Chapter 8 Vocab

Aquatic life zone

Saltwater and freshwater portions of the biosphere that can support life.

Marine life zones

Aquatic regions including oceans, bays, estuaries, coastal wetlands, shorelines, coral reefs, and mangrove forests.

Freshwater life zones

Aquatic systems comprising lakes, rivers, streams, and inland wetlands.

Phytoplankton

Microscopic algae that act as primary producers supporting most aquatic food webs.

Ultraplankton

Extremely small photosynthetic bacteria responsible for approximately $70\%$ of primary productivity near the ocean surface.

Zooplankton

Drifting animals consisting of primary consumers that feed on phytoplankton, and secondary consumers that feed on other zooplankton.

Decomposers

Organisms, primarily bacteria, that break down organic compounds in dead bodies and wastes into usable aquatic plant nutrients.

Coastal zone

Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow marine area extending from the high-tide mark on land to the gently sloping edge of the continental shelf.

Estuaries

Partially enclosed bodies of water where rivers meet the sea and seawater mixes with freshwater and terrestrial runoff.

Sea grass beds

Coastal marine environments consisting of at least $60$ species of underwater plants found in shallow continental shelf areas.

Intertidal zone

The area of marine shoreline located between low and high tides.

Open sea

The vast volume of ocean water separated from the coastal zone by depth at the continental shelf edge.

Abyssal zone

The lowest, darkest, and coldest open-ocean level, containing no sunlight, low dissolved oxygen, and high levels of biodiversity.

Turbidity

Cloudiness in water caused naturally by algal growth or by human disturbances such as soil erosion and silt runoff.

Lakes

Large natural bodies of standing freshwater formed when precipitation, runoff, and groundwater seepage fill depressions in the Earth's surface.

Surface water

Precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate, becoming runoff when flowing into streams.

Watershed

A drainage basin of land area delivering runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream or river system.

Inland wetlands

Freshwater-covered lands located away from coasts, including marshes, swamps, prairie potholes, and floodplains.

Delta

A depositional landform made of sediment where a river mouth enters an ocean or lake.

Coral bleaching

A phenomenon where environmental stressors, such as elevated temperatures, cause symbiotic algae in corals to die off or be expelled.

Upwelling

The movement of deep, cold, nutrient-rich bottom water upward to the ocean's surface.

Bycatch

The unintentional capture of non-target marine animals during fishing operations.

Fishprint

The area of ocean required to sustainably supply the marine consumption of an individual, nation, or the world.

Fishery

A commercially harvestable population of fish or shellfish residing within a specific ecological region.

surface water

precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evapo-rate. It becomes RUNOFF when it flows into streams.

watershed

land area that delivers runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream

inland wetlands

lands located away from coastal areas that are covered with freshwater all of part of the year- excluding lakes, reservoirs, and streams. They include: marshes, swamps, prairie potholes, and floodplains.

delta

A landform made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake

drainage basin

the area from which a single stream or river and its tributaries drains all of the water

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels

runoff

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

salinity

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

coral reefs

form in clear, warm coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics. They are formed by massive colonies of tiny animals called polyps.

coral bleaching

a threat to coral reefs that occurs when stresses such as increased temperature cause the algae, upon which corals depend for food, to die off.

upwelling

movement of nutrient-rich bottom water to the ocean's surface

bycatch

The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing

fishprint

area of ocean needed to sustain the consumption of an average person, a nation, or the world

fishery

a commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region