| A | B |
|---|
| gyre | large system of rotating ocean currents |
| salinity | measure of the amount of salt held in a solution |
| surface | type of ocean current that is directed by the wind |
| deep | type of ocean current that sinks below 400 meters |
| density | mass / volume |
| long shore | type of current that flows parallel to the shoreline |
| rip | a strong surface current flowing outwards from a shore |
| el_Niño | warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time |
| La_Nina | A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific |
| upwelling | The rising of cold, usually nutrient-rich waters from the ocean depths to the warmer, sunlit zone at the surface |
| gulfstream | surface current that starts in the Gulf of Mexico & carries heat to Northern Europe |
| Labrador | deep ocean current that runs south from eastern Canada |
| westerlies | winds that blow from west to east and drive the Gulf Stream toward Europe |
| easterlies | winds that blow from east to west and drive the North Equatorial current toward the U.S. |
| crest | peak of a wave |
| trough | lowest point of a wave |
| wavelength | horizontal distance from crest to crest or trough to trough |
| wave_height | perpendicular distance from trough level to crest level |
| frequency | number of waves per unit of time |
| hertz | number of waves per second |
| undertow | subsurface current that pulls objects out to sea |
| whitecaps | foaming waves with steep crests that break in the open ocean |
| swells | rolling waves with long wavelength that travel hundreds or thousands of km |
| tsunami | tidal wave |
| storm_surge | rise in sea level near the shore; created by strong storm |
