Seawater
This is the most abundant ion in seawater.
Chloride (Cl-)
Most of the Sun’s energy reaches Earth as this type of radiation.
Shortwave Radiation
The gently sloping, submerged border of a continent.
Continental Shelf
Coral reefs begin to form when these attach to hard surfaces underwater.
Coral larve
What type of sediment forms from the weathering of rocks on land?
Lithogenous sediment
The law that states the proportions of the 6 major ions remain constant.
The Law of Constant Proportions?
Earth re-emits absorbed energy primarily as this type of radiation.
Longwave Radiation
The steep descent from the continental shelf to the deep ocean basin.
Continental slope
The most common type of reef that grows directly from shore.
A fringing reef
Which two organisms contribute to silica-based biogenous sediment?
Diatoms and radiolarians
Name two minor constituents found in seawater.
Inorganic phosphorus and dissolved gases
The term for the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected by a surface.
albedo
The flat, deep ocean floor, typically 4500–6000 m below sea level.
Abyssal plains
A reef separated from the coast by a lagoon or channel.
A Barrier reef
What does the abbreviation “CCD” stand for, and why is it important?
Carbonate Compensation Depth; depth below which calcium carbonate dissolves
Typical salinity in the open ocean ranges between these values (in %).
33–37%
Fresh snow has an albedo of about this value (as a decimal or %).
~0.85 or 85%
Underwater mountains that rise from the seafloor but do not reach the surface; if flat-topped, they are called this.
Guyot
A ring-shaped reef that forms around a lagoon after an island sinks below sea level.
An Atoll
What is a hydrogenous sediment, and name one example.
Sediment that precipitates from seawater; example: manganese nodules
This process increases salinity by leaving salt behind in the water during ice formation.
Freezing
Name the two main factors that drive thermohaline circulation in oceans.
Temperature and Salinity
Extremely deep, narrow depressions in the seafloor caused by subduction at convergent boundaries.
Deep ocean trenches
Small, isolated reefs found in lagoons or between larger reef systems.
Patch Reef
What is cosmogenous sediment, and how does it reach the ocean floor?
Sediment from outer space (meteor dust, etc.); settles slowly from space through atmosphere