K 



kalema — A very heavy surf breaking on the 

 Guinea coast of Africa during the winter. (5) 



kaolin — See kaolinite. 



kaolinite — A common clay mineral, hydrous 

 aluminum silicate, formed by the replacement 

 or alteration of feldspars or other minerals. 

 Kaolin is rock composed principally of 

 kaolinite. 



katabatic wind — (or gravity wind). Any wind 

 blowing down an incline. If the wind is warm, 

 it is called a f oehn ; if cold, it may be a fall wind 

 or a gravity wind. 



kay — See cay. 



kelp — 1. One of an order (Laminariales) of 

 usually large, blade-shaped, or vinelike brown 

 algae (principally American usage). Repre- 

 sentative species are the giant kelp {Macrocys- 

 tis pyrifera), bull kelp {Nereocystis luetheana 

 or Durvillea antarctica) , elk kelp {Pelagophy- 

 cus porra), and laminarians (species of 

 Laminaria) . 



2. The burnt ash of rockweeds or laminarians 

 produced by Europeans since the l7th century 

 and still used around the world as a source of 

 sodium carbonate, potash, and iodine. 



Kelvin temperature scale — (abbreviated K; 

 also called absolute temperature scale). An 

 absolute temperature scale independent of the 

 therm ometric properties of the working sub- 

 stance. For convenience the Kelvin degree is 

 identified with the Celsius degree (0°K= 

 — 273.16°C). Therefore, the ice point in the 

 Kelvin scale is 273.16°K. (5) 



Kelvin wave — A type of tide progression in rela- 

 tively confined water bodies (such as the North 

 Sea) where because of coriolis force the tide 

 wave is higher to the right of direction of ad- 

 vance (in the Northern Hemisphere). How- 

 ever, upon reflection from a landmass the pro- 

 gression reverses direction and consequently the 

 tide wave is higher on the opposite coast. 



key — A low island or a reef. See cay. (68) 



killer whale — The largest member {Orcirms 

 orca) of the dolphin family (Delphinidae), 

 having worldwide distribution. Although this 

 animal has been implicated in several attacks 

 upon boats containing men and in bumping sea 

 ice bearing men, no documented fatality is 

 known. 



Kilogram-calorie — (abbreviated K cal, kg-cal, 

 Cal). /See calorie. 



kilometer — (abbreviated km). The unit of dis- 

 tance measurement in the metric system equal 

 to 0.62 statute mile or 0.54 nautical mile. A 

 statute mile equals 1.61 kilometers; a nautical 

 mile equals 1.85 kilometers. (4) 



kinetic energy — The energy which a body pos- 

 sesses as a consequence of its motion, defined as 

 one-half the product of its mass and the square 

 of its speed, i^ mv-. The kinetic energy per unit 

 volume of a fluid parcel is thus V^pv*^, where p is 

 the density and v the speed of the parcel. (5) 

 In a progressive oscillatory wave, a summa- 

 tion of the energy of motion of the particles 

 within the wave. This energy does not advance 

 with the wave form. 



kingdom — See classification of organisms. 



Kirchoff's law — The radiation law which states 

 that at a given temperature the ratio of the emis- 

 sivity to the absorptivity for a given wave- 

 length is the same for all bodies and is equal to 

 the emissivity of an ideal black body at that tem- 

 perature and wavelength. ( 5 ) 



kneaded gravel — Gravel or conglomerate trans- 

 ported by mud flows. (2) 



knoll — An elevation rising less than 500 fathoms 

 (1,000 meters) from the sea floor, and of limited 

 extent across the summit. (62) 



knot — A speed unit of one nautical mile (6,076.12 

 feet) per hour. It is equivalent to a speed of 

 1.688 feet per second or 51.4 centimeters per 

 second. 



Knudsen's Tables — Tables published by Martin 

 Knudsen in 1901 ("Hydrographical Tables") , to 

 facilitate the computation of results of sea water 

 chlorinity titrations and hydrometer readings, 

 and their conversion to salinity, density, and 

 Sigma- 1. (5) 



Ki constituent — The lunisolar diurnal constitu- 

 ent of the theoretical tide-producing forces. 

 {See figure for partial tide.) 



kraken — See giant squid. 



krill — ( Norwegian kril ) . A term used by whalers 

 and fishermen for euphausiids. 



K2 constituent — The lunisolar semidiurnal con- 

 stituent of the theoretical tide-producing 

 forces. {See figure for partial tide.) 



Kullenberg corer — A coring device (piston or 

 gravity fall) used to obtain 2-inch diameter core 

 samples. The sampler consists of a weight 

 stand on which removable weights can be placed, 



92 



