AICE Marine Science

Analyse

Examine in detail to show meaning, identify elements and the relationship between them

Assess

Make an informed judgment

Calculate

Work out from given facts, figures or information

Comment

Give an informed opinion

Compare

Identify / comment on similarities and/or differences

Consider

Review and respond to given information

Contrast

Identify / comment on differences

Define

Give precise meaning

Demonstrate

Show how or give an example

Describe

State the point of a topic / give characteristics and main features

Develop

Take forward to a more advanced stage or build upon given information

Discuss

Write about issue(s) or topic(s) in depth in a structured way

Evaluate

Judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount or value of something

Examine

Investigate closely, in detail

Explain

Set out purposes or reasons / make the relationships between things evident / provide why and/or how and support with relevant evidence

Give

Produce an answer from a given source or recall / memory

Identify

Name / select / recognize

Justify

Support a case with evidence / argument

Outline

Set out main points

Predict

Suggest what may happen based on available information

Sketch

Make a simple freehand drawing showing the key features, taking care over proportions

State

Express in clear terms

Suggest

Apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses in order to make proposals

Summarise

Select and present the main points, without detail

Hypothesis

An explanation of an observation that can be tested through experimentation

Variable

A condition in an experiment that can be controlled or changed

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation

Qualitative Data

Descriptive data about a variable (for example color or behavior)

Quantitative Data

Numerical data that gives the quantity, amount, or range of a variable (for example, concentration of oxygen or number of eggs laid)

Prediction

A statement of the expected results in an experiment based on the hypothesis being tested

Independent Variable

The variable being changed in an experiment

Dependent Variable

The variable being measured in an experiment

Control Experiment

A group within an investigation or study that receives exactly the same treatment as the experimental groups with the exception of the variable being tested

Control Variable

Variables that are not being tested but that must be kept the same in case they affect the experiment

Confounding Variable

A variable that could affect the independent variable or dependent variable and therefore the results of the experiment

Water Bath

A container of water heated to a given temperature which can be used to either vary or control the temperature

Buffer

A solution which can maintain a relatively stable pH

Reliable

Results that can be replicated by other people

Anomaly (Anomalous)

A result or observation that deviates from what is normal or expected; in experimental results, it normally refers to one repeated result that does not fit the pattern of the others

Precision (in measurements)

The level of refinement in a measurement shown by the number of significant figures given

Precision (in experiments)

This refers to the closeness of the measurements to each other; precise measurements are close to each other and there is little spread about the mean

Accuracy

Ensuring that measurements are close to the true value

Line Graph

A graph which is drawn to show the relationship between two continuous variables

Histogram

A graph which is drawn to show the frequency of one continuous variable

Bar Chart

A graph which is drawn to show the relationship between one continuous and one discontinuous variable

Continuous Variable

Variable which can take any value (for example, temperature, time, or concentration

Discontinuous Variable

Variable which can only take certain values (for example, human blood type or eye color)

Systematic Error

A consistent error which affects each measurement in the same way, normally caused by faulty measuring equipment or difficulties in reading that equipment

Random Error

An error in measurement which is caused by factors which vary from one measurement to another

Element

A substance that cannot be chemically broken down into a simpler substance

Compound

A substance containing two or more elements chemically bonded together

Molecule

A group of atoms covalently bonded together

Atom

The smallest particle an element can be divided into and still be the same substance

Kinetic Particle Theory

The theory of how particles, such as atoms and molecules, move in relation to each other and the amount of energy within the system

Water Vapor

Gaseous phase/state of water; produced when liquid water evaporates or boils

Proton

A positively charged subatomic particle contained within the nucleus of an atom

Neutron

A neutral subatomic particle contained within the nucleus of an atom

Electron

A negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom

Nucleus

The positively charged central core of an atom that is made of protons and neutrons

Shells

Each of a set of orbitals around the nucleus of an atom that can be occupied by electrons

Atomic Number

The number of protons contained in the nucleus of an atom

Bond

A strong force of attraction holding atoms together in a substance

Emergent Properties

Characteristics that are present within a compound or molecule of two or more different elements that those elements do not possess on their own

Covalent Bond

Chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms

Ionic Bond

Chemical bond that involves the attraction between two oppositely charged ions

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond between two molecules due to the electrostatic attraction between a hydrogen atom in one molecule and an atom of oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine in the other molecule

Ion

An atom or molecule that has lost or gained one or more electrons creating an electrical charge

Polar

When opposite sides of a molecule have contrasting partial electrical charges

Solvent

A substance which is able to dissolve other substances

Density

A measure of the mass of a defined volume of water

Specific Heat Capacity

The heat required to raise the temperature of the unit mass of a given substance by one degree Celsius

Solute

A solid that dissolves in a solvent

Solution

A mixture of a solute dissolved in a solvent

Solubility

The ability of a solute to dissolve within a solvent

Dissolution

The process of being dissolved

Salinity

A measure of the quantity of dissolved solids in ocean water, represented by parts per thousand (ppt) or ‰

Precipitation

Water that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface as rain, sleet, snow, or hail

Run-Off

The flow of water from land caused by precipitation

Evaporation

A change in state from liquid to gas below the boiling point of a substance

Hypersaline

When a body of water has a salinity level greater than 40 ‰

Halocline

A layer of water below the mixed surface layer where a rapid change in salinity can be measured as depth increases

Thermocline

A layer between two layers of water with different temperatures where temperature changes quickly

pH

A numeric value expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale

Acidic

Having a pH below 7

Alkaline

Having a pH above 7

Neutral

Having a pH that equals 7

pH Scale

A logarithmic scale that measures the ratio of hydrogen ions to hydroxide ions

Turbulence

Irregular changes in the speed and direction of fluid movement

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Concentration of oxygen dissolved in a solution

Oxygen Minimum Layer

The layer within the ocean where the concentration of dissolved oxygen is at its lowest, typically found below the photic zone between 100m and 1000m deep

Water Column

A vertical section of water from the surface to the bottom

Gradient

The rate of change in the y-axis value as the x-axis value increases

Thermal Insulator

A substance which reduces the rate of transfer of thermal energy

Pycnocline

A layer of water between two layers of water with different densities where density changes quickly

Principle of Constant Proportions

The ratio of any two major ions dissolved in seawater is constant

Estuary

A partially enclosed, tidal, coastal body of water where freshwater from a river meets the saltwater of the ocean

Littoral Zone

The benthic, or bottom, zone between the highest and lowest spring tide water marks on a shoreline; also referred to as the intertidal zone

Earthquake

A sudden release of energy inside the Earth that creates seismic waves; usually caused by movement of tectonic plates or volcanic activity

Crust

The outermost layer of rock on Earth

Mantle

A region of molten rock within the interior of the Earth, between the core and the crust