21 Terms
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Physical oceanography
The scientific study of the physical conditions and processes related to the motions and physical properties of ocean currents and waters.
Industry: Earth science
Add a new termContributors in Physical oceanography
Physical oceanography
oceanography
Earth science; Physical oceanography
The scientific study and exploration of the ocean and of the plants and animals that live in it.
ocean
Earth science; Physical oceanography
The body of salt water that covers about 70 percent of the Earth's surface. The Pacific Ocean is by far the world's largest ocean.
saltwater
Earth science; Physical oceanography
Containing water that is very salty. Oceans are saltwater bodies that are fed mainly by rivers.
red tide
Earth science; Physical oceanography
A reddish-brown area in a body of water, such as ocean or river. Red tides are caused by a sudden increase in dinoflagellates.
pseudospectral method
Earth science; Physical oceanography
In numerical modeling, an approximation which uses interpolating functions to estimate derivatives of fields represented on a grid in physical space. It is so-called because the interpolating ...
flux Richardson number
Earth science; Physical oceanography
A dimensionless number expressing the ratio of turbulent energy lost to buoyant forces to the energy gained by eddy stress acting on the mean shear. It is the crucial nondimensional number for ...
Kyodo North Pacific Ocean Time Series (KNOT)
Earth science; Physical oceanography
An ocean time series station established in 1998 at the southwestern margin of the subarctic gyre at 44°N, 155°E. The objectives include studies of CO2 uptake and its relationship to biological ...
