Ocean Features
A broad, flat area of the deep ocean floor.
abyssal plain
The amount of dissolved salt in ocean water.
salinity
A horizontal movement of ocean water caused mostly by wind.
surface current
The lowest layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs.
troposphere
The amount of water vapor in the air.
humidity
A long underwater mountain range where new seafloor forms.
mid-ocean ridge
A measure of how much mass is in a certain volume of water.
denisty
A current driven mostly by density differences in ocean water.
deep current
The layer above the troposphere that contains the ozone layer.
stratosphere
The temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation begins.
dew point
A deep, narrow depression in the ocean floor formed by subduction.
trench
A water mass is usually identified using these two main characteristics.
temperature and salinity
Global circulation caused by differences in temperature and salinity.
thermohaline circulation
The coldest atmospheric layer.
mesosphere
When air contains the maximum amount of water vapor possible at that temperature.
saturation
An underwater volcanic mountain that does not reach the ocean surface.
seamount
The property that increases when salinity increases (assuming temperature stays constant).
density
The effect that causes moving water and air to curve due to Earth’s rotation.
coriolis effect
The layer where auroras occur and temperatures increase due to absorbing radiation.
thermosphere
When warm air is trapped above cooler air near the surface.
temperature inversion
A flat-topped seamount, usually caused by erosion when it was above sea level.
guyot
The name for a large section of ocean water that forms based on its density and tends to stay grouped together as it moves.
water mass
In thermohaline circulation, water sinks because it becomes colder and/or _______.
saltier water
The outermost layer where atmospheric particles can escape into space.
exosphere
When air is forced upward over a mountain range, cooling and forming clouds.
orographic lifting