| A | B |
|---|
| ocean current | the movement of ocean water that follows a pattern |
| surface current | a horizontal movement of water that is caused by wind and that occurs at or near the surface of the ocean |
| coriolis effect | the apparent curving of the path of a moving object due to the Earth's rotation |
| deflect | change direction |
| deep current | a stream like movement of ocean water far below the surface |
| upwelling | the movement of deep, cold and nurient rich water to the surface |
| El Nino | a change in the water temperature in th Pacific Ocean that produces a warm current |
| La Nina | a change in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface temperature becomes cool |
| crest | the highest point of a wave |
| trough | the lowest point of a wave |
| wavelength | distance between two wave troughs or two wave crests |
| wave height | vertical distance between the crest and trough of one wave |
| wave period | the time that lapses between the passage of two wave crests at a fixed point |
| deep water waves | waves that move in water deeper than one-half their wavelength |
| breakers | high wave crests that gravity pulls down |
| surf | the area between the breaker zone and the shore |
| undertow | a subsurface current that is near shore and that pulls objects out to sea |
| longshore current | a water current that travels near and parallel to the shoreline |
| whitecap | the bubbles in the crest of a breaking wave |
| tsunami | a giant ocean wave that froms when after a volcanic eruption, submarine earthquake, or landslide |
| swell | one of a group of long ocean waves that have steadily traveled a great distance from their point of generation |
| storm surge | a local rise in sea level near the shore that is caused by strong winds from a storm, such as those from a hurricane |
| tide | the periodic rise and fall of the water level in the oceans and other large bodies of water |
| high tide | bulges that happen because of the rotation of the Earth and the motion of the moon around the Earth |
| tidal range | the difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide |
| spring tide | a tide of increased range that occurs two times a month, at the new and full moons |
| neap tide | a tide of minimum range that occurs during the first and third quarters of the moon |
