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Oceans Vocabulary

Brooke ArdGriggs Road Elementary

continental shelf: shallow, underwater edge of Earth’s land mass

  continental slope: steep slope where the continental

shelf drops to the bottom of the ocean floor  ocean basin: located on either side of the mid-ocean

ridge; made up of low hills and flat plains  beach: a shoreline where the ocean meets the land  barrier island: naturally occurring islands that protect

the mainland from wave erosion  estuaries: the area where a river meets the ocean

Vocabulary

wave: the repeated movement of water

current: flowing streams of water that move continually through the ocean in a specific direction

longshore current: currents that flow along the shoreline and carry sand from one location to another

tide: the regular rise and fall of the ocean water as a result of the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth

conservation: the wise use of Earth’s natural resources

pollution: anything that harms the natural environment

Vocabulary Continued

Continental and Oceanic Landforms

Description Continental Oceanic

Low land between hills or mountains

Valley Rift

Deep valley with high, steep sides

Canyon Trench

An opening in the surface from which lava flows

Volcano Seamount and Volcanic Islands- example: Hawaiian Islands

Land which rises high above the ground

Mountain Range Mid-ocean ridge

Wide, flat areas of land 

Plains Abyssal Plain

Continental vs. Oceanic Landforms

Effects of tides, waves, currents, and storms on the Ocean Shore Zone

  Beaches Barrier Islands

Estuaries Inlets

Tides   

Bring in sand, shells, sediments and leave them behind

Bring in sand, shells, sediments and leave them behind

Brings in sediments and sea life that feed life in estuary

Amount of water changes

Waves   

Weather and erode shoreline; can deposit sand

Changes shape of BI by deposition

Deposit sand in estuaries X

Currents   

Move sand from one place to another

Move sand from one place to another

XChange shape of opening

Storms   

Cause wave action that removes sand

Cause wave action that removes sand

Cause wave action that removes sand

Change shape of opening

Effect on Ocean Shore Zone

Comparison of Water Movement

Waves