Oceanography Vocabulary

2. The rising of cold, nutrient-rich water from deep in the ocean to the surface.
5. Organisms that live on, in, or near the seabed.
8. A diverse underwater ecosystem held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals.
9. Small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea.
11. The uppermost layer of the ocean, where sunlight penetrates.
13. The deep ocean layer, where no sunlight reaches.
14. A series of ocean waves with extremely long wavelengths caused by large-scale disturbances.
15. A layer in a body of water where the temperature changes rapidly with depth.
17. The deepest layer of the ocean, found in ocean trenches.
18. A flat, almost level area of the deep-ocean basin.

1. An opening in the sea floor out of which heated mineral-rich water flows.
3. Aquatic animals that can swim and move independently of water currents.
4. The middle layer of the ocean, receiving very little light.
6. The extended perimeter of each continent, which lies submerged under relatively shallow seas.
7. The concentration of salts in water.
8. The steep slope where the continental shelf drops to the deep ocean floor.
10. An underwater mountain rising from the ocean floor that does not reach the surface.
12. The layer of the ocean at depths between 4,000 and 6,000 meters.
15. A deep, narrow depression in the ocean floor, often caused by tectonic activity.
16. An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics.