Oceanography Glossary

verb to be completely covered or hidden under a liquid

adjective completely covered or hidden under a liquid

• The diver submerged himself in the deep waters to explore the coral reef.
• I submerged my phone in rice after dropping it in water.
• She was totally submerged in her book and didn't hear us calling her.
• The artist submerged his emotions into his painting, creating a masterpiece.

noun a high or favorable opinion or feeling expressed towards someone or something

verb to signal or greet someone by moving one's hand or something held in one's hand back and forth

• The ship sailed through the rough wave.
• I love riding the waves at the beach.
• She's really making waves in the music industry.
• A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she looked through old photos.

adjective describing or relating to plankton, which are small organisms that drift in the water

• Planktonic organisms play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem.
• Did you know that planktonic creatures are the base of the ocean food chain?
• Those tiny planktonic guys are like the party animals of the sea.
• Her thoughts drifted like planktonic particles in the vast ocean of her mind.

noun a long curling wave of the sea

• The comber carefully smoothed out the fabric before cutting it.
• The comber made sure the material was wrinkle-free before starting.
• The comber was a pro at ironing out the creases in the cloth.
• She was like a comber, meticulously going over every detail of the project.

noun a small lump or chunk, especially of a soft or sticky substance

• The nurdle was a small, pellet-like piece of plastic found on the beach.
• I accidentally stepped on a nurdle while walking along the shore.
• Hey, watch out for those nurdles on the sand, they're easy to trip over.
• She felt like a nurdle in a sea of pebbles, small and insignificant.

noun a term used in ecology to refer to a community of microorganisms that live attached to a surface in aquatic environments

• The presence of abioseston in the water indicates a high level of pollution.
• I heard that abioseston is causing issues with the local fish population.
• Dude, the abioseston in this river is seriously messed up.
• The abioseston in his mind clouded his judgment and led to poor decision-making.

adjective relating to or inhabiting the depths of the ocean, especially the region below the bathyal zone

• The abyssalpelagic zone of the ocean is characterized by extreme darkness and high pressure.
• I heard that only a few species can survive in the abyssalpelagic depths of the ocean.
• Diving into the abyssalpelagic zone is like entering another world altogether.
• Her mind felt like it was descending into the abyssalpelagic depths of despair.

noun A type of marine animal that includes jellyfish and other similar organisms

• The study of acalephae, or jellyfish, is an important field in marine biology.
• I saw a bunch of acalephae while snorkeling at the beach.
• Those acalephae are so weird looking, like floating blobs.
• Her thoughts drifted like acalephae in the ocean, aimlessly moving with the currents.

noun Acraspedae refers to a group of jellyfish lacking tentacles.

adjective Acraspedae can also be used as an adjective to describe these tentacle-less jellyfish.

• Acraspedae is a term used in marine biology to refer to a group of jellyfish lacking tentacles.
• I learned about acraspedae jellyfish in my marine biology class.
• Those acraspedae creatures are so weird looking!
• The way she gracefully moved through the crowd reminded me of an acraspedae jellyfish drifting in the ocean.

noun a specialized structure found in certain marine invertebrates, such as sea anemones, that contains stinging cells called nematocysts

• The actinophore is a specialized structure found in certain marine organisms that helps them capture food.
• I saw a cool video of an actinophore in action while scuba diving last weekend.
• That actinophore is like a food-catching ninja for the sea creatures!
• Her creativity was like an actinophore, reaching out and capturing the attention of everyone around her.

noun a unit of length used in navigation, equal to one minute of latitude along any meridian

• The admiralty mile is a unit of measurement used in maritime navigation.
• We'll be passing by the admiralty mile marker on our boat trip tomorrow.
• Let's see who can swim the admiralty mile the fastest!
• Reaching the end of the project felt like crossing an admiralty mile of challenges.

verb to transport or carry something, especially a substance, by the movement of air or water

• The ocean currents advect heat from the equator to the poles.
• The wind will advect the smoke away from the campfire.
• I heard the new dance move is called the advect shuffle.
• Her emotions advect through her like a powerful river, carrying her away with them.

noun a type of seaweed that forms dense, rounded masses in shallow water

• Aegagropiles are large balls of algae that wash up on shorelines.
• I saw a bunch of aegagropiles on the beach yesterday.
• Those aegagropiles look like weird green blobs.
• The aegagropiles of bureaucracy were slowing down the project.