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Glossary of Chemical Oceanography Terms
Ridge: An elongated elevation on the ocean bottom resembling a mountain range; prime
example is the Mid- Atlantic Ridge.
Ross Sea: Located near the southern extension of the Pacific Ocean around Antarctica,
west of the Weddell Sea near 73° S. Formation of some bottom water occurs in
this region.
Salinity: The total grams of salts in 1 kg of seawater.
Salt Wedge Estuary: An estuary where saline water intrudes from the sea as a wedge
below the surface river water. This occurs in estuaries formed by high- volume
rivers. A strong horizontal salinity gradient occurs.
Sargasso Sea: Central North Atlantic waters. Called the “desert” of the North Atlantic.
Very clear, nonproductive waters. 20 to 35° N latitude, 30 to 70° E longitude.
Sea Mount: An undersea mountain, usually of volcanic origin; some rise to the ocean
surface and form islands.
Section: A slice of the ocean waters showing the contours of a physical or chemical property as a function of depth. Formed by combining a number of profiles from nearby
stations.
Shelf: The zone extending from the line of permanent immersion to the depth, usually
about 120 m, where there is a marked or rather steep descent toward the great
depths. Average slope of 1 to 500 and average width of 65 km.
Shelf Water: Waters surrounding Antarctica. Very cold and dense.
Shore: The area of land close to the sea that has been modified by sea action.
Sigma- Θ: A term used to examine the density of seawater at the adiabatic temperature.
It is defined as σ θ = (ρ – 1) 1000, where ρ is the density at the adiabatic temperature θ.
Sigma- T: A term used to examine the density of ocean waters at a given temperature. It is
defined as σ T = (ρ – 1) 1000, where ρ is the relative density at temperature T.
Slope: The declivity from the outer edge of the shelf into deeper water.
Somali Current: Flows north along the west coast of Africa during monsoon season.
Supplied by the South Equatorial Current.
South Atlantic Central Waters: Upper waters below the surface in the South Atlantic. The
waters extend to depths of 300 m on the equator and deeper further south.
South Equatorial Current: Flows west along the equator and northwest along northern
South America, driven by southeast trade winds toward Central America.
Station: The location of a place where water samples are taken to determine physical or
chemical properties.
Stratified Estuary: A shallow estuary where the salinity increases from the head to the
mouth. The water is made up of two layers. The upper layer is less saline than
the deep water; the upper layer flows seaward, and the deep layer flows inward.
Subantarctic Zone: Area from 40° S to 50° S, Antarctic and subtropical convergence.
Subtropical Convergence: A region of semipermanent high pressure at 35° latitude in
both hemispheres caused by subsiding air.
Subtropical Convergence Zone: Area around Antarctica from the land to 40° N. Region
where the water temperature rises approximately 4°C and salinity increases about
0.5. Occurs around Antarctica; is poorly defined in the eastern South Pacific.
Salinity is as low as 33 in the summer.
Subtropical Zone: Area from 40° S to 24° S; subantarctic and subtropical convergence.
Sverdrup: A measure of the volume of flow of a given current or water mass (S V = 106 cm 3 s –1 ).
Named after a famous oceanographer.
Glossary of Chemical Oceanography Terms
Ridge: An elongated elevation on the ocean bottom resembling a mountain range; prime
example is the Mid- Atlantic Ridge.
Ross Sea: Located near the southern extension of the Pacific Ocean around Antarctica,
west of the Weddell Sea near 73° S. Formation of some bottom water occurs in
this region.
Salinity: The total grams of salts in 1 kg of seawater.
Salt Wedge Estuary: An estuary where saline water intrudes from the sea as a wedge
below the surface river water. This occurs in estuaries formed by high- volume
rivers. A strong horizontal salinity gradient occurs.
Sargasso Sea: Central North Atlantic waters. Called the “desert” of the North Atlantic.
Very clear, nonproductive waters. 20 to 35° N latitude, 30 to 70° E longitude.
Sea Mount: An undersea mountain, usually of volcanic origin; some rise to the ocean
surface and form islands.
Section: A slice of the ocean waters showing the contours of a physical or chemical property as a function of depth. Formed by combining a number of profiles from nearby
stations.
Shelf: The zone extending from the line of permanent immersion to the depth, usually
about 120 m, where there is a marked or rather steep descent toward the great
depths. Average slope of 1 to 500 and average width of 65 km.
Shelf Water: Waters surrounding Antarctica. Very cold and dense.
Shore: The area of land close to the sea that has been modified by sea action.
Sigma- Θ: A term used to examine the density of seawater at the adiabatic temperature.
It is defined as σ θ = (ρ – 1) 1000, where ρ is the density at the adiabatic temperature θ.
Sigma- T: A term used to examine the density of ocean waters at a given temperature. It is
defined as σ T = (ρ – 1) 1000, where ρ is the relative density at temperature T.
Slope: The declivity from the outer edge of the shelf into deeper water.
Somali Current: Flows north along the west coast of Africa during monsoon season.
Supplied by the South Equatorial Current.
South Atlantic Central Waters: Upper waters below the surface in the South Atlantic. The
waters extend to depths of 300 m on the equator and deeper further south.
South Equatorial Current: Flows west along the equator and northwest along northern
South America, driven by southeast trade winds toward Central America.
Station: The location of a place where water samples are taken to determine physical or
chemical properties.
Stratified Estuary: A shallow estuary where the salinity increases from the head to the
mouth. The water is made up of two layers. The upper layer is less saline than
the deep water; the upper layer flows seaward, and the deep layer flows inward.
Subantarctic Zone: Area from 40° S to 50° S, Antarctic and subtropical convergence.
Subtropical Convergence: A region of semipermanent high pressure at 35° latitude in
both hemispheres caused by subsiding air.
Subtropical Convergence Zone: Area around Antarctica from the land to 40° N. Region
where the water temperature rises approximately 4°C and salinity increases about
0.5. Occurs around Antarctica; is poorly defined in the eastern South Pacific.
Salinity is as low as 33 in the summer.
Subtropical Zone: Area from 40° S to 24° S; subantarctic and subtropical convergence.
Sverdrup: A measure of the volume of flow of a given current or water mass (S V = 106 cm 3 s –1 ).
Named after a famous oceanographer.