Glossary

the flat seafloor of the deep ocean, typically beyond the limits of the continental slopes (1.2)

the region of the seafloor between 4000-6000 m (1.3)

the deeper parts of the open ocean, between 4000 and 6000 m; also known as the abyssalpelagic zone (1.3)

the process by which solid celestial bodies are added to existing bodies during collisions (3.1)

where the boundary between the continent and the ocean is also a tectonic plate boundary (1.2)

processes related to transportation and deposition of sediments by wind (12.2)

the reflectivity of a surface of a planet (expressed as the percentage of light that reflects from the surface) (8.1)

gyre-sized tidal patterns where a tidal crest rotates around an ocean basin (11.2)

the center point around which amphidromic circulation rotates; there is near-zero tidal range at the amphidromic point (also called a tidal node or amphidromic node) (11.2)

conditions of zero or extremely low dissolved oxygen, usually below 0.5 mg/L (5.4)

water at abyssal depths in the ocean that forms from the sinking of dense cold water adjacent to Antarctica (9.8)

resulting from the influence of humans (8.5)

depths beyond 1000 m where there is no light penetration (1.3)

a rock weathering remnant in the form of an arch (typically along a coast and resulting from wave erosion) (13.3)

the part of the mantle, from about 100 to 200 km below surface, within which the mantle material is close to its melting point, and therefore relatively weak (3.2)

a wave formed in the atmosphere at the boundary between air masses of different densities (10.1)

a ring-shaped carbonate (or coral) reef or series of islands (4.10)

the region of the beach above the high tide line, which is only submerged under unusually high wave conditions (13.1)

the wash of wave water down the slope of a beach (13.1)

an estuary created when a sand bar or barrier island cuts off the estuary from mixing completely with seawater  (13.6)

a long, thin island parallel to the shore, created through the deposition of sand (13.4)

a reef that forms a barrier to waves along a coast; it is separated from land by a lagoon  (4.10)

the center of mass in the Earth-moon system around which they rotate (11.1)

a volcanic rock that makes up much of the oceanic crust (3.2)

the region of the seafloor from the shelf break to 4000 m  (1.3)

pertains to measuring the depths of the ocean (1.4)

the moderately deep parts of the open ocean, between 1000 and 4000 m (1.3)

a spit that extends across the mouth of a bay (13.4)

the area of a beach between the high and low tide lines (13.1)

a 0-12 scale describing the wind conditions at sea, often reflected in wave heights (10.2)

refers to the environment of the seafloor (1.3)

refers to the community of organisms living on or in the ocean floor (1.3)

a flat area of a beach in the backshore area (above the high tide level) (13.1)

the theory that the universe started with a giant expansion approximately 13.77 billion years ago (3.1)

sediment created from the remains of organisms (12.3)

iceberg with a flat top and steep sides, but their length to height ratio is not as great as it is for a tabular iceberg (14.2)

a hole in the ceiling of an arch or sea cave through which water is ejected when waves approach (13.3)

a seismic wave that travels through rock (e.g., a P-wave or an S-wave) (3.3)

a sediment with a grain diameter of at least 256 mm (12.1)

ocean currents whose properties are influenced by the presence of a coastline (9.1)

the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure (6.1)

seawater of low salinity; part fresh water, part seawater (13.6)

an unstable wave that has collapsed (10.3)

a structure built offshore in order to deflect the energy of waves (13.5)

a solution that moderates changes in pH when acids or alkalis are added to it (5.5)

sediments composed of calcium carbonate, often from the shells of marine organisms (12.3)

when ice breaks off of the front of a glacier and collapses into the water (14.2)

small ripples that form on the water surface under light winds; their restoring force is surface tension (10.2)

the depth in the ocean (typically around 4000 m) below which carbonate minerals are soluble (12.6)

a geologic period that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period 358.9 million years ago, to the beginning of the Permian Period, 298.9 Mya

the speed of a wave (10.1)

the creation of organic compounds using the energy from inorganic chemical reactions (4.11)

a device for determining a ship’s speed at sea, by measuring the rate at which a line is unspooled when cast overboard (2.2)

sediment particle that is less than 1/256 mm in diameter (12.1)

a process by which the physical effects of a climate forcing can have other effects (either negative or positive) on the climate (8.5)

a mechanism, such as a change in greenhouse gas levels, that forces the climate to change (8.5)

an estuary formed when sea level rises and submerges a river valley (also known as a drowned river valley estuary) (13.6)

the tendency for an irregular coast to be straightened over time by coastal erosion processes (13.3)

sediment particle that is between 64 and 256 mm in diameter (12.1)

photosynthetic algae that makes its test (shell) out of calcium carbonate (7.2)

the depth where the rate of photosynthesis equals the rate of respiration (7.3)

the transfer of heat through direct contact (8.1)

ions whose proportions are the same regardless of overall salinity; the major ions in seawater (5.3)

where the interaction of multiple waves creates waves larger than any of the component waves (10.2)

the Earth’s crust underlying the continents (as opposed to ocean crust) (3.2)

the idea that the continents have moved over the surface of the Earth over geological time (4.1)

the region of transition from the land to the deep sea floor, i.e. between continental and oceanic crust (1.2)

the area at the bottom of the continental slope, where it transitions to the abyssal sea floor (1.2)

the shallow (typically less than 200 m) and flat sub-marine extension of a continent (1.2)

the steeper part of a continental margin, that slopes down from a continental shelf towards the abyssal plain (1.2)

a rotating region in a fluid in which upward motion of warmer, low density fluid in the center is balanced by downward motion of cooler, denser fluid at the periphery (4.3)

a plate boundary at which the two plates are moving towards each other (4.6)

the metallic interior part of the Earth, extending from a depth of 2900 km to the center (3.2)

the boundary, at 2900 km depth, between the mantle and the core (3.2)

the tendency for the path of moving bodies (e.g., ocean currents) to be deflected on the surface of the Earth, to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere (8.2)

sediment derived from extraterrestrial sources (12.5)

the highest point on a wave (10.1)

a geologic period that spans 79 million years from the end of the Jurassic Period 145 million years ago to the beginning of the Paleogene Period 66 mya

the uppermost layer of the Earth, ranging in thickness from about 5 km (in the oceans) to over 50 km (on the continents) (3.2)

a wave above a water depth greater than half of its wavelength (10.1)

large, often triangular accumulation of sediment near the mouth of a river (13.4)

where nitrate is converted to molecular nitrogen through a series of intermediate nitrogen oxide products (5.6)

mass per unit volume of a substance (e.g., g/cubic cm) (6.3)

where the interaction of multiple waves creates waves smaller than any of the component waves (10.2)

photosynthetic algae that make their tests (shells) from silica (7.2)

powdery sediment composed of silica diatom tests (12.3)

the un-mixing of a magma, typically by the physical separation of minerals that crystallize early and settle towards the bottom (3.1)

photosynthetic algae characterized by the presence of flagella and a cellulose test (shell) (7.2)

an extinct form of single-celled algae that produced calcareous tests that can still be found in some marine sediments (12.3)

a tidal cycle with only one high and one low tide per day (11.3)

a plate boundary at which the two plates are moving away from each other (4.5)

areas of low pressure and weak winds along the equator (8.2)

iceberg with a rounded top (14.2)

process by which surface water is forced downwards (9.5)

an estuary formed when sea level rises and submerges a river valley (also known as a coastal plain estuary) (13.6)

iceberg with a water-covered channel running through it (14.2)

depths of the water column where there is some light penetration, but not enough to support photosynthesis; corresponds to the mesopelagic zone, 200-1000 m. Also known as the twilight zone (1.3)

current created by an outgoing tide (11.3)

in the context of Milankovitch Cycles, the degree to which the Sun is offset from the geometric center of the Earth’s orbit (8.5)

a rotating water mass (9.2)

where each layer of water is deflected relative to the layer above it, forming a spiral that extends down to about 100 m (9.3)

bulk transport of water due to the Ekman spiral; the net movement Ekman transport is 90 degrees relative to the wind direction (9.3)

a periodic climatic situation in which warm water extends all or most of the way to the eastern edge of the equatorial Pacific (9.6)

the fluctuating atmospheric conditions that lead to the localized ocean warming of El Niño (9.6)

a sub-atomic particle of essentially no mass and a single negative charge (5.1)

a geological epoch lasting from 56 to 33.9 million years ago

the location on the surface vertically above the location (i.e., “hypocenter” or “focus”) where an earthquake takes place (4.8)

the upper layer of water (0 to 200 m) in areas of the open ocean (1.3)

a partially enclosed body of water where seawater is diluted by freshwater input (13.6)

the upper regions of the ocean where there is enough light to support photosynthesis; approximately 0-200 m; also called the photic zone (1.2)

sea level change related to a change in the volume of the oceans, typically because of an increase or decrease in the amount of glacial ice on land (13.7)

hydrogenous sediments that form when seawater evaporates (12.4)

ice sheets that are attached to land (14.1) 

a boundary in rock or sediment along which displacement has taken place (4.7)

small particles reach the seafloor much faster when incorporated into large fecal pellets than if they sank on their own (12.3)

a process by which the physical effects of a climate forcing can have other effects (either negative or positive) on the climate (8.5)

the atmospheric convection cells between 30 and 60 degrees latitude (8.2)

the distance over which wind blows to form waves (10.2)

the granular transitional state between snow and ice within a glacier (14.2)

a deep, U-shaped estuary that was carved out by advancing glaciers (13.6)

current created by an incoming tide (11.3)

the time it would take for all of the fresh water in an estuary to be replaced by runoff of new water (13.6)

the actual point below surface at which an earthquake takes place (equivalent to hypocenter) (4.6)

a single-celled protist with a shell that is typically made of calcium carbonate (12.3)

the part of a beach between the high tide and low tide lines (13.1)

small, needle-like crystals in the first stages of sea ice formation (14.1)

the number of waves that pass a point in a given amount of time (10.1)

a reef adjacent to a shoreline where there is either a very narrow back reef area or none at all (in which case the reef is effectively attached to the shore) (4.10)

in the context of planetary systems the boundary beyond which volatile components (e.g., water, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia etc.) are frozen (3.1)

(gigaannus) billions of years before the present

a gravitationally-bound system of stars and interstellar matter (3.1)

a large planet composed mostly of hydrogen and helium (e.g. Jupiter) (3.1)

circular currents created from the balance between gravity- and Ekman-driven flow (9.3)

the theory that the Moon formed when a Mars-sized planet (Theia) collided with the Earth at 4.5 billion years ago (3.1)

scratches and grooves carved into bedrock from rocks carried by moving glaciers (4.1)

ice formed from the accumulation and compression of snow into glaciers (14.1)

a period of Earth’s history during which glacial ice was present over a sufficient extent to have left recognizable evidence (4.1)

a long lasting (centuries or more) body of ice on land that moves under its own weight (4.1)

an igneous (formed from cooling magma) rock that comprises much of the continental crust (3.2)

a sedimentary particle ranging in size from 2 to 4 mm in diameter (12.1)

an accumulation of frazil to create a slushy consistency in sea ice formation (14.1)

in the context of climate, the ability of an atmosphere to absorb infrared radiation due to the presence of greenhouse gases (8.1)

a gaseous molecule with 3 or more atoms that is able to absorb infrared radiation (8.1)

a man-made structure extending from the shore built to deflect the energy of waves (13.5)

a series of groins along a beach (13.5)

the total amount of organic material created by primary producers (7.1) 

water that lies beneath the surface of the ground (5.2)

the major surface current flowing northwards along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and Canada  (9.2)

a flat-topped seamount (also called a tablemount) (4.9)

a large circular ocean surface current (9.1)

the region of the seafloor below 6000 m (1.3)

the atmospheric convection cells between the equator and 30 degrees latitude (8.2)

region of the open ocean with water depths greater than 6000 m (1.3)

NaCl, a mineral also known as table salt (12.4)

where there is a dramatic change in salinity over a small change in depth (5.3)

the building of physical structures to prevent the erosion of beaches and shorelines (13.5)

when phytoplankton appear in very high concentrations with potentially hazardous consequences such as mass die-offs or toxicity (7.2)

a point of land extending out to sea (13.3)

the balance between the amount of heat entering and leaving the Earth (8.1)

the amount of heat needed to change a substance’s temperature by one degree (5.1)

as the pressure increases, a fluid will contain more dissolved gas (6.1)

in atmospheric terms, a region of descending air, increasing the atmospheric pressure. Winds blow away from high pressure zones (8.3)

a deep estuary with some mixing at the surface, but little mixing at depth (13.6)

a map projection where area is retained, but there are interruptions to the continents or oceans (2.4)

areas of high pressure and weak winds around 30 degrees latitude in both hemispheres (8.2)

the surface area of volcanism and high heat flow above a mantle plume (4.9)

a weak bond between two molecules due to the electrostatic attraction of a proton in one molecule to the negative polar end of the other molecule (5.1)

sediments formed from the precipitation of dissolved substances (12.4)

the cycling of water through the ocean, atmosphere, lakes, organisms, and other reservoirs (5.2)

area of the seafloor where superheated water seeps out of the crust (4.11)

the actual point below surface at which an earthquake takes place (equivalent to focus) (4.8)

a condition with low dissolved oxygen, usually defined as oxygen levels below 2 mg/L (5.4)

an area covered by ice floes (14.1)

a relatively large piece of floating sea ice (14.1)

a planet that is comprised mainly of gases heavier than hydrogen and helium, including oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (e.g., Uranus and Neptune) (3.1)

a large, floating piece of glacial ice (14.2)

the solid metal mass at the center of the Earth, extending 1200 km from the center (3.2)

a measure of the intensity of solar energy at a specific location or time (expressed in W/square m) (8.5)

an international body established in 1988 by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environment Program to prepare periodic reports on the status of global climate change and its mitigation (8.5)

a wave in a water depth between 1/2 and 1/20 its wavelength (10.1)

waves that form below the surface at the interface between water masses of different densities (10.1)

the region of a coast between the high and low tide lines. Also called the littoral zone (1.3)

the area near the equator where the northeast and southeast trade winds converge; known for weak winds, it is also called the doldrums (8.2)

an atom or molecule that has either gained or lost electrons and has thus become charged (5.1)

long chains of volcanic islands found along convergent tectonic plate boundaries (4.6)

the equilibrium position reached by a block of crust floating on the underlying fluid mantle (3.2)

the effect on relative sea level of a vertical movement of the crust resulting from a change in the mass of the crust (e.g., from losing or gaining ice) (13.7)

forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei

a long structure built to protect a harbor from filling with sand due to longshore transport (13.5)

a gas giant (3.1)

(kiloannus) thousands of years before the present

the energy that an object possesses due to its motion (5.1)

one knot (kt) = 1 nautical mile per hour = 1.15 mph = 1.85 kph

a periodic climatic situation in which colder than normal water extends throughout the equatorial Pacific (9.6)

winds blowing from land towards the ocean (8.3)

corkscrew circulation patterns formed parallel to strong winds; they only extend a few meters below the surface (9.7)

the heat required to change a substance from solid to liquid; 80 cal/g in the case of ice melting to water (5.1)

the heat required change a substance from liquid to gas; 540 cal/g to turn water into vapor (5.1)

the distance north or south of the equator, measured as an angle from the equator (2.1)

the continental glacier that extended across central eastern North America during the Pleistocene, covering most of Canada and a significant part of the United States (3.2)

the conversion of unconsolidated sediments into rock by compaction and cementation (12.1)

sediment derived from preexisting rock (12.2)

the rigid outer part of the Earth, including the crust and the mantle down to a depth of about 100 km (3.2)

the movement of sediment along a shoreline resulting from a longshore current and also from the swash and backwash on a beach face (another name for longshore transport) (13.2)

the region of a coast between the high and low tide lines. Also called the intertidal zone (1.3)

measurement of distance east or west of the prime meridian, expressed as an angle (2.1)

an offshore deposit of sand parallel to the shoreline (13.1)

the movement of water parallel to a shoreline produced by the approach of waves at an angle to the shore (13.2)

the movement of sediment along a shoreline resulting from a longshore current and also from the swash and backwash on a beach face. Also known as littoral drift (13.2)

in terms of the atmosphere, a region of rising air, lowering the atmospheric pressure. Winds blow towards low pressure regions, which are often characterized by precipitation from rising, cooling, condensing air (8.3)

another name for the beach face (13.1)

the depths where the rate of calcium carbonate dissolution increases dramatically over surface waters (12.6)

(Megaannus) millions of years before the present

molten rock typically dominated by silica (3.2)

the angle of the magnetic field within a rock, relative to the horizontal; may be used to infer the latitude where the rock was first formed (4.2)

a measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake (4.8)

the six ions that comprise over 99% of the ions in the ocean (chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium, potassium) (5.3)

spherical accumulations of manganese and other metals that form slowly through precipitation on the seafloor (12.4)

the middle layer of the Earth, dominated by iron and magnesium rich silicate minerals and extending for about 2900 km from the base of the crust to the top of the core (3.2)

movements in the mantle from rising and sinking mantle material as it heats and cools (4.3)

a plume of hot rock (not magma) that rises through the mantle (either from the base or from part way up) and reaches the surface where it spreads out and also leads to hot-spot volcanism (4.9)

how long sediment particles have been transported by water or other vectors (12.1)

the sinuous path taken by a current, such as the Gulf Stream (9.2)

a map projection where latitude and longitude are both represented as straight, parallel lines intersecting at right angles (2.3)

the upper middle zone of the open ocean extending from 200 to 1000 m depth (1.3)

the geological era from about 252 to 66 million years ago

a fragment of either stony or metallic debris in space (12.5)

a combination of water ice and methane in which the methane is trapped inside “cages” in the ice (12.4)

an underwater mountain system along divergent plate boundaries, formed by plate tectonics (4.5)

millennial-scale variations in the orbital and rotational parameters of the Earth that have subtle effects on the Earth’s climate (8.5)

where the interaction of multiple waves creates both constructive and destructive interference and an irregular surface pattern (10.2)

the topmost layer of the ocean, where winds, waves, and currents mix the water so that conditions are relatively constant; approximately the top 100 m (5.3)

a tidal cycle with two high and two low tides per day, each of different heights (11.3)

the boundary between the crust and the mantle (3.3)

a distance equal to one minute of latitude; equivalent to 1.15 land miles or 1.85 km (2.1)

the period of minimum tidal range when the Earth is perpendicular to the sun and moon (11.1)

the part of a beach from the low tide line to the depth where wave action is no longer influenced by the bottom, i.e. to where the depth exceeds the wave base (13.1)

a cloud of interstellar dust and gases (3.1)

a process that results in a decrease in that process (in the context of climate change it is a process that reduces the change in climate, such as the enhanced growth of vegetation in response to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide) (8.5)

the marine pelagic province from the low tide line to the shelf break (1.3)

total primary production minus the organic compounds used up by respiration by the producers (7.1)

primary production supported by nutrients brought in from outside of the local ecosystem (7.1)

a thin surface sheet of sea ice (14.1)

the biological oxidation of ammonia or ammonium to nitrite followed by the conversion of the nitrite to nitrate (5.6)

the process of converting atmospheric nitrogen gas into nitrogenous compounds like ammonia (5.6)

ions in seawater whose proportions fluctuate with changes in salinity (5.3)

an iceberg with any shape other than tabular (14.2)

deep Atlantic Ocean water that has descended in the far north of the basin in the area between Scandinavia and Greenland (9.8)

in the context of primary production, substances required by photosynthetic organisms to undergo growth and reproduction (5.6)

elements that have a similar vertical profile to nutrients; low amounts at the surface, increased abundance at depth (5.7)

in the context of Milankovitch Cycles, the angle of the tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun (8.5)

where the overall pH of the ocean declines, likely due to an increased amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean (5.5)

the marine pelagic province representing the open ocean regions, i.e. beyond the neritic zone (1.3)

the Earth’s crust underlying the oceans (as opposed to continental crust) (3.2)

the beach zone beyond the nearshore region (13.1)

a small (approximately 1 mm) sphere of calcite formed in areas of tropical shallow marine water (12.4)

a sediment composed of >30% biogenous material (12.3)

the layer of the inner Earth extending 2300 km from the top of the inner core to the bottom of the mantle, composed of fluid metal alloys (3.2)

where dissolved substances in magmas are released as gases when the pressure is reduced (5.2)

the vertical cycling within a body of water, where denser water sinks and less dense water floats to the surface (5.1)

region of ocean depths where dissolved oxygen is at its lowest level; usually around 1000 m for the open ocean (5.4)

a seismic body wave that is characterized by deformation of the rock in the same direction that the wave is propagating (compressional vibration) (3.3)

free-floating ice floes (14.1) 

a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago

past variations in the intensity and polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field (4.2)

the geologic era lasting from 541 to 252 million years ago

small, rounded, thin pieces of sea ice that will freeze together to form an ice floe (14.1)

the supercontinent that existed between approximately 300 and 180 Ma; it contained all of the  modern continents combined into a single land mass (4.1)

where salinity increases from the head to the mouth, but there is also a slight increase in salinity with depth at any point; also called a slightly stratified estuary (13.6)

a boundary between a continent and an ocean at which there is no tectonic activity (e.g., the eastern edge of North America) (1.2)

a sedimentary particle ranging in size from 2 to 64 mm (includes granule) (12.1)

relating to the open ocean (1.3)

the time it takes for a complete wave to pass a given point (10.1)

a geologic period which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period 298.9 million years ago, to the beginning of the Triassic period 251.902 Mya

the eon on the geological time scale covering time from the beginning of the Cambrian period 541 million years ago to the present, and comprising the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras

the change of state between a solid, liquid, or gas (8.1)

the upper regions of the ocean where there is enough light to support photosynthesis; approximately 0-200 m; also called the euphotic zone (1.2)

the production of organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water, using sunlight as an energy source (5.5)

map projection presenting bathymetry or altitude data as a 3D relief map (2.3)

drifting, usually single-celled algae that undergo photosynthesis (7.1)

planktonic bacteria (7.2)

an iceberg with one or more tall spires (14.2)

map projection that keeps latitude horizontal, but shows some convergence of longitude (2.3)

an organism that cannot swim effectively, so it drifts with the currents (7.1)

a region of the lithosphere that is considered to be moving across the surface of the Earth as a single unit (4.1)

the concept that the Earth’s crust and upper mantle (lithosphere) is divided into a number of plates that move independently on the surface and interact with each other at their boundaries (4.1)

a breaking wave on moderately-steep beaches that curls over on itself as it breaks (10.3)

the atmospheric convection cells between 60 degrees latitude and the pole (8.2)

the dominant wind bands between the poles and 60 degrees latitude (8.2)

the boundary between the polar cell and the Ferrel cell around the 60 latitude in each hemisphere (8.2)

a molecule where the electrons are not distributed equally, leading to a charge imbalance across the molecule; portions of the molecule are slightly positive while other portions are slightly negative (5.1)

a path of varying magnetic pole positions defined by paleomagnetic data (in fact it is now understood that the continents have wandered, not the poles, so a more appropriate terms is “apparent polar wandering path”) (4.2)

an area of persistent open water in areas otherwise covered with ice (14.1)

a process that results in an increase in that process (in the context of climate change it is a process that enhances the change in climate, such as the reduced reflectivity of the Earth’s surface when ice melts) (8.5)

parts per million

parts per thousand

a unitless measure of salinity equal to parts per thousand (5.3)

in the context of Milankovitch Cycles, the variation in the direction at which the Earth’s rotational axis is pointing (8.5)

jagged ridges created from colliding and buckling ice floes (14.1)

the synthesis of organic compounds from aqueous carbon dioxide by plants, algae, and bacteria (7.1)

a rotating cloud of gas and dust surrounding a young star (3.1)

a region in the water column where there is a large change in density over a small change in depth (6.3)

a mineral composed of silicon and oxygen atoms in the ratio of 1 Si:2 O; one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth's surface (12.1)

the emission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves (8.1)

microscopic (0.1 to 0.2 mm) marine protozoa that produce silica shells (12.3)

arid conditions behind a mountain range, as rising air on the other side of the mountain caused rain, leaving only dry air to descend back down the mountain (8.3)

a mound of carbonate formed in shallow tropical marine environments by corals, algae and a wide range of other organisms (4.10)

primary production resulting from the recycling of nutrients within an ecosystem (7.1)

magnetism of a body of rock that formed at the time the rock formed and is consistent with the magnetic field orientation that existed at that time and place (4.2)

the average amount of time an element will remain in the ocean before being removed (5.2)

the force that opposes a wave-generating force and attempts to return the sea surface to the still water level (10.2)

the concept that at least part of the mechanism of plate motion is the push of oceanic lithosphere down from a ridge area (4.3)

a valley created when crust subsides along a divergent plate boundary (4.5)

a strong flow of water outward from a beach (13.2)

an exceptionally large wave arising among a series of smaller waves (10.2)

the major ions in seawater are always found in the same proportions, regardless of overall salinity (5.3)

flow of water down a slope, either across the ground surface, or within a series of channels (12.2)

a seismic body wave that is characterized by deformation of the rock perpendicular to the direction that the wave is propagating (3.3)

the concentration of dissolved ions in water (5.3)

an estuary with mostly fresh surface water, and a wedge of seawater intruding along the bottom (13.6)

a mineral or rock fragment ranging in size from 1/16th to 2 mm (12.1)

the amount of a substance currently dissolved in the water, relative to the maximum possible content (5.4)

a short, steep wall carved out by wave action between the foreshore and the berm of a beach (13.1)

elements whose vertical profiles show high abundance at the surface and declining concentrations at depth as they are removed by sinking particles (5.7)

winds blowing from the ocean towards the land (8.3)

a shallow cave formed on a rocky shore by wave erosion (13.3)

a coastal escarpment that is typically eroding inland as a result of wave action (13.3)

ice formed from the freezing of seawater (14.1)

a prominent rocky island that is a remnant of the erosion of a headland (13.3)

describes the current wave conditions in an area (10.2)

the formation of new oceanic crust by volcanism at a divergent plate boundary (4.5)

a submerged mountain rising from the seafloor (4.9)

a wall built against a sea cliff or dune to prevent erosion from wave action (13.5)

unconsolidated particles of mineral or rock that settle to the seafloor (12.1)

pertaining to earthquakes (3.3)

the study of vibrations within the Earth (3.3)

a tidal cycle with two high and two low tides per day, each of roughly equal heights (11.3)

a wave in water with a depth less than 1/20 of the wavelength (10.1)

the boundary between the continental shelf and continental slope, where the angle of the seafloor begins to get steeper (1.2)

the mean height of the largest one-third of the waves in a wave spectrum (10.2)

a form of the mineral quartz (7.2)

sediment dominated by particles of silica, often from the shells of marine organisms (7.2)

sedimentary particles ranging is size from 1/256th to 1/16th of a mm (12.1)

the concept that at least part of the mechanism of plate motion is the pull of oceanic lithosphere down into the mantle (4.3)

period of little water movement between an incoming and outgoing tide (11.3)

where salinity increases from the head to the mouth, but there is also a slight increase in salinity with depth at any point; also called a partially mixed estuary (13.6)

in astronomy the radius around a star at which represents the boundary between gases (or liquids) and solids (3.1)

range of depths around 1000 m where sound travels the slowest, so sound waves are refracted back into the channel and can be propagated long distances (6.4)

a star and the planets surrounding it (3.1)

a stream of ionized (charged) particles away from the Sun (3.1)

the amount of a dissolved substance that water can hold under a particular set of conditions, which are usually defined as 0 degrees C and 1 atmosphere of pressure (5.4)

acronym for sound navigation and ranging; a method of using sound echoes to detect objects (1.4)

how uniform the particles of a sediment are in terms of size (12.1)

a single measurement of ocean depth (1.4)

the heat required to raise the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1 degree C (5.1)

a microscopic piece of space dust (12.5)

a breaker on relatively flat beaches that slowly increases its height and collapses (10.3)

a sand or coarser deposit extending from shore out into open water (13.4)

a wave formed when something falls into the ocean and creates a splash (10.1)

the period of maximum tidal range when the moon, sun and Earth are aligned (11.1)

unreactive gases that dissolve in seawater (5.7)

where a system shows no net change, as input equals output (5.2)

where the water surface would be if there were no waves present and the sea was completely calm (10.1)

an area of high water that moves with storm systems (8.4)

when part of a plate is forced beneath another plate along a subduction zone (4.3)

the sloping region along which a tectonic plate descends into the mantle beneath another plate (4.6)

the region of a coast from the low tide line to the end of the continental shelf (1.3)

the region of a coast above the high tide line (1.3)

an irregular surface wave pattern caused by mixed interference (10.2)

the near-shore zone where waves are breaking into surf (13.1)

where a cohesive layer forms on the water surface due to attraction between water molecules (5.1)

waves that break on steep beaches with a very sudden increase in height and sudden collapse right on the beach (10.3)

the upward motion of a wave on a beach (typically takes place at the same angle that the waves are approaching the shore) (13.1)

regular, long-period waves that have sorted themselves based on speed (10.2)

a flat-topped seamount (also called a guyot) (4.9)

flat-topped, steep-sided iceberg with a length greater than five times the height (14.2)

an estuary formed from flooding following the tectonic subsidence of land (13.6)

a region of the lithosphere that is considered to be moving across the surface of the Earth as a single unit (4.4)

solidified glass fragments ejected during meteorite impacts (12.5)

a planet with a rocky mantle and crust and metallic core (e.g., Earth) (3.1)

referring to sedimentary particles that originated on a continent (12.2)

the shell-like hard parts (either silica or carbonate) of small organisms such as radiolarians and foraminifera (12.3)

the increase in the volume of a body water as its temperature rises and its density decreases (13.7)

a region in the water column where there is a dramatic change in temperature over a small change in depth (6.2)

deep ocean circulation driven by differences in water density (9.8)

a wave that moves up a river with an incoming tide (11.3)

the amount of time between a tide on one day and the same tide the following day (11.2)

the difference in height between the high and low tides (11.1)

the volume difference of an area between low and high tides (11.3)

a sand or coarser deposit connecting an island or rocky prominence to a larger body of land (13.4)

prevailing wind bands between the equator and 30 degrees latitude (8.2)

a boundary between two plates that are moving horizontally with respect to each other (4.5)

a type of fault in which two pieces of crust slide past one another (4.5)

the lowest point of a wave (10.1)

a long-wavelength wave produced by the vertical motion of the floor of the ocean, typically related either to an earthquake or other submarine seismic event (10.1)

a current moving down downhill along the bottom, driven by the weight of the sediment within it (1.2)

depths of the water column where there is some light penetration, but not enough to support photosynthesis; corresponds to the mesopelagic zone, 200-1000 m. Also known as the dysphotic zone (1.3)

process by which deeper water is brought to the surface (9.5)

estuary with complete mixing of fresh and salt water, where salinity is constant at all depths in a particular location but increases towards the estuary mouth; also called a well-mixed estuary (13.6)

a volume of seawater with a distinctive density as a result of its unique profile of temperature and salinity (9.8)

the depth of water that is affected by the sub-surface orbital motion of wave action (approximately one-half of the wavelength) (10.1)

the distance between the crest and trough of a wave (10.1)

the ratio of wave height to wavelength (10.1)

a nearly-horizontal bench of rock eroded by waves within the surf zone (13.3)

the distance between the crests of two waves (10.1)

a range of processes taking place in the surface environment, through which solid rock is transformed into sediment and ions in solution (12.2)

iceberg with a steep face next to a more gradually sloping side (14.2)

estuary with complete mixing of fresh and salt water, where salinity is constant at all depths in a particular location but increases towards the estuary mouth; also called a vertically-mixed estuary (13.6)

the dominant wind bands between 30 and 60 degrees latitude in each hemisphere (8.2)

currents on the western side of a gyre are faster, deeper, and narrower than currents on the eastern side (9.4) 

small, drifting carnivorous organisms (7.1)