u2_web_seawater

GLOSSARY
*
* Phytoplankton:
Aquatic, autotrophic (self-feeding) organisms, part
of the plankton community, which can photosynthesise
and live scattered in the water. They are
the foundation of the food chain in aquatic ecosystems
as they are food for other, larger organisms.
Plankton is also initially responsible for the presence
of oxygen (O 2
) in the atmosphere.
* Thermocline:
A layer within a body of water where the seawater
temperature drops rapidly, vertically, with very little
increase in depth.