w 



wake — The region of turbulence immediately to 

 the rear of a solid body in motion relative to a 

 fluid. (5) 



warm pool — A body of warm water entirely sur- 

 rounded by cold water. 



wash and strain ice foot — An ice foot formed 

 from ice casts and slush and attached to a shelv- 

 ing beach, between the high and low water lines. 

 High waves and spray may cause it to build up 

 above the high water line. (68) 



washovers — (or wave delta) . Small deltas build 

 on the lagoon side of a bar separating the lagoon 

 from the open sea. Storm waves breaking over 

 the bar deposit sediment on the lagoon side in 

 the form of deltas. (2) 



water — See fresh water, normal water, pure 

 water, sea water. 



water color — The apparent color of the surface 

 layers of the sea caused by the reflection of cer- 

 tain components of the visible light spectrum 

 coupled with the effects of dissolved material, 

 concentration of plankton, detritus, or other 

 matter. Color of oceanic water varies from deep 

 blue to yellow and is expressed by number values 

 which are a variation of the Forel scale. Plank- 

 ton concentrations may cause a temporary ap- 

 pearance of red, green, white, or other colors. 

 See Forel scale. 



water content — A ratio; 100 multiplied by the 

 weight of water in a bottom sediment sample 

 divided by the weight of the dried sample, ex- 

 pressed as a percentage. 



water exchange — The volume and rate of water 

 replacement in a specific location controlled by 

 such factors as tides, winds, river discharge, and 

 currents. 



water flea — (or cladoceran). One of a suborder 

 (Cladocera) of small crustaceans that swim in 

 a jerky or jumpy manner. Although abundant 

 in some shallow water environments, they are 

 not among the more abundant marine plankton. 



water-laid rope — See cable-laid rope. 



water level — See sea level. 



water line — A juncture of land and sea. This line 

 fluctuates, changing with the tide or other fluc- 

 tuations in the water level. Where waves are 

 present on the beach, this line is also known as 

 the limit of backrush. (Approximately the 

 intersection of the land with the still water 

 level.) (61) See shoreline, coastline. 



water mass — A body of water usually identified 

 by its T-S curve or chemical content, and nor- 

 mally consisting of a mixture of two or more 

 water types. {See temperature-salinity dia- 

 gram.) 



The terms water mass and water type have 

 been used loosely and interchangeably in oceano- 

 graphic literature. 



The major recognized water masses of the 

 oceans are shown in the figures on the following 

 pages. (32) 



water opening — See opening. 



water pocket — A water mass of limited size, fre- 

 quently in the form of a pocket, and having 

 properties different from those of the surround- 

 ing water. Water pockets are often located at 

 a meandering boundary where they usually are 

 partly or completely cut off from the original 

 main body of water. (25) 



water sample — A portion of water brought up 

 from a certain depth to determine its composi- 

 tion. 



water sky — The dark appearance of the underside 

 of a cloud layer due to the reflection of a surface 

 of open water surrounded or bounded by ice. 

 The area of open water may be beyond the range 

 of visibility. (74) 



This term is used, largely in polar regions, 

 with reference to the sky map; water sky is 

 darker than land sky, and much darker than ice 

 blink or snow blink. (5) 



water smoke — See steam fog. 



waterspout — Usually, a tornado occurring over 



water; rarely, a lesser whirlwind over water, 



comparable in intensity to a dust devil over land. 



Waterspouts are most common over tropical 



and subtropical waters. (5) 



water tagging — The process of introducing for- 

 eign substances (tracers) into the ocean to de- 

 tect the movement of its waters by subsequent 

 measurement of the location and distribution of 

 the introduced substance. See tracer. 



water transparency — See transparency. 



water type — Sea water of a specified temperature 

 and salinity, and hence defined by a single point 

 on a temperature-salinity diagram. (5) 



watt — A unit of power equal to one Joule per sec- 

 ond or 10' ergs per second. (5) 



wattenschlick — Tidal or intertidal mud. (2) 



wave — 1. A disturbance which moves through or 

 over the surface of the medium (here, the ocean) , 



177 



