Marine Biology Terms: Chapter 2
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christianjcooper on November 2, 2011
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All of the terms for Chapter 2.
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33 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Tropic of Cancer | latitude 23½°N, respectively, marking the maximum angular distance of the Sun from the equator during the summer and winter solstices |
| summer solstice | time of the year when the Sun stands above 23½°N or 23½°S latitude; about June 22 |
| Arctic Circle | latitude 66½°N, respectively, marking the boundaries of light and darkness during the summer and winter solstices |
| Antarctic Circle | latitude 66½°S, respectively, marking the boundaries of light and darkness during the summer and winter solstices |
| autumnal equinox | day of the year when the Sun stands directly above the equator, so that day and night are of equal length around the world; occurs around September 22-23 |
| Tropic of Capricorn | latitude 23½°S, respectively, marking the maximum angular distance of the Sun from the equator during the summer and winter solstices |
| winter solstice | time of the year when the Sun stands above 23½°N or 23½°S latitude; about December 22 |
| vernal equinox | day of the year when the Sun stands directly above the equator, so that day and night are of equal length around the world; occurs around March 21 |
| lunar month | time required for the Moon to pass from one new Moon to another new Moon (approximately twenty-nine days) |
| solar day | time period determined by one rotation of Earth relative to the Sun; the mean solar day is twenty-four hours |
| sidereal day | time period determined by one rotation of Earth relative to a far-distant star, about four minutes shorter than the mean solar day |
| dayglow | ultraviolet light, invisible to the naked eye, emitted by atomic oxygen in the upper atmosphere when it absorbs and reradiates electromagnetic energy from the Sun. |
| latitude | distance north or south of the equator; latitude is the angle between the equatorial plane and a line drawn outward from the center of Earth to a point on the surface of Earth; latitude varies from 0° to +90° north of the equator and 0° to -90° south of the equator; together with longitude, it specifies the location of a point on the surface of Earth |
| longitude | distance east or west of the prime meridian; longitude is the angle in the equatorial plane between the prime meridian and a second meridian that passes through a point on the surface of Earth whose location is being specified; longitude may be specified in one of two ways; either from 0° to 360° east of the prime meridian, or 0° to 180° east and 0° to 180° west; together with latitude, it specifies the location of a point on the surface of Earth |
| parallel | circle on the surface of Earth parallel to the plane of the equator and connecting all points of equal latitude; a line of latitude |
| equator | 0° latitude, determined by a plane that is perpendicular to Earth's axis and is everywhere equidistant from the North and South Poles |
| meridian | circle of longitude passing through the poles and any given point on Earth's surface |
| prime meridian | meridian of 0° longitude, used as the origin for measurements of longitude; internationally accepted as the meridian of the Royal naval Observatory, Greenwich, England |
| International Date Line | an imaginary line through the Pacific Ocean roughly corresponding to 180° longitude, to the east of which, by international agreement, the calendar date is one day earlier than to the west |
| great circle | the intersection of a plane passing through the center of Earth with the surface of Earth; great circles are formed by the equator and any two meridians of longitude 180° apart |
| nautical mile | unit of length equal to 1852 m, or 1.15 land miles or 1 minute of latitude |
| Mercator projection | a map projection in which the surface of Earth is projected onto a cylinder; distortion is great at high latitudes and the poles cannot be shown; Mercator projections are frequently used for navigation because a straight line drawn on them is a line of true direction or constant compass heading |
| topography | general elevation pattern of the land surface (or the ocean bottom) |
| bathymetry | study and mapping of seafloor elevations and the variations of water depth; the topography of the sea floor |
| physiographic map | portrayal of Earth's features by perspective drawing |
| Polaris | also known as the North Star, is located less than 1° from the celestial pole, a line corresponding to the extension of Earth's' axis of rotation into the sky from the north geographic pole; the angular elevation of Polaris above the horizon corresponds to the latitude of an observer in the Northern Hemisphere |
| zenith | point in the sky that is immediately overhead |
| Greenwich Mean Time | solar time along the prime meridian passing through Greenwich, England |
| Universal Time | solar time along the prime meridian passing through Greenwich, England |
| Zulu Time | solar time along the prime meridian passing through Greenwich, England |
| radar | system of determining and displaying the distance of an object by measuring the time interval between transmission of a radio signal and reception of the echo return; derived from the phrase "radio detecting and ranging" |
| satellite navigational system | an accurate and sophisticated navigational aid; satellites orbiting Earth emit signals of a precise frequency that are picked up by a receiver on the ship |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) | a worldwide radio-navigational system consisting of twenty-four navigational satellites and five ground-based monitoring stations; GPS uses this system of satellites as reference points for calculating accurate positions on the surface of Earth with readily available GPS receivers |
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