| A | B |
|---|
| Watershed | the land area that supplies water to a river system |
| Wetland | a land area that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year |
| Abiotic Factor | the non-living factors of the environment that an organism lives in. |
| Abyssal Plain | mostly flat portion of ocean floor which provides a home to a variety of unique organisms that are adapted to the extreme conditions of this habitat. |
| Aphotic Zone | lowest layer of the ocean, where light does not reach. |
| Benthos | organisms that live on or in the ocean floor |
| Bioluminescence | The production of non-thermal light by creatures' converting chemical energy to light energy to lure prey, attract a mate, or assist in keeping like species together. An estimated 75 percent of benthic creatures glow |
| Biotic Factor | the living organisms of the environment. |
| Continental Shelf | extends from the edge of the continent outward to where the bottom sharply drops off into a steep slope. |
| Continental Slope | The steep incline between the continental shelf and the abyssal plain. |
| Estuary | body of water where a river meets the ocean |
| Hydrothermal Vent | An opening in the sea floor where super-heated water and other material are discharged into the surrounding seawater. |
| Intertidal Zone | the area that lies between the low-tide and the high-tide line. |
| Mid-Ocean Ridge | A chain of undersea mountains that circles the earth through every ocean. |
| Nekton | free-swimming organisms whose movements are independent of the tides, currents, and waves. |
| Neritic Zone | the first 200 meters (656 feet) of ocean water, which includes the seashore and most of the continental shelf. |
| Oceanic Zone | Extends from 200 meters (656 feet) deep all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. |
| Ocean trench | the deepest parts of the ocean. The deepest one is the Marianas Trench (located in the South Pacific Ocean - almost 5 miles (8.05 kilometers) deep |
| Photic Zone | The top layer of the ocean where sunlight penetrates. |
| Phytoplankton | The plant and algae component of the plankton; the primary producers of most ocean food webs. |
| Producer | a living thing that produces its own food within itself, usually by using sunlight energy in photosynthesis |
| Seamount | A volcanic peak that rises at least 3280 feet (1000 m) from the seafloor. |
| Upwelling | the upward movement to the ocean surface of deeper, cold and usually nutrient-rich waters, especially along some shores, due to the offshore movement of surface waters |
| Zooplankton | Animal component of the plankton that feed on phytoplankton and other zooplankton (primary consumers). |
| Bioindicator | organisms or components of organisms that are used to assess the health of a water system; an organism or community associated with particular environmental condition a change to the number of organisms or the proportions of the community indicate a change in the environment. |
