science

habitat

the natural environment where an organism lives and thrives.

1. groundwater

the water that saturates the soil and rock layers beneath the Earth's surface, commonly found in aquifers.

water cycle

The continuous process by which water is circulated through the Earth's atmosphere, land, and bodies of water, involving evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

evaporation

the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor, typically due to heat. It is a key part of the water cycle.

transpiration

the process in which water is absorbed by plants from the soil, moves through the plants, and is released as water vapor into the atmosphere, contributing to the water cycle.

precipitation

any form of water—liquid (rain, drizzle) or solid (snow, sleet, hail)—that condenses from atmospheric vapor and falls to the Earth's surface under gravity

tributary

a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake.

watershed

an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

divide

separate or be separated into parts.

reservoir

a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

eutrophication

the over-enrichment of water bodies with nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, driving excessive algae growth, oxygen depletion (hypoxia), and severe ecosystem degradation

salinity

the concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (mainly sodium chloride) in water or soil

sonar

a technology that uses sound waves to detect, map, and measure underwater objects

seamount

Seamounts are underwater mountains, typically extinct volcanoes, rising at least 1,000 meters from the seafloor

trench

An ocean trench is a long, narrow, steep-sided depression on the seafloor representing the deepest parts of the ocean, often exceeding to meters deep

continental shelf

A continental shelf is a shallow, submerged extension of a continent, typically sloping gently to a depth of 100-200meters before dropping off to the deep ocean.

abyssal plain

Abyssal plains are vast, flat, and sediment-covered areas on the deep ocean floor, usually found between 3,000 and 6,000 meters deep

mid-ocean ridge

a 65,000–70,000 km long, mostly underwater mountain system formed by tectonic plates spreading apart

current

a body of water or air moving in a definite direction, especially through a surrounding body of water or air in which there is less movement.

Coriolis effect

an apparent force caused by Earth's rotation that deflects the path of objects (like air, water, or planes) traveling long distances

Climate

the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.

El Nino

A complex weather pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean, characterized by the warming of sea surface temperatures. It has significant climatic effects on weather patterns globally.

La Nina

A climate pattern characterized by cooler ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, often leading to increased rainfall in the western Pacific and drier conditions in the eastern Pacific.