Geology and Wind
This supercontinent existed before the modern continents and its breakup illustrates the concept of continental drift.
Pangea
This term refers to the total amount of dissolved salts in seawater, typically measured in parts per thousand.
salinity
This green pigment found in plants and algae captures light energy to power the process of photosynthesis.
chlorophyll
This type of organism, unlike an autotroph, must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms.
heterotroph
This close biological relationship can make life sweet or stressful, depending on whether the partners help, harm, or just tolerate each other.
symbiosis
This process explains how new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and moves outward as tectonic plates separate.
seafloor spreading
This molecular attraction gives water its cohesion, surface tension, and unusually high specific heat compared to other liquids.
hydrogen bonding
These four processes, each beginning with the letter R, are key characteristics shared by all living organisms.
respiration, regulation, reproduction, response
This kind of cell contains a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
eukaryote
These photosynthetic bacteria, often called blue-green algae, produce oxygen and serve as a vital foundation for many marine ecosystems.
cyanobacteria
This geological process occurs when one tectonic plate moves beneath another and sinks into the mantle.
Subduction
This ocean layer acts like a hidden thermal barrier, where temperatures plunge sharply, dividing warm surface waters from the chilly deep.
Thermocline
This term describes the sum of all chemical reactions in an organism that build up or break down materials for energy and growth.
metabolism
This kingdom includes mostly single-celled eukaryotes, such as algae and protozoa, that are not classified as plants, animals, or fungi.
Protista
This kind of cell doubles down on DNA, holding one full chromosome set from each parent.
diploid
This phenomenon causes moving air and water to curve due to Earth’s rotation, influencing global wind and ocean current patterns.
Coriolis effect
This tide occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, producing the greatest difference between high and low tides.
spring tide
This molecule, known as DNA, carries genetic instructions in a double-helix structure within living cells.
deoxyribonucleic acid
This type of organism, often called a cold-blooded animal, has a body temperature that varies with its surrounding environment.
poikilotherm
This simple body plan lets algae and seaweeds thrive without all the fuss of roots or stems.
thallus
These large circular ocean current systems are driven by global winds and the Coriolis effect, circulating water around ocean basins.
gyres
This process involves the movement of water molecules through a semipermeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to a high solute concentration.
osmosis
This molecule, produced during respiration, stores and releases energy for cellular processes.
This process lets some deep-sea bacteria skip sunlight altogether, making food from chemicals like hydrogen sulfide instead of photosynthesis.
chemosynthesis
These glassy little photosynthesizers in the phylum Chrysophyta build intricate silica shells that make ocean plankton sparkle.
diatoms