Chapter 16 Prentice Hall Earth Science
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fischerthegoalie on April 12, 2010
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18 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Ocean Current | mass of ocean water that flow from one place to another |
| Surface Current | a horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and that occurs at or near the ocean's surface |
| Gyre | large whirls of water within an ocean basin |
| Coriolis Effect | the deflection of currents away from their origional course due to earth rotation |
| Upwelling | is the rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water |
| Density Current | are vertical currents of ocean water that result from density differences among water masses |
| Wave Height | the vertical distance from the crest of a wave to the trough |
| Wavelength | the distance (measured in the direction of propagation) between two points in the same phase in consecutive cycles of a wave(horizontal) |
| Wave Period | the time it takes one full wave, one wave length, to pass a fixed position |
| Fetch | the distance that the wind has traveled across open water |
| Tides | changes in elevation of the ocean surface |
| Tidal Range | difference in height between succesive high and low tides |
| Spring Tides | tides that have the greastest tidal range due to the alignment of the earth-moon-sun system |
| Neap Tides | lowest tidal range occurring near the times of the first quarter and third quarter phases of the moon |
| Beach | accumulation of sediment found along the shore of a lake or ocean |
| Wave Refraction | the bending of waves so that they move nearly parallel to the shoreline |
| Longshore Current | a water current that travels near and parallel to the shoreline |
| Barrier Islands | low, narrow, sandy islands that form offshore from a coastline. |
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