Download Abyssal Plain:

Oceans Study Guide
Abyssal Plain:
the deepest area of the ocean floor
Continental Rise:
area of transition between the abyssal plain and the continental
slope that is covered with thick sediment
Continental Shelf:
rather level area of the ocean floor that is covered with thick
sediment and links the shoreline with the continental slope
Continental Slope:
feature of the ocean floor that is covered with thick sediments and
spans the change in depth between the continental shelf and the
continental rise
Ocean Trench:
Mid-Ocean Ridge:
Seamount:
a canyon in the deepest area of the ocean floor
mountain range found along the ocean floor (Only the peaks, if
any, of the mid-ocean ridge are visible above the ocean's surface.)
an underwater sea mountain
Depth:
measurement from the ocean's surface to the floor in one
given spot
Environment:
The surroundings or conditions an organism lives in.
Ecosystem:
network of the interactions between organisms and their
environment (It has both living and nonliving components.)
Gulf Stream:
the major current on the Eastern United States coast that travels
north from the equator (It affects the temperature and weather of
this region.)
Ocean:
one of seven large bodies of salt water that cover about 70% of the
Earth's surface
Phytoplankton:
single-celled plant-like and bacteria plankton which float on the
ocean’s surface, producing much of the Earth’s oxygen and serving
as one of the basis for the marine food web
Plankton:
tiny open-water plants, animals, or bacteria that are transported by
water currents and tides
Nekton:
marine organisms that have the ability to swim or move against the
current
Benthic:
organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean that are not freefloating
Salinity:
measure of the concentration of dissolved salt in water
Tide:
rhythmic movement of water on the Earth's surface that is
caused by the moon's
Current:
a "river" of water caused by temperature changes and the Earth's
rotation that moves quickly through a larger body of water