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Glossary of Chemical Oceanography Terms
separating the main gyres in the Atlantic and Pacific. The current flows in a direction opposite to the Equatorial Current.
Equatorial Current: Waters that move westward along or near the equator.
Estuary: A semienclosed body of coastal water formed by the mixing of river waters with
seawaters.
Eurasian Basin: Basin in the Arctic Sea; contains waters that move with a countergyre
(depth of 4200 m).
Evaporation: Process of conversion of liquid to vapor. Causes an increase in the salinity.
Falkland Current: Flows north off the eastern coast of South America from the Drake
Passage up the eastern coast of South America.
Ferrel Cells: Midlatitude air circulation due to rising air at northern midlatitudes and
sinking air at southern midlatitudes.
Florida Current: Formed from the waters that go through the Yucatan and the Gulf of
Mexico. Flows between South Florida and Cuba (26 Sv).
Gulf Stream: A strong (80-Sv) current in the western North Atlantic that is a northern
extension of the Florida Current and flows northeast to the Grand Banks off
Newfoundland.
Hadley Cells: Circular air circulation in the tropics caused by rising air at the equator and
sinking air in the high- latitude tropics (0–30° latitude).
Halocline: Steep vertical gradient of salinity in ocean waters.
Head: The portion of an estuary where the river water enters.
Highly Stratified Estuary: An estuary where the upper layer increases in salinity from
zero at the head to close to that of seawater at the mouth. The deep water has an
almost- uniform salinity. Outflow occurs in the surface layer and inflow in the
deeper water. This results in the formation of a strong halocline. The circulation
is dependent on the sill depth.
Horizontal Circulation: Transverse circulation; primarily a result of wind flowing across
the ocean surface.
Hydrogenous: One of the four sediment types; formed by reactions such as precipitation
and adsorption in the ocean water.
Intermediate Water: Water located between upper and deep waters. Sinks because of
higher density caused mainly by cold temperatures.
Island Arc: An island created through uplifting of the earth’s crystal layer. Island arcs
are usually located in areas of intense volcanic activity, such as a subduction zone.
Isotherm: Lines connecting depths or locations of constant temperature in the oceans.
Kuroshio Current: Analogous to the Atlantic’s Gulf Stream (65 Sv). It flows along the
eastern coast of Asia.
Kuroshio Extension: Extension of the Kuroshio Current northward in the North Pacific.
Labrador Current: A low- salinity and -temperature current that flows south between
North America and Greenland out of the Labrador Sea.
Latitude: Angular distance north or south of the equator; measured in degrees.
Lithogenous: One of the four sediment types; formed from rocks or weathered rock fragments (e.g., clays).
Longitude: Angular distance on the earth, east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwich,
England, to the point on the earth’s surface being determined. Expressed in
degrees. The axis runs through both poles.
Mediterranean Water: High- salinity (39) intermediate water formed in the Mediterranean
Sea. Enters the Atlantic as an overflow at Gibraltar (15°C and S = 37.3).
Glossary of Chemical Oceanography Terms
separating the main gyres in the Atlantic and Pacific. The current flows in a direction opposite to the Equatorial Current.
Equatorial Current: Waters that move westward along or near the equator.
Estuary: A semienclosed body of coastal water formed by the mixing of river waters with
seawaters.
Eurasian Basin: Basin in the Arctic Sea; contains waters that move with a countergyre
(depth of 4200 m).
Evaporation: Process of conversion of liquid to vapor. Causes an increase in the salinity.
Falkland Current: Flows north off the eastern coast of South America from the Drake
Passage up the eastern coast of South America.
Ferrel Cells: Midlatitude air circulation due to rising air at northern midlatitudes and
sinking air at southern midlatitudes.
Florida Current: Formed from the waters that go through the Yucatan and the Gulf of
Mexico. Flows between South Florida and Cuba (26 Sv).
Gulf Stream: A strong (80-Sv) current in the western North Atlantic that is a northern
extension of the Florida Current and flows northeast to the Grand Banks off
Newfoundland.
Hadley Cells: Circular air circulation in the tropics caused by rising air at the equator and
sinking air in the high- latitude tropics (0–30° latitude).
Halocline: Steep vertical gradient of salinity in ocean waters.
Head: The portion of an estuary where the river water enters.
Highly Stratified Estuary: An estuary where the upper layer increases in salinity from
zero at the head to close to that of seawater at the mouth. The deep water has an
almost- uniform salinity. Outflow occurs in the surface layer and inflow in the
deeper water. This results in the formation of a strong halocline. The circulation
is dependent on the sill depth.
Horizontal Circulation: Transverse circulation; primarily a result of wind flowing across
the ocean surface.
Hydrogenous: One of the four sediment types; formed by reactions such as precipitation
and adsorption in the ocean water.
Intermediate Water: Water located between upper and deep waters. Sinks because of
higher density caused mainly by cold temperatures.
Island Arc: An island created through uplifting of the earth’s crystal layer. Island arcs
are usually located in areas of intense volcanic activity, such as a subduction zone.
Isotherm: Lines connecting depths or locations of constant temperature in the oceans.
Kuroshio Current: Analogous to the Atlantic’s Gulf Stream (65 Sv). It flows along the
eastern coast of Asia.
Kuroshio Extension: Extension of the Kuroshio Current northward in the North Pacific.
Labrador Current: A low- salinity and -temperature current that flows south between
North America and Greenland out of the Labrador Sea.
Latitude: Angular distance north or south of the equator; measured in degrees.
Lithogenous: One of the four sediment types; formed from rocks or weathered rock fragments (e.g., clays).
Longitude: Angular distance on the earth, east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwich,
England, to the point on the earth’s surface being determined. Expressed in
degrees. The axis runs through both poles.
Mediterranean Water: High- salinity (39) intermediate water formed in the Mediterranean
Sea. Enters the Atlantic as an overflow at Gibraltar (15°C and S = 37.3).