BIOMES OF THE EARTH - OCEANS Phần 10 pot

lava molten rock (MAGMA

) on Earth’s surface

limestone sedimentary rock containing mostly calcium

carbonate

lithosphere the outer rocky layer of the Earth comprising

the crust and upper part of the MANTLE. About 20 plates

make up the lithosphere

longitude

a measure of angular distance in an east-west

direction. The Greenwich Meridian (an imaginary line

passing north to south through Greenwich, London) is

zero degrees longitude. The International Date Line is 180°

longitude

longshore drift the movement of sediment along a shore

caused by waves, winds, and currents.

magma molten rock beneath Earth’s surface

mangrove common name for any of several species of trees

and shrubs that dominate the INTERTIDAL ZONE on many

tropical and subtropical shores

mantle the layer of dense, hot rock lying between Earth’s

crust and core. The lower mantle flows slowly, like a thick

molasses, causing plates to move

mariculture the farming of marine organisms

marine protected area (MPA)

a region of the ocean under

special legal protection, typically to conserve its habitats

and communities of organisms

meiofauna minute animals that live between sediment

particles

mid-ocean ridge

a mountain chain on the ocean floor

formed where plates are moving apart. It is the birthplace

of new ocean floor

migration the mass movement of animals from one region

to another, usually to find food or a breeding place

monsoon

a seasonal reversal in prevailing wind direction

that occurs in the Tropics

navigation the process of establishing location and direc￾tion to find the way to a particular destination

nekton aquatic animals that can swim powerfully against

currents

nutrients substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, that

plants need in small amounts to make organic (carbon￾based) substances by photosynthesis

ocean the continuous expanse of salt water that covers 71

percent of Earth’

s surface. The term also refers to one of the

five oceans: Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern

232 OCEANS

GLOSSARY 233

ocean basin

a low-lying region of Earth’s CRUST that con￾tains an ocean. The continental slope marks the edge of an

ocean basin

oceanography the scientific study of the ocean and its

inhabitants

overfishing harvesting a fish population at a level beyond

which its numbers can be replaced by natural breeding

pack ice floating platforms of ice in polar regions that form

when seawater freezes

pelagic having to do with organisms that live in the

ocean’s surface waters or in midwater

photosynthesis the process by which plants, and some pro￾tists and bacteria, trap sunlight in order to make organic

(carbon-rich) substances such as carbohydrates

phytoplankton plant plankton; plankton that photosyn￾thesize

plankton organisms that float freely in the ocean at the

mercy of currents. They swim weakly, if at all

plate (tectonic or lithospheric plate)

a segment of

Earth’

s rocky surface consisting of CRUST and attached

upper MANTLE. About 20 slowly moving plates make up

Earth’s surface

plate tectonics the modern theor

y that Earth’

s surface is

divided into moving plates. Their movements generate

continental drift and are responsible for phenomena such

as earthquakes and volcanoes close to plate boundaries

prokaryotes various forms of bacteria. They are single￾celled organisms that lack a nucleus

protists single-celled organisms that have a nucleus. They

include plantlike forms, such as diatoms and dinoflagel￾lates, and animal-like forms, such as radiolarians

radar (radio detection and ranging) the use of radio

waves to measure the size, position, and motion of objects

remotely operated vehicle (ROV)

a robotic underwater

vehicle attached to and operated by a surface vessel or a

submersible

respiration the process inside cells by which organisms

break down food molecules to release energy

salinity

a measure of the saltiness of water. Most seawater

has a salinity close to 35, or 35 grams of dissolved salts in

1,000 grams of seawater

satellite remote sensing the use of satellites to detect fea￾tures of Earth’s surface