Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Marine Biology, Fisheries and Oceanography glossary (page 3)

The biological and oceanographic vocabulary of the sea: ocean depth zones (abyssal, abyssopelagic), named taxa such as the crown-of-thorns starfish and calanoid copepods, plankton and productivity, acidification, and the physical setting of the abyssal plain. The species-and-ecology counterpart to the physical oceanography section, grounded in named organisms and water-column structure.

722 defined terms.

Showing 222 on this page (page 3 of 3).

P

Pleopod: Abdominal appendage of decapod crustaceans used for swimming and brooding eggs.
Pleuston: Organisms living at the air-water interface.
Pneumatic gun: Air gun used as a seismic source in marine geophysics.
POD: Port of Discharge.
Polar Front: Boundary between polar and subpolar water or air masses.
Pollack: *Pollachius pollachius*, Atlantic gadid; not to be confused with Alaska pollock.
Pollock (Alaska): *Gadus chalcogrammus*, North Pacific gadid supporting one of the world's largest fisheries.
Polychaete: Marine annelid worm of the class Polychaeta.
Polynya: Persistent open water area within sea ice.
Pontoporia blainvillei: Franciscana, a small endangered dolphin of the southwestern Atlantic.
Porpoise: Small toothed whale of the family Phocoenidae.
Pot (trap): Baited static gear for crustaceans, octopus, or fish.
Practical Salinity Unit (PSU): Dimensionless salinity scale based on conductivity ratio.
Prawn: Common term for various large shrimp species, especially penaeids and palaemonids.
Precautionary Approach: Management approach erring on the side of caution when data are limited.
Pressure gradient force: Horizontal force driving fluid flow from high to low pressure.
Primary Production: Rate of synthesis of organic matter by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
Prochlorococcus: Tiny cyanobacterium, the most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth.
Productivity: Rate of biomass production, usually expressed per area per time.
Pteropod: Pelagic gastropod, aragonite-shelled species highly sensitive to acidification.
Puerto Rico Trench: Deep ocean trench of the Atlantic, north of Puerto Rico.
Puffer fish: Tetraodontid fish capable of inflating; some contain tetrodotoxin.
Puffin: Diving seabird of the genus *Fratercula*, family Alcidae.
Purse Seine: Encircling net closed at the bottom by a draw line.
Pycnocline: Vertical layer with rapid density change.

Q

Quahog: Hard clam *Mercenaria mercenaria* of the U.S. east coast.
Quota: Allowable catch share for a fleet, vessel, or country.

R

Radiolaria: Single-celled marine protists with silica skeletons.
Rainbow trout: *Oncorhynchus mykiss*; anadromous form is steelhead.
Rainfall (over ocean): Major component of the surface freshwater budget.
RAS: Recirculating Aquaculture System, land-based closed-loop fish farming.
Recruitment: Addition of juvenile fish to a stock.
Red Sea: Marginal sea of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Arabia.
Red tide: Common term for harmful algal blooms that discolor the sea, often by dinoflagellates such as *Karenia brevis*.
Redfish: Slow-growing rockfishes of the genus *Sebastes*.
Reef-Forming Coral: Hermatypic scleractinian corals depositing CaCO3 framework.
Refraction (waves): Bending of waves as they enter shallower water, aligning crests with depth contours.
Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO): Intergovernmental body managing fisheries in international waters or for highly migratory stocks.
Reichholf's gradient: Not used; placeholder excluded.
Reproductive output: Number or biomass of viable offspring produced per spawning unit.
Reynolds Number: Dimensionless ratio of inertial to viscous forces.
Rhincodon typus: Whale shark, the largest extant fish.
Ribbon seal: *Histriophoca fasciata*, a North Pacific ice-associated phocid.
Right whale: Slow-swimming baleen whales of the genus *Eubalaena*; North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered.
Ringed seal: *Pusa hispida*, the most widespread Arctic seal.
River plume: Buoyant freshwater discharge spreading from a river mouth into coastal waters.
Rockfish: Members of the genus *Sebastes*; many species are long-lived.
Rogue wave: Wave with crest height greater than twice the significant wave height.
Ross seal: *Ommatophoca rossii*, an Antarctic phocid.
Rossby radius of deformation: Length scale over which buoyancy and Coriolis effects balance, controlling eddy size.
Rossby Wave: Large-scale wave owing its existence to the variation of Coriolis with latitude.
Royal Albatross: *Diomedea epomophora* and *Diomedea sanfordi* of the Southern Ocean.
RV: Research Vessel.

S

S-100: IHO Universal Hydrographic Data Model framework.
S-101: IHO product specification for the next-generation Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC).
S-102: IHO product specification for bathymetric surface data.
Sailfish: *Istiophorus platypterus*, billfish with a tall dorsal sail.
Salinity: Concentration of dissolved salts in seawater, dimensionless on PSS-78.
Salmon, Atlantic: *Salmo salar*.
Salmon, Chinook: *Oncorhynchus tshawytscha*.
Salmon, Chum: *Oncorhynchus keta*.
Salmon, Coho: *Oncorhynchus kisutch*.
Salmon, Pink: *Oncorhynchus gorbuscha*.
Salmon, Sockeye: *Oncorhynchus nerka*.
Salp: Pelagic barrel-shaped tunicate of the order Salpida.
Salt marsh: Coastal wetland dominated by halophytic vegetation such as *Spartina*.
Sand eel / sand lance: Slim forage fish of the family Ammodytidae.
Sardine: Small pelagic fish of the family Clupeidae, including *Sardina pilchardus* and *Sardinops* spp.
Sargasso Sea: Region of the North Atlantic bounded by ocean currents and famous for Sargassum mats.
Satellite altimetry: Radar measurement of sea surface height from satellites such as Jason and Sentinel-6.
Scallop: Bivalve of the family Pectinidae, harvested by dredge or dive.
School (of fish): Coordinated polarized group of fish swimming together.
Scyphozoa: True jellyfish.
Sea anemone: Polyp-form cnidarian of the order Actiniaria.
Sea Ice Extent: Total area where ice concentration exceeds a threshold, usually 15 percent.
Sea level rise: Long-term increase in mean sea level, currently about 3.4 mm/year (satellite era).
Sea lion: Otariid pinniped with external ear flaps and reversible hind flippers.
Sea of Japan: Marginal sea between Japan and the Korean Peninsula and Russia.
Sea of Okhotsk: Marginal sea of the western Pacific north of Japan.
Sea otter: *Enhydra lutris*, marine mustelid of the North Pacific.
Sea State: Description of the wave field, characterized by significant wave height and period.
Sea Surface Height (SSH): Elevation of the sea surface relative to a reference, typically measured by altimetry.
Sea Surface Temperature (SST): Temperature of the upper few meters of the ocean.
Sea urchin: Echinoid echinoderm of the class Echinoidea.
SEAFO: South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation.
Seagrass: Flowering plants of marine and estuarine bottoms, including *Zostera*, *Thalassia*, and *Posidonia*.
Seamount: Submarine mountain rising 1,000 m or more above the seabed.
Seasonality: Annual cycle of physical or biological variables.
Sediment trap: Funnel-shaped device that collects sinking particles to quantify particle flux.
Sei whale: *Balaenoptera borealis*, a fast-swimming rorqual.
Seine Net: Encircling fishing net.
Selectivity: Probability of catching a fish of a given size, sex, or species relative to others.
Set Net: Stationary gillnet anchored to the bottom.
Sextant: Marine sextant with vernier or micrometer.
Shark: Cartilaginous fish of the superorder Selachimorpha.
Shelf Break: Edge of the continental shelf where the slope steepens.
Shellfish raft: Floating structure for suspended culture of mussels, oysters, or scallops.
Shrimp: Decapod crustacean of the suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata (infraorder Caridea).
Side-scan sonar: Towed sonar producing acoustic images of the seafloor on either side of the towfish.
Significant wave height (Hs): Mean of highest one-third wave heights.
Siliceous Ooze: Pelagic sediment dominated by siliceous microfossils such as diatoms and radiolaria.
Silver hake: *Merluccius bilinearis*, a North Atlantic hake.
Single-beam echosounder: Hydrographic sonar emitting a narrow downward beam to measure depth.
Sirenia: Order of fully aquatic herbivorous marine mammals (manatees and dugongs).
Skipjack Tuna: Major commercial tuna species, Katsuwonus pelamis.
Snapper: Reef-associated fish of the family Lutjanidae.
SOFIA: FAO's biennial State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report.
Sonar: Sound navigation and ranging device.
Sound velocity (in seawater): Approximately 1,500 m/s, varying with temperature, salinity, and pressure.
South Atlantic Gyre: Subtropical anticyclonic circulation of the South Atlantic.
South China Sea: Marginal sea of the western Pacific bordered by China and Southeast Asia.
Southern bluefin tuna: *Thunnus maccoyii*, managed by CCSBT.
Southern Ocean: Ocean encircling Antarctica, generally south of 60 degrees south.
Spat: Newly settled juvenile of bivalve mollusks.
Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB): Biomass of mature individuals in a stock.
Sperm whale: *Physeter macrocephalus*, the largest toothed whale.
SPRFMO: South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
Spring Tide: Tide with largest range, near new and full moon.
Squid: Decapodiform cephalopod of the orders Myopsida and Oegopsida.
SST: Sea Surface Temperature.
Stage-structured model: Population model in which individuals are classified by life stage.
Steelhead: Anadromous form of *Oncorhynchus mykiss*.
Sting ray: Venomous batoid of the family Dasyatidae.
Stock: Population unit used for fisheries management.
Stock Assessment: Quantitative evaluation of fish population status.
Stokes Drift: Net Lagrangian drift due to surface wave orbital motion.
Strait of Gibraltar: Narrow passage between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
Strait of Hormuz: Strait connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Strait of Malacca: Strait between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.
Stratification: Vertical density layering of the water column resisting mixing.
Subduction: Process by which surface water enters the ocean interior along isopycnals.
Submarine Canyon: Steep valley incised into the continental slope.
Submesoscale: Ocean features at horizontal scales of about 0.1 to 10 km.
Substrate: Surface or substance on which organisms grow or to which they attach.
Subtropical Gyre: Large rotating circulation in subtropical ocean basins.
Sulu Sea: Marginal sea of the southwestern Philippines.
Surf clam: *Spisula solidissima*, large bivalve of the U.S. east coast.
Surface boundary layer: Wind- and buoyancy-mixed upper layer of the ocean.
Swell: Long undulating waves from a distant disturbance.
Swordfish: *Xiphias gladius*, large pelagic billfish.
Symbiosis: Long-term biological interaction between different species.
Synechococcus: Globally distributed marine cyanobacterium.

T

TAC: Total Allowable Catch.
Tagging (electronic): Use of acoustic, archival, or satellite tags to track fish and marine animals.
Tasman Sea: Sea between Australia and New Zealand.
TEOS-10: Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater 2010, the international standard for seawater thermodynamics.
Thalweg (channel): Line of lowest elevation along a channel.
Thermal stratification: Layering of the water column by temperature.
Thermocline: Vertical zone with rapid temperature change in the upper ocean.
Thermohaline Circulation: Density-driven global ocean overturning circulation.
Thresher shark: Large pelagic shark of the genus *Alopias* with elongated upper caudal lobe.
Tidal range: Difference between mean high and low tide.
Tide gauge: Instrument recording sea-surface elevation.
Tides, diurnal: One high and one low water per lunar day.
Tides, mixed: Two unequal highs and lows per lunar day.
Tides, semidiurnal: Two roughly equal high and low waters per lunar day.
Tilefish: Burrow-dwelling demersal fish of the family Malacanthidae.
Tonga Trench: Deep ocean trench in the southwest Pacific.
Tongue (water mass): Elongated lobe of a water mass with distinct properties extending into surrounding water.
Toothed whale: Member of suborder Odontoceti.
Total Allowable Catch (TAC): Maximum quantity of a stock that may be caught in a defined period.
Trade Winds: Persistent easterly winds in the tropics.
Trawl: Towed conical net used in midwater or on the bottom.
Trichodesmium: Filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium of tropical and subtropical seas.
Trophic Level: Position of an organism in a food web.
Tsunami: Long period gravity wave generated by seafloor displacement.
Tuna: Pelagic scombrid fishes of the tribe Thunnini.
Turbidite: Sediment deposit formed by a turbidity current.
Turbidity: Cloudiness of water due to suspended particles.
Turbot: *Scophthalmus maximus*, a high-value North Atlantic flatfish.
Turtle Excluder Device (TED): Gear modification reducing sea turtle bycatch in trawls.
Tyrrhenian Sea: Part of the Mediterranean between the Italian mainland and Sardinia.

U

UNCLOS: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982.
Under-ice fauna: Organisms inhabiting the underside of sea ice.
UNESCO-IOC: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.
Upwelling: Coastal current rising cold water, relevant in weather routing.
Urchin barren: Subtidal area denuded of macroalgae by intense sea urchin grazing.
Uria: Genus of guillemots (*Uria aalge*, *Uria lomvia*), common North Atlantic and Pacific seabirds.

V

Vaquita: *Phocoena sinus*, the world's most endangered cetacean, endemic to the Gulf of California.
Veliger: Planktonic larval stage of many gastropod and bivalve mollusks.
Vent fauna: Chemosynthesis-based community at hydrothermal vents (tubeworms, vent crabs, vesicomyid clams).
Vertical migration (diel): Daily movement of zooplankton and mesopelagic fish between deep daytime depths and surface at night.
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS): Satellite tracking of fishing vessels.
Vibrio: Genus of marine bacteria that includes pathogens such as *Vibrio cholerae* and *Vibrio parahaemolyticus*.
Virus (marine): Most abundant biological entities in the ocean, important in microbial loop turnover.
Viscosity: Resistance to flow; cargo pumpability parameter.
Volute: Marine gastropod of the family Volutidae.
Von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF): Equation describing fish length-at-age, with parameters L-infinity, K, and t0.

W

Walrus: *Odobenus rosmarus*, large Arctic pinniped with prominent tusks.
Warm core ring: Anticyclonic mesoscale eddy detached from a western boundary current's warm side.
Water Mass: Body of water with distinctive temperature, salinity, and chemistry.
Wave height: Vertical distance between crest and preceding trough.
Wave Period: Time between successive wave crests at a fixed point.
Wave Spectrum: Distribution of wave energy with frequency and direction.
WCPFC: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
Weddell Sea: Sea bordering Antarctica's Weddell Sector; formation region for Antarctic Bottom Water.
Western Boundary Current: Narrow, swift poleward current on the western side of subtropical gyres.
Whale fall: Carcass of a large cetacean on the seabed, supporting a successional deep-sea community.
Whale shark: *Rhincodon typus*, the largest extant fish, a planktivore.
Whaling: Hunting of whales; commercial whaling moratorium adopted by IWC in 1982 (effective 1986).
WHOI: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Wind sea: Locally wind-generated waves still under wind forcing.
Wind Stress: Tangential force per unit area exerted by wind on the sea surface.
WMO: World Meteorological Organization, the UN agency for weather, climate, and water.
WOCE: World Ocean Circulation Experiment (1990 to 2002), foundational global hydrography program.
Working diving depth: Operational depth limit for divers, ROVs, or submersibles.

X

XBT: Expendable Bathythermograph used for routine upper-ocean temperature profiling.
XCTD: Expendable CTD providing salinity and temperature profiles.
Xenophyophore: Giant single-celled foraminifer-like protist of the deep sea.
Xiphias gladius: Swordfish.

Y

Yangtze River plume: Major freshwater plume entering the East China Sea.
Year Class: Cohort of fish born in the same year.
Yellow Sea: Marginal sea between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula.
Yellowfin sole: *Limanda aspera*, important North Pacific flatfish.
Yellowfin tuna: *Thunnus albacares*, widespread tropical and subtropical tuna.
Yield-per-recruit (YPR): Expected lifetime yield from a recruit as a function of fishing mortality and selectivity.

Z

Zoarcid: Eelpout fish of the family Zoarcidae, common in cold and deep waters.
Zoea: Planktonic larval stage of many decapod crustaceans.
Zonal flow: Flow oriented east-west.
Zooplankton: Drifting animal plankton, important to upper-ocean carbon cycling.
Zooxanthellae: Symbiotic dinoflagellates living in coral tissues.
Zostera marina: Eelgrass, the dominant seagrass of temperate Northern Hemisphere coasts.