Marine Bio

• covalent


  sharing electrons between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms that make up water
• polar


  in water molecule, electrons lean towards oxygen, making it slightly negative
• H bonds

  attraction between water molecules
• cohesion


  sticking together water molecule that forms surface tension
• viscosity

  • thickness of water
  • more hydrogen bonds results in thicker water
• neuston

  surface dwelling forms
• buoyancy

  maintain position in the water column
• plankton

  organisms that drift or float in the water column
• oxygen

  minimum layer region of the column where the concentration of dissolved oxygen decreases
• oxygen minimum layer

  decline of oxygen that reaches 500-1000 meters in open water
• bioluminescence

  chemical reactions within organisms that produce light
• marcet's principle

  proportions of the salts that make the water saline stay the same
• physical factors

  • moisture
  • buoyancy
  • gases
  • salinity
  • temperature
  • density
  • light levels
  • pressure
  • motion
• biological factors

  • finding food
  • not becoming food
  • reproduction
• bight

  portion of coastline that turns sharply inward from north to south coastline
• CA bight

  portion that turns sharply inward toward the east, creating an east to west mountain range
• topography

  submarine valleys, ridges, mountains, troughs, and islands
• Socal eddy

  • large counter clockwise circular (cyclonic) movement of water that sits over the CA bight
• gyre

  • southward off shore flow
  • northward near shore flow at surface and northward flow at depth
• continental shift

  • covered by water but shallow enough to be affected by waves
  • narrow margin of land between mainland and sea
• continental slope

  sharp drop of land at the end of the shelf
• continental borderland

  • obstacle of Eddy flow in the Channel Islands
  • leaky obstacles to water flow
• costal ocean


  • localized current, certain direction of flow
  • water moves downstream, creating beaches
  • moves sand
• upwelling


  movement of cold and nutrient rich water up to the surface zone
• Coriolis Effect

  • force that causes moving objects to shift direction according to earth's rotation
  • the movement of water near shore causes upwelling that causes the ekman spiral
  • northern hemisphere: clockwise
  • southern hemisphere: counter clockwise
• ekman spiral

  • water gets deflected in all layers
  • once deflected in land, water goes up in a counter clockwise motion
• beach

  sand and gravel deposit that covers the shore of wave activity
• rip current

  rapid flow of water returning to the open ocean
• tides

  observable, periodic, and measurable rises and falls of the sea surface resulting from gravitational attraction between the earth, sun, and moon
• solar day

  one day turn of the earth on its axis, resulting in a 24 hour cycle
• tidal day

  • 24 hours and 50 minutes required for earth to be under the moon and then repeat again on day 2
  • takes 30-31 days for the moon to complete one orbit around the earth
• tidal period

  time between highs (bulges) or lows (throughs)
• tidal patterns

  • diurnal: 1 low and 1 high
  • semidiurnal: 2 low and 2 high, same height
  • mixed: 2 low and 2 high, different heights
• wave train

  • symmetric wave energy through water median
  • highest point: crest
  • lowest point: troughs
• episodic waves

  • various waves come together to form a giant crest
  • occurs in open water
• tsunamis

  • height is small when generated
  • wavelength can be 125 miles long
• shallow water waves


  waves traveling in water where depth is less than 20 times the water depth
• open ocean

  • 98% of all earth's water
  • 80% of southern hemisphere is covered by ocean
  • 61% of water is covered by northern hemisphere
  • 2% is glaciers, groundwater, lakes, etc
• surface layer

  • upper layer of the ocean that is generated by absorbing the sun's energy
  • influenced by wind
• thermocline (pycnocline)

  • temperature drops with depth
  • change in density increases the deeper you descend