oceans

Question 1

pacific ocean

Answer 1

the largest of the world’s five principal oceans

Question 2

Atlantic ocean

Answer 2

the second-largest of the world’s five oceans

Question 3

indian ocean

Answer 3

the third-largest of the world’s five oceanic divisions

Question 4

arctic ocean

Answer 4

the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans

Question 5

southern ocean

Answer 5

also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean

Question 6

salinity

Answer 6

the quality or degree of being saline

Question 7

surface zone

Answer 7

a the complete boundary of a solid figure. b a continuous two-dimensional configuration. a the uppermost level of the land or sea

Question 8

thermocline

Answer 8

a steep temperature gradient in a body of water such as a lake, marked by a layer above and below which the water is at different temperatures

Question 9

deep zone

Answer 9

extending or situated relatively far down from a surface

Question 10

water cycle

Answer 10

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land

Question 11

evapotation

Answer 11

the process of turning from liquid into vapor

Question 12

condensation

Answer 12

water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it

Question 13

precipitation

Answer 13

rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground

Question 14

continental shelf

Answer 14

the area of seabed around a large landmass where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean. The continental shelf is geologically part of the continental crust

Question 15

contineltal slope

Answer 15

the slope between the outer edge of the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor

Question 16

continental rise

Answer 16

a major depositional regime in oceans made up of thick sequences of continental material that accumulate between the continental slope and the abyssal plain

Question 17

abyssal plain

Answer 17

flat seafloor area at an abyssal depth (3,000 to 6,000 m [10,000 to 20,000 feet]), generally adjacent to a continent

Question 18

mid ocean ridge

Answer 18

a long, seismically active submarine ridge system situated in the middle of an ocean basin and marking the site of the upwelling of magma associated with seafloor spreading

Question 19

rift valley

Answer 19

a large elongated depression with steep walls formed by the downward displacement of a block of the earth’s surface between nearly parallel faults or fault systems

Question 20

seamount

Answer 20

a submarine mountain

Question 21

ocean trench

Answer 21

long, narrow depressions on the seafloor

Question 22

plankton

Answer 22

the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water

Question 23

nekton

Answer 23

aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents

Question 24

benthos

Answer 24

the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water

Question 25

desalination

Answer 25

the process of removing salt from seawater