Glossary, S - Z
- Satellite altimeter measurements
- measurements of the sea level taken by satellite.
- Seabirds
- marine birds.
- Seal haul-out sites
- locations and habitats where groups of seals come out of the water.
- SeaWIFS
- satellite programme observing ocean colour http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaWiFS/ . [Data and images are processed in the UK at Plymouth Marine Lab http://www.npm.ac.uk/rsg/]
- Sedimentologists
- experts on sediments.
- Spawning Aggregations
- when a species groups in order to spawn.
- Stochastity
- having the some element property of randomness, or non-determinacy.
- Sublittoral
- the zone deeper than the shore that is permanently covered in water.
- Swell
- long period sea surface waves that are not locally generated.
- Synergistic
- combined effects greater than individual effects
- Thermal expansion
- as the sea warms it becomes less dense and therefore occupies a greater volume for a given mass.
- Thermocline
- a layer of the water column that is defined by a gradient in temperature
- Trophic pyramid
- a description of a trophic structure with wide base and narrow peak.
- Trophic structure
- energy cascade through the ecosystem (food chain).
- Trophodynamic regimes
- regimes controlled by trophic (food-web) interactions
- Tourism Comfort Index (TCI)
- a measure of how comfortable tourists are in a given location and its typical climatic conditions.
- Upwelling
- upward flow of water often bringing cold nutrient rich waters to the surface.
- Vibriosis
- a bacterial disease of migratory and salt-water fish
- Voluntary Observing Ships
- vessels from outside the science and research sector which take observations that can be used for research, monitoring and operational marine science.
- Year-class size
- biomass of a species of a particular age.
- Zooplankton
- planktonic marine animals.