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ACID
A chemical compound, usually a liquid that is capable of transferring
a hydrogen ion in solution. Any substance with a pH value
of less than 7.
ADAPTATION
Changes that occur in a species over time so that it adjusts
to a new or changed environment.
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
Plants or animals that live in water.
ASTRONOMY
The study of objects outside the earth’s atmosphere
such as celestial bodies and the solar system.
BASE
Any chemical capable of accepting or receiving a hydrogen
ion from another substance. Any substance with a pH of more
than 7.
BENTHIC
Any of a diverse group of aquatic plants and animals that
lives on the bottom of marine and fresh bodies of water. The
presence or absence of certain benthic organisms can be used
as an indicator of water quality.
BLOOM
A sudden increase in the number of phytoplankton often following
a flood of nutrients from heavy rain or a string of sunny
days.
BUOY
An anchored float marking a position or a hazard on the water,
or for use as a mooring.
CHLOROPHYLL
The pigment used in photosynthesis to capture light energy
and convert it to chemical energy.
CONDENSATION
The process of water vapor becoming a liquid such as dew,
fog or rain.
COURSE
The direction in which a boat is steered.
DYNOFLAGELLATE
A type of plankton with two long whip-like organs called flagella
used for locomotion.
ECHOLOCATION
An auditory feedback mechanism in bats, porpoises, seals and
certain other animals whereby reflected ultrasonic sounds
are used in to find objects or prey.
ECOSYSTEM
An interacting community of animals and plants that
depend upon each other and their environment for survival.
ELEMENT
Any of the four substances, air, water, fire, and
earth formerly believed to compose the physical universe,
usually used to describe weather conditions.
ENVIRONMENT
All the living and nonliving things with which an
organism interacts.
FATHOM
A unit of measurement used for depth, one fathom is six feet.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
A specific place on earth. The identification of
a specific area in relation to what lies around it.
HABITAT
The physical place where an organism lives.
HERBIVOROUS
An animal that feeds on plants.
HYPOTHERMIA
The condition of reduced body temperature, which can result
in death.
KELP
The common name for brown seaweed.
KEYSTONE ANIMAL
A species that directly affects the ecosystem in which they
live. Scientists can use a keystone animal as an indicator
of environmental health.
KNOT
Short for nautical miles per hour.
LATITUDE
The distance north or south of the equator measured and expressed
in degrees.
LIGHTHOUSE
A structure with a powerful light that gives a continuous
or intermittent signal to navigators.
LONGITUDE
The distance in degrees east or west of the meridian at Greenwich,
England.
MICROSCOPIC
Anything that is invisible to the naked eye and can only be
seen with the aid of a microscope.
MIGRATE
The process of moving from one region to another
with the change of seasons or climate.
MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
A federally protected marine area offshore of California’s
central coast. Stretching from Marin to Cambria, the MBNMS
encompasses a shoreline length of 276 miles, and 5,322 square
miles of ocean, extending an average distance of 30 miles
from shore. At it’s deepest point, the MBNMS reaches
down 10,663 feet (more than two miles).|
MONTEREY CANYON
A submarine canyon located in the Monterey Bay that is over
15,000 feet in depth.
NAUTICAL MILE
One minute of latitude; approximately 6,076 feet – about
1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5,280 feet.
NAVIGATION
The art and science of conducting a vessel safely from one
point to another.
NEUTRAL
Neither acid or basic. Water is neutral with at
pH of 7.
ORGANISM
Any form of animal or plant life.
PARALLEL
Two lines extending in the same direction and angle and never
meeting.
PELAGIC
Having to do with the open ocean or open water; away from
the shore or coastline. A pelagic animal swims freely in the
open ocean.
PLANKTON
Small, usually microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and animals
(zooplankton) in aquatic ecosystems.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Process in which light energy is converted to chemical energy
by plants using water and carbon dioxide; results in the production
of oxygen and carbohydrates such as sugar and starches.
PHYTOPLANKTON
Microscopic, single celled, drifting photosynthesizers not
able to swim against currents.
PRESSURE
A type of stress which is exerted evenly in all directions.
RED TIDE
A bloom of phytoplankton, usually dynoflagellates.
RUNOFF
The part of precipitation, snowmelt, or irrigation water that
runs off the land into streams or other surface water. It
can carry pollutants from the air and land into receiving
waters.
SALINITY
The relative concentration of dissolved salts, usually sodium
chloride (salt), in given water.
SATELLITE
A celestial body orbiting another of a larger size, or a manufactured
object intended to orbit the earth, moon, or another celestial
body.
SECCHI DISK
A disk used to measure the visibility of water.
SEXTANT
A navigational tool used to determine position by measuring
the angle of celestial bodies above the horizon
SOUNDING
A measure of the depth of water.
SPECIES
A reproductively isolated group of interbreeding organisms.
SURFACE TEMPERATURE
The temperature of the layer of sea water nearest the atmosphere.
SURFACE TOW
The process of obtaining a sample of plankton by towing a
plankton net along the surface of the water rather than dropping
it down to the bottom of the ocean and pulling it up to the
surface.
TEMPERATE ZONE
An area of the earth that is mid way between tropical and
cold, usually found in the mid latitudes. An area where the
weather patterns are identified by a lack of extreme temperatures.
TRIANGULATION
The geometric process of determining a geographical position
using two or more compass bearings.
UPWELLING
Movement of water and nutrients from deep water
towards the surface; an important source of nutrients for
phytoplankton growth.
VELOCITY
Rate of speed.
ZOOPLANKTON
Animal plankton ranging from microscopic larval sea stars
to huge jellyfish.
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