Oceans

Question 1

Pacific Ocean

Answer 1

Worlds largest ocean

Question 2

Atlantic Ocean

Answer 2

second largest ocean

Question 3

Indian ocean

Answer 3

covers about 20% of the Earth’s surface

Question 4

Arctic ocean

Answer 4

its centered around north pole

Question 5

Southern ocean

Answer 5

the coldest ocean

Question 6

salinity

Answer 6

a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

Question 7

surface zone

Answer 7

the warm top layer of ocean water

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

the bottom layer that extends from the base of the thermocline to the base of the ocean

Question 10

water cycle

Answer 10

the continuous movement of water on, above, and below Earth’s surface, driven by solar energy and gravity

Question 11

evaporate

Answer 11

the phase transition process where liquid water turns into gaseous water vapor, driven by heat energy

Question 12

condensation

Answer 12

the phase change of water from vapor (gas) to liquid, occurring when warm, moist air cools upon contact with cold surfaces or reaches saturation

Question 13

precipitation

Answer 13

any form of water—liquid or solid—that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface

Question 14

continental shelf

Answer 14

the gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the shoreline and the continental

Question 15

continental slope

Answer 15

the steeply inclined section of the continental margin located between the continental rise and the continental shelf

Question 16

continental rise

Answer 16

the gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the continental slope and the abyssal plain

Question 17

abyssal plain

Answer 17

a large flat almost level area of the deep ocean basin

Question 18

mid-ocean ridge

Answer 18

mountain chains that form where tectonic plates pull apart

Question 19

rift valley

Answer 19

when mountains build up these form in the rift zone

Question 20

seamount

Answer 20

individual mountains of volcanic material

Question 21

ocean trench

Answer 21

huge cracks in the deep ocean basin

Question 22

plankton

Answer 22

diverse, mostly microscopic organisms that drift in oceans, lakes, and rivers, unable to swim against currents

Question 23

nekton

Answer 23

aquatic animals that swim freely and independently of water currents

Question 24

benthos

Answer 24

organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom (benthic zone) of oceans, lakes, and streams, ranging from tidal zones to the deep sea

Question 25

desalination

Answer 25

the process of removing salts and minerals from seawater or brackish water to produce fresh, drinkable water