are ocean currents?

Back

Large-scale movements of water in the ocean that affect climate and marine life.

Front

What is the abyssal plain?

Back

A flat, deep area of the ocean floor, usually found at depths of 3,000 to 6,000 meters.