| A | B |
|---|
| Salinity | The total amount of dissoved salts in a water sample. |
| Sonar | A system that uses relected sound waves to locate and determine the distance to objects under water. |
| Seamount | A steep-sided volcanic mountain rising from the deep-ocean floor. |
| Trench | A deep, steep-sided canyon in the ocean floor. |
| Continental slope | A steep incline of the ocean floor leading down from the edge of the continental shelf |
| Continental shelf | A gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent |
| Abyssal plain | A smooth, nearly flat region of the deep ocean floor. |
| Mid-ocean ridge | An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary under the ocean. |
| Current | A large stream of moving water that flows through the oceans. |
| Coriolis effect | The effect of Earth's rotation on direction of winds and currents. |
| Climate | The average annual condition of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area |
| El Nino | An abnormal climate event that occurs every two to seven years in the Pacific Ocean, causeing changes in winds, currents, and weather patterns for one to two years. |
| La Nina | A climate event in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which surface waters are colder than normal. |
