Oceans and Seas Flash Cards

seamount

• A submerged mountain. Most seamounts appear to be extinct volcanoes rising from the abyssal plain.

• A type of fish found in deep ocean waters.

• A large underwater trench formed by tectonic activity.

• A floating island made of coral reefs.

mean sea level (MSL)

• Is the computed average height of high and low tides at a location

• Is the maximum height reached by the sea during a storm

• Is the average height of the ocean's surface measured from the seafloor

• Is the height of the sea at low tide only

sea level

• The average height of the ocean's surface at a given time and place.

• The level of the sea's surface at a particular place and time. It can change with the tides.

• The distance from the ocean floor to the surface of the water.

• The height of the land above sea level.

benthic organisms

• An animal or plant that lives on or is anchored to the ocean bottom

• Creatures that float in the water column

• Organisms that live in the soil of the ocean floor

• Animals that migrate to the surface of the ocean

continental rise

• A steep cliff that marks the edge of the continental shelf.

• A thick deposit of loose sediments that creates a transition from the continental slope to the deep, relatively flat ocean floor.

• An underwater volcanic mountain range that forms new oceanic crust.

• A shallow area of the ocean where sunlight penetrates and supports marine life.

island arc

• submerged volcanoes broke the ocean surface, forming long curved strings of volcanic islands.

• a type of landform created by the erosion of mountains.

• a geological feature formed by the collision of tectonic plates.

• a flat area of land that is surrounded by water on all sides.

abyssal plain

• The relatively flat, deep sea floor

• A steep underwater cliff

• A shallow coastal area

• A type of ocean current

What salt is most often found within ocean water?

• Sodium Chloride

• Potassium Chloride

• Calcium Carbonate

• Magnesium Sulfate

oceanic trench

• Deep relatively narrow troughs in the ocean floor found in subduction zones adjacent to convergent plate boundaries.

• Shallow areas of the ocean floor that are rich in marine life.

• Wide and flat regions of the ocean floor formed by sediment deposition.

• High mountain ranges formed by tectonic plate collisions.

continental slope

• The flat area at the bottom of the ocean

• The steep incline from the lip of the continental shelf into the deep ocean basin

• The shallow region near the shore

• The underwater mountain range in the ocean