| A | B |
|---|
| abyssal Plain | A smooth nearly flat region of the ocean floor |
| continental shelf | A gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outwards from the edge of a continent. |
| continental slope | A steep incline of the ocean floor leading down from the edge of the continental shelf. |
| intertidal zone | The zone covered by the range of High to low tide. An area that streches from the highest tide line on land out to the point on the Continental shelf exposed by the lowest tide. |
| mid ocean ridge | An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is being produced. |
| neritic zone | The area of the ocean that extends from the low tide line out to the edge of the Continental shelf. |
| open ocean zone | The deepest, darkest area of the ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf. |
| sonar | A device that determines the distance of an object under water by recording echoes of sound waves. Sound Navigation Ranging |
| trench | A deep steep sided Canyon in the ocean floor |
| frequency | The number of waves that passes a specific point in a given time |
| groin | A wall made of rocks or concrete that is built outward from a beach to reduce erosion |
| longshore drift | Drift of sediment along the shore. The movement of water and sediment down a beach caused by waves coming in to shore at an angle |
| rip current | A rush of water that flows rapidly back to sea through a narrow opening in a sandbar. Swim parallel to shore if caught in one. |
| tsunami | A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor. |
| wave | The movement of energy through a body of water. |
| wave height | The vertical distance from the crest (Its peak) of a wave to the trough (its lowest point) |
| wavelength | The horrizontal distance between the crest of one wave to the crest of the next wave. |
| neap tide | A tide with the least difference between low and high tide that occurs when the sun and moon pull at right angles to each other at first and third quarters of the moon. |
| spring tide | A tide with the greatest difference between the high and low tide that occurs when the sun and the moon are aligned with earth at new moon and Full Moon. |
| tide | The daily rise and fall of earths waters on its coastlines |
| salinity | the total amount of dissolved salt or solids in a water sample. |
| climate | The average year after year conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area |
| coriolis effect | The curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to the Earth's rotation |
| current | A large stream of flowing water that flows through oceans.... |
| el Nino | A climate event that occurs every two to seven years in the pacific ocean during which winds shift and push warm water toward the coast of south America |
| upwelling | The movement of cold water upward from the deep ocean that is caused by wind. |
