Domain 3 Review: Estuarine Ecosystems - Sediments and Water Chemistry

Flashcards for key vocabulary from the lecture notes on estuarine ecosystems, focusing on sediments and water chemistry.

Estuarine Ecosystems

A biome where freshwater from rivers meets and mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

Brackish

Water that is a mix of fresh and saltwater.

Salinity

The concentration of salt in water.

Siphon

A tool designed to move liquids from one location to another using gravity.

Mud-flat

The area of the estuary that is exposed at low tide.

Salt Marsh

A coastal wetland that is dominated by grasses and is often found inland from mudflats.

Mangrove

A tree species that grows in coastal intertidal zones, characterized by roots submerged in water.

Deposit Feeder

An organism that obtains nutrients by feeding on organic matter and sediments.

Infauna

Organisms that live within the substrate of the ocean floor or river beds.

Erosion

The process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by natural forces.

Compaction

The process of sediments being compressed under the weight of overlying material.

Heat Capacity

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree.

Halocline

A layer within a body of water where salinity changes rapidly with depth.

Thermocline

A layer within a body of water where temperature decreases rapidly with depth.

Polarity

The property of a molecule that creates a positive charge on one side and a negative charge on the other.

Solvent

A substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution.

Solute

The substance that is dissolved in a solvent.

Density

The mass of a substance relative to its volume.

Euryhaline

An organism's ability to tolerate a wide range of salinities.

Osmoregulation

The process by which organisms regulate the concentration of solutes in their bodies.

Osmoconformer

An organism that matches its internal osmotic environment to that of its surroundings.

Anoxic

A condition where there is very little to no oxygen present.

Biogenous Sediment

Sediment that originates from the remains of living organisms.

Terrigenous Sediment

Sediment that is derived from rock and soil on land.

Pycnocline

A layer in a body of water where the density increases rapidly with depth.

Chemical Equilibrium

The condition in which the concentrations of reactants and products do not change over time.

Cohesion

The attraction between molecules of the same substance.

Adhesion

The attraction between molecules of different substances.