The Ocean and Climate Change

Front

Specific Heat Noun

---

[spuh-sif-ik heet]

Back

Specific Heat

---

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a specific mass of a substance by one degree.

---

Example: This image shows that water has a high specific heat, so it absorbs a lot of sun energy without getting very hot, while sand and asphalt have lower specific heats and get much hotter.

Front

Ocean Surface Currents Noun

---

[oh-shun sur-fis kur-ents]

Back

Ocean Surface Currents

---

Continuous, directed movements of seawater near the ocean's surface, primarily driven by wind and the Coriolis effect.

---

Example: This world map shows how ocean surface currents, driven by wind, form large rotating systems called gyres that move warm and cold water around the globe.

Front

Gyres Noun

---

[jy-ers]

Back

Gyres

---

Large systems of rotating ocean currents, particularly those involved with large wind movements, caused by the Coriolis effect.

---

Example: This world map shows the five major ocean gyres, which are large systems of rotating ocean currents that move warm and cold water globally.

Front

Coriolis Effect Noun

---

[kor-ee-oh-lis uh-fekt]

Back

Coriolis Effect

---

The apparent deflection of moving objects when viewed from a rotating reference frame, influencing wind and ocean currents.

---

Example: Because the Earth rotates, large-scale movements like winds are deflected, curving to the right in the north and to the left in the south.

Front

Gulf Stream Noun

---

[guhlf streem]

Back

Gulf Stream

---

A powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows northward.

---

Example: This map shows the Gulf Stream as a warm ocean current, originating in the Gulf of Mexico and flowing across the Atlantic Ocean towards Europe.

Front

Deep Ocean Currents Noun

---

[deep oh-shun kur-ents]

Back

Deep Ocean Currents

---

Subsurface ocean water movements driven by differences in density, which is controlled by temperature and salinity.

---

Example: This diagram shows the global 'ocean conveyor belt,' where warm surface water moves, cools, sinks, and becomes a cold, salty deep ocean current, distributing heat.

Front

Salinity Noun

---

[suh-lin-i-tee]

Back

Salinity

---

The measure of the total concentration of dissolved salts in water, which is a key factor in water density.

---

Example: This diagram shows how a salt crystal breaks apart in water. The polar water molecules pull the positive (cation) and negative (anion) salt ions apart, dissolving them.

Front

Upwelling Noun

---

[up-wel-ing]

Back

Upwelling

---

A process in which deep, cold, and often nutrient-rich water rises from the ocean depths toward the surface.

---

Example: Wind blowing along the coast pushes surface water away, allowing cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean to rise up and replace it.

Front

Thermocline Noun

---

[thur-moh-klyn]

Back

Thermocline

---

A distinct layer in a body of water where temperature changes more rapidly with depth than in surrounding layers.

---

Example: This graph shows that as you go deeper into the ocean, the temperature drops quickly in a middle layer, which is the thermocline.

Front

Phytoplankton Noun

---

[fy-toh-plank-tun]

Back

Phytoplankton

---

Microscopic marine algae that perform photosynthesis and form the foundational base of most marine food webs.

---

Example: This image shows that phytoplankton are not one type of organism, but a diverse group of microscopic plant-like life, including diatoms and algae.