Glossary of Terms and Acronyms
Go to: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N OP Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
- Algae
- Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms, whose size ranges from a single cell to giant kelps and whose form is very diverse.
- Assimilation
- As used in the Arctic Ecosystem model, assimilation is the efficiency with which zooplankton consume phytoplankton. Zooplankton are "sloppy feeders. that is, they don't manage to consume all of the phytoplankton biomass when grazing, leaving behind partially consumed phytoplankton.
- Atmosphere
- The whole mass of gases surrounding the earth or other celestial bodies. Today's atmosphere is made up primarily of nitrogen (78%), free oxygen (21%) and greenhouse gases which can capture solar radiation: water vapor, which ranges from less than 1% in arid regions to over 3% in moist areas, carbon dioxide (0.035%) and methane (0.00018%). In the past the composition of the Earth's atmosphere has varied.
B
- Bacteria
- Tiny microorganisms that reproduce by cell division and usually have a cell wall. Bacteria can be shaped like a sphere, rod, or spiral and can be found in virtually any environment.
- Bering Sea
- The marinal sea located between Russia and Alaska from the Bering Strait in the north to the Aleutian Islands in the south.
- Biomass
- The amount of living material in unit area or volume, usually expressed as mass or weight.
- Bloom
- Period of explosive population growth of the phytoplankton community.
C
- Climate
- Long term characteristics of weather.
D
- Detritus
- As used in Arctic Ecosystem model, detritus is the remains of deceased phytoplankton and zooplankton.
E
- Ekmax
- Ekmax is the maximum photoadaptation parameter. Ekmax reflects the amount of photosynthesis a plant can undergo at a certain light level. Lower Ekmax values mean that phytoplankton approach their maximum levels of photosynthesis at lower light levels.
F
- Feedback
- Factors which increase or amplify (positive feedback) or decrease (negative feedback) the rate of a process. An example of positive climatic feedback is the ice-albedo feedback.
- Food Web
- The complex arrangement of who-eats-who in an ecosystem. Food chains are linked together to form food webs.
- Foraging Fish
- Foraging fish feed on zooplankton, as opposed to other fish.
G
- Glucose
- A type of sugar; the chief source of energy for living organisms.
- Greenhouse Effect
- The process by which the equilibrium temperature of the earth is increased due to presence of gases in the atmosphere that absorb outgoing longwave radiation.
- Growth0
- Growtho is the temperature-specific growth rate (µo), which determines the temperature-dependent maximum growth rate (µmax). When µo is low, it means that phytoplankton don’t grow well at a given water temperature. When it is high, it means they grow much better.
H
- Half-saturation Coefficient
- When we examine a property like the growth rate of phytoplankton, it approaches a maximum value as the concentration of the available nutrients increases. The half-saturation coefficient is the nutrient concentration where the growth rate equals half of its maximum.
I
- Ice Algae
- Single-celled (unicellular) algae, which develop in the lowermost sections of sea ice, often forming chains and filaments. Ice algae are an important component of the Arctic marine food web.
- Ice Retreat
- When sea ice melts in the spring and summer, it melts faster at the edges. Thus the edge of the sea ice retreats toward the more-permanent multi-year sea ice.
J
K
L
- Light Limited
- Photosynthesis is light limited. That is to say that no matter how favorable the other environmental conditions are (nutrients, temperature, etc) the amount of photosynthesis that occurs is limited by the available light.
M
- Monod
- Jacques Monod was a French researcher who studied microbial growth rates. He developed an equation relating growth rate to concentration of limiting nutrient, which bears his name. We call this the "Monod Equation" and speak of "Monod growth rates".
- Mortality
- Estimate of the proportion of a population which dies during a specified period.
N
- Nanoplankton
- Larger phytoplankton (2 to 20 µm diameter).
0
P
- Photosynthesis
- The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) are combined in the presence of sunlight and the green pigment chlorophyll, to produce food (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2).
- Phytoplankton
- Plankton is a loose term used to refer to small (need a magnifying lens to see clearly) plants and animals that live in the upper layers of the ocean. phytoplankton refers to the plankton that use photosynthesis to make needed compounds. There are a range of pigments that different phytoplankton use, both to gather solar energy and to protect themselves from high-energy solar radiation.
- Picoplankton
- Very small phytoplankton (<2 µm diameter).
- Predatory Fish
- Predatory fish consume other fish.
Q
R
- Remineralization
- The process of converting dead material back into nutrients that are available for consumption by living organisms.
S
- Sea Ice
- Any form of ice found at sea which has originated from the freezing of sea water.
- Sediments
- Sediment is naturally-occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself.
- Sloppy Feeding
- When zooplankton graze on phytoplankton, some of the phytoplankton are only partially consumed. This inefficiency is called sloppy feeding.
T
- Taxa
- A grouping of organisms given a formal taxonomic name such as species, genus, family.
U
V
W
- Water Column
- A conceptual column of water from sea surface to bottom sediments. It is a useful concept when examining changes with depth.
X
Y
Z
- Zooplankton
- Zooplankton are very small animals that live in the water. They differ from phytoplankton in that they do not photosynthesize.
References:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/glossary.html
http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/glossary.htm
http://science.larc.nasa.gov/biomass_burn/glossary.html
http://www.nps.gov/archive/grsa/resources/curriculum/glossary.htm
http://sfbay.wr.usgs.gov/access/wqdata/guide/glossary.html
http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_krembsdeming.html
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/glossary.html
http://www.dbcp.noaa.gov/seashelp/HtmlIceGlossary.htm
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/gloss/glossary.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/