CONTINENTAL SHELF
/ The underwater edge of the continent. The shallowest part of the ocean and home to most ocean life.
CONTINENTAL SLOPE
/ A steep slope at the edge of the shelf that drops to the deep ocean.
CONTINENTAL RISE
/ Located at the bottom of the slope, the rise is where tons of sediment have accumulated
ABYSSAL PLAIN
/ Very wide, flat sections of the deep ocean.
TRENCHES
/ The deepest areas of the ocean. They are long canyon-like features that occur at subduction zones.
CURRENT
/ A body of water moving very quickly in a definite direction.
GULF STREAM
/ One of the seven major global currents. It carries huge volumes of warm water north along the east coast of the United States.
SALINITY
/ The amount of salt in water. Salinity in water is a factor in creating some currents.
DENSITY
/ The amount of mass packed into a space
DEPTH
/ A measure of how deep a body of water is.
WAVES
/ Caused by the friction of wind blowing across the water’s surface.
TIDES
/ Tides are the rise and fall of ocean of ocean water caused mainly by the Moon’s gravity.
SUNLIGHT ZONE
/ Surface down to 200 meters. The sun’s rays and nutrients in the water make this the best zone for life.
TWILIGHT ZONE
/ 200 meters to 1000 meters. The sun’s light grows faint. Many of the animals here swim up to the sunlight zone to eat after dark.
MIDNIGHT ZONE
/ 1000 meters to 4000 meters. No light and crushing pressure. Creatures here are adapted for this environment.
ABYSSAL ZONE
/ 4000 meters to 6000 meters. It has crushing pressure and near freezing temperatures. Few creatures live here.
TRENCH WATER
/ There is not much life here, but what is here is amazing. Here the food source is bacteria and chemicals.
PHYTOPLANKTON
/ Is it a plant or an animal? Tiny plant-like organisms that form the base of the ocean food web and provide much of the Earth’s oxygen.
ZOOPLANKTON
/ Tiny animal-like organisms that also are an important part of the food web.