Lanes of flat ocean surface in coastal waters

Asked by: Aaron Zilla

What are the lines on the surface of the ocean?

These patches are actually called windrows, and they are usually parallel lines of “stuff” sometime stretching for more than a kilometer. In our waters they are composed largely of sargassum, foam/bubbles, and a mixture of floating polyfoam, plastic, and other jetsam blown or dropped off of boats.

Is the ocean surface flat?

Most people are surprised to learn that, just as the surface of the Earth is not flat, the surface of the ocean is not flat, and that the surface of the sea changes at different rates around the globe. For instance, the absolute water level height is higher along the West Coast of the United States than the East Coast.

What does it mean when the sea is flat?

At a flat coast or flat shoreline, the land descends gradually into the sea. Flat coasts can be formed either as a result of the sea advancing into gently-sloping terrain or through the abrasion of loose rock. They may be basically divided into two parallel strips: the shoreface and the beach.

What causes a flat ocean?

One being warmer than the other causes a density + temp fluctuation and the upwelling on collision. This upwelling caused the flat spots or lanes that can go for miles on times or maybe just a few hundred feet depending on the area at sea.

What is the line called in the ocean?

The line, also known as the Plimsoll mark, is found midship on both the port and starboard hulls of cargo vessels and is still used worldwide by the shipping industry.

What do you call the line on the sea?

The FAI defines the Kármán line as space beginning 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above Earth’s mean sea level.

What is the flat part of the ocean called?

The abyssal plain is the flat area of the ocean floor. It is covered with sand, mud, and plant and animal remains. Located on this flat plain are undersea mountains called seamounts that are formed by erupting volcanoes.

What are the flat areas of the ocean called?

Abyssal plains are broad, flat areas that lie at depths of about 4,000 meters to 6,000 meters (13,123 feet to 19,680 feet). Abyssal plains cover 30 percent of the ocean floor and are the flattest feature on Earth. They are covered by fine-grained sediment like clay and silt.

What is the flat ocean floor called?

Abyssal plain

Abyssal plain: Flat or very gently sloping area of the deep ocean basin floor.

Is the ocean floor a flat plain?

The ocean floor is not a flat, featureless surface. Plate tectonic theory is useful in understanding many features of the ocean floor. The Atlantic and Pacific Ocean floors are very different in terms of size and features. The features one would encounter crossing the Atlantic Ocean floor.

Is the ocean floor flat and smooth?

Early civilizations believed the ocean floor to be a smooth bowl, devoid of features or life. However, the ocean floor is not flat; it has a wide variety of geological features (e.g., Fig. 7.28; Table 7.6). Navigators of ships and submarines are interested in avoiding dangers or impediments to their progress.

What do you call the edge of the water at the beach?

A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake.

What does sea line mean?

1 : a sea outline (as the horizon or coastline) 2 : a line used in the sea (as for sounding or deepwater fishing) sealine. noun (2)

What is it called where the ocean meets the beach?

Shore – place where ocean meets land Coast – refers to the larger zone affected by the processes that occur at this boundary.

What is the line in the Atlantic Ocean?

Mid-Atlantic Ridge



The MAR rises 2–3 km (1.2–1.9 mi) above the surrounding ocean floor and its rift valley is the divergent boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates in the North Atlantic and the South American and African plates in the South Atlantic.

Why is there a line in the middle of the ocean?

The white line is formed because the currents bring fresh, cool and nutritious water loaded with minerals from the depths of the ocean to the surface.

Why does it look like there is a line in the ocean?

High above the surface of the sea, when air masses with different temperatures collide they create weather patterns, such as a squall line. A similar thing happens in the ocean. When two water masses collide, one telltale sign on the surface is a gradient pattern and color change.

What are the 7 features of the ocean floor?

What are the main features of the ocean floor? There are nine main features of the ocean floor which include (1) continental shelf, (2) continental slope, (3) continental rise, (4) abyssal plains, (5) abyssal hill, (6) mid-ocean ridges, (7) seamounts, (8) deep ocean trenches, and (9) volcanic islands.

What are the 4 main sections of the ocean floor?

Underwater landforms

• Continental shelf. Starting from land, a trip across an ocean basin along the seafloor would begin with crossing the continental shelf. …
• Abyssal plains. Continuing your journey across the ocean basin, you would descend the steep continental slope to the abyssal plain. …
• Mid-ocean ridge. …
• Ocean trenches.

What are the 5 layers of the ocean floor?

The 5 Layers of the Ocean Jar

1. The Sunlight Zone.
2. The Twilight Zone. …
3. The Midnight Zone. …
4. The Abyss Zone. As you might guess from the name, the ocean is pretty unforgiving in this layer. …
5. The Trench Zone. The deepest zone of the ocean reaches into narrow cracks in the ocean floor…it’s pitch black and near freezing. …