Review: Matter, Water, and Oceanography

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on matter, water properties, and oceanography.

Hydrogen bond

A weak attraction between a hydrogen atom in one molecule and an electronegative atom (often oxygen) in another molecule, giving water many of its unique properties.

Adhesion

Attraction of water molecules to other substances, leading to phenomena like capillary action and meniscus formation.

Cohesion

Attraction between like water molecules, strengthened by hydrogen bonding.

Polar molecule

A molecule with uneven distribution of charge, resulting in partially positive and negative ends (water is a polar molecule).

Solvent

A substance (like water) that dissolves solutes to form a solution.

Density

Mass per unit volume; water is most dense at about 4°C.

Phase change

Transition between solid, liquid, and gas (e.g., freezing, melting, vaporization).

Heat of fusion

Energy required to change a solid to a liquid at the melting point.

Heat of vaporization

Energy required to change a liquid to a gas at the boiling point.

Water cycle

The continuous movement of water within Earth and its atmosphere, involving evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection.

Salinity

The total amount of dissolved salts in seawater (about 35 g per kilogram of seawater).

Thermocline

A layer in the ocean where temperature changes rapidly with depth.

Halocline

A layer in the ocean where salinity changes rapidly with depth.

Pycnocline

A layer in the ocean where density changes rapidly with depth.

Ekman spiral

Wind-driven surface currents that, due to the Coriolis effect, transmit a net water transport to depth in a spiraling pattern.

Coriolis effect

The deflection of moving matter due to Earth's rotation, causing rightward deflection in the Northern Hemisphere and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere.

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt

The global, interconnected system of deep-water and surface currents that transports heat around the oceans.

Tide

Regular rise and fall of sea level caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun.

Diurnal tide

A schedule of tides with one high and one low tide each day.

Semidiurnal tide

Tides with two high tides and two low tides of similar size each day.

Tsunami

A long-wavelength ocean wave generated by seabed displacement, often caused by earthquakes or landslides.

Wave

A disturbance that carries energy through water; in the ocean, waves have orbital motion and change from deep to shallow water.

Light penetration in the sea

How far light can travel in water; attenuation increases with depth and depends on wavelength and turbidity.

Turbidity

Cloudiness of water caused by suspended particles, which scatters and absorbs light and reduces visibility.

Ocean surface currents

Movements of water at the ocean surface driven largely by wind, shaping climate and marine habitats.