| A | B |
|---|
| Sonar | a system that uses sound waves to calculate the distance to an object on the sea floor. |
| Continental Shelf | a gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent. |
| Continental Slope | This area marks the true edge of a continent. |
| Abyssal Plain | Broad area covered with thick layers of mud and silt; this area of the ocean floor is nearly flat and smooth. |
| Trench | Areas on the ocean floor that are the deepest known regions on Earth. Can be up to 11 km deep. |
| Mid Ocean Ridge | A continuous range of mountains that passes through all of Earth's oceans, where new ocean floor is "born." |
| Seamont | Underwater mountains whose peaks do not break the surface of the water. |
| Plankton | Tiny algea and animals that float in the water, are carried by waves and currents. |
| Neckton | Are free swimming animals that can move throughout the water column. |
| Benthos | Are organisms that inhabit the ocean floor. |
| Volcanic Island | Seamonts that "poke" out of the ocean, erupt and form islands. Hawaiian islands are examples of this. |
| Intertidal Zone | Area of the ocean zone that strecthes from the highest high tide line on land out to the lowest low point on the continental shelf. |
| Estuary | Area that is found along coastal inlets of bays, where fresh water from rivers/streams mixes with salty ocean water. |
| Mangroves | Short, gnarled trees that gow well in brackish water. |
| Spray Zone | Area above the highest hige tide line that only gets "splashed" from time to time, very little aquatic life found here. |
| Neritic Zone | Part of the ocean that extends from the lowest low tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf. Kelp forests are found here. |
| Open Ocean Zone | From the edge of the continental shelf and beyond. |
| Surface Zone | Only part of the open ocean that receives enough sunlight to support the growth of algae. |
| Coral | Is an animal that has microscopic algae living within it (they provide it food). Its soft body is protected by a hard, external structure. |
| Holdfast | Rootlike strands taht hold kelp or algae to the rocks. |
| Bioluminescence | Animals produce this chemical reaction so they can have light in areas of the ocean that are too dark to see. |
| Giant Tube Worms | These animals are found living on and around hydrothermal vents, found deep on the ocean floor. |
| Aquaculture | The farming of saltwater and freshwater organisms. |
| Over Fishing | When humans remove too many aquatic organisms from the natural environment. |
| Nodules | Mineral Deposits that concentrate on the ocean floor around pieces of shell forming these black lumps. |
| Deep sea drilling | A process of removing oil and natural gas from the continental shelf. |
| Brackish | Water that is partly salty and partly fresh. |
