Marine Resources Assessment for the Marianas Operating ... - SPREP

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
Neonate—a newborn
Neritic zone—the shallow portion of pelagic ocean waters; ocean waters that lie over the continental
shelf, usually no deeper than 200 m
Nocturnal—applied to events that occur during nighttime hours
North Atlantic—the part of the Atlantic Ocean found north of the Equator
North Pacific—the part of the Pacific Ocean found north of the Equator
Northwest Atlantic—the part of the Atlantic Ocean found north of the Equator and west of the mid-ocean
ridge (or roughly the area between Iceland and Greenland); synonymous with western North Atlantic
Ocean
Not expected occurrence⎯an area within the operating area where a species is not expected to be
encountered
Nudibranch—member of the mollusk class Gastropoda that has no protective covering as an adult;
carries on respiration by gills or other projections on the dorsal surface (sea slug)
Nursery habitat—an environment crucial for the development of early-stage animals; for some sea
turtles, this environment is often an open-ocean area characterized by the presence of Sargassum rafts
and/or ocean current convergence fronts
Occurrence record⎯a marine mammal or sea turtle sighting (aerial or shipboard survey), stranding,
incidental fisheries bycatch, nesting, or tagging data record for which location information is available. An
occurrence record, especially sighting occurrence records, may represent the occurrence of one or
multiple animals of a particular species; for instance, one occurrence record from a marine mammal
sighting survey may indicate that 34 short-finned pilot whales were observed at a location but this
information would be plotted on a MRA map figure as one occurrence record
Oceania—the group of islands in the south Pacific including Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia
Oceanic zone—the deepwater portion of pelagic ocean waters; ocean waters beyond the continental
shelf or that are deeper than the depth of water overlying the continental shelf break (typically 100 to 200
m deep)
Oceanography—the scientific study of the oceans, including the chemistry, biology, geology, and
physics of the ocean environment
Octave band⎯the frequency band whose upper limit in Hz is twice the lower limit
Octocorals—erect, non-crusting group of soft corals whose polyps are always formed into colonies; each
polyp having eight pinnate (side-branching) tentacles
Odontoceti—the suborder of cetaceans comprised of toothed whales (e.g., beaked whales, dolphins,
porpoises, sperm whale)
Offshore—open, ocean waters over the continental slope and beyond that are deeper than 200 m; water
seaward of the continental shelf break
Olfactory—relating to the sense of smell
Oligotrophic—water that is lacking in nutrients, which results in low primary production
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