Week 12 Vocab

An area of land that is periodically under water or whose soil contains a great deal of moisture.

The mass of mostly microscopic organisms that float or drift freely in the waters of aquatic (freshwater and marine) environments.

All organisms that swim actively in open water, independent of currents.

Organisms that live at the bottom of oceans or bodies of fresh water.

A shallow zone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants.

The bottom region of oceans and bodies of fresh water.

An increase in the amount of nutrients, such as nitrates, in a marine or aquatic ecosystem.

An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean; the part of a river where the tides meet the river current.

A maritime habitat characterized by grasses, sedges, and other plants that have adapted to continual, periodic flooding; salt marshes are found primarily throughout the temperate and subarctic regions.

A tropical or subtropical marine swamp that is characterized by the abundance of low to tall trees, especially mangrove trees.

A long ridge of sand or narrow island that lies parallel to the shore.

A limestone ridge found in tropical climates and composed of coral fragments that are deposited around organic remains.