25 Terms
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Oceanography
The scientific studies of the ocean.
Industry: Earth science
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Oceanography
Evanescent level
Earth science; Oceanography
A theoretical boundary between a region in the fluid where waves of some frequency are propagating and a region in the fluid where waves of the same frequency do not propagate (where they are ...
Semienclosed basin
Earth science; Oceanography
A body of seawater that does have some access to the open ocean. The Gulf of Mexico is an example of a semienclosed basin.
Breaker
Earth science; Oceanography
A sea-surface wave which has become too steep to be stable. Waves in shoaling water become higher and shorter (hence steeper) as the water becomes shallower. When the steepness (ratio of wave ...
Baroclinic instability
Earth science; Oceanography
An instability associated with flows with vertical shear and meridional temperature gradients that grows by conversion of potential energy in the mean flow.
Catchment area
Earth science; Oceanography
A land area where precipitation runs off into streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. It is a land feature that can be identified by tracing a line along the highest elevations between two areas on ...
Buoyancy frequency
Earth science; Oceanography
In a continuously stratified fluid, the buoyancy frequency is the natural frequency of vertical oscillation of fluid parcels. Explicitly the squared buoyancy frequency is N^2 = -(g/\rho) ...
