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

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
Triangular irregular networks (TINs)—surface representation developed from sample points and
breakline features; a TIN dataset contains topological relationships between points and their neighboring
triangles where each sample point has an x and y coordinate and a z value; these points are connected
by edges, which make up a set of non-overlapping triangles that represent the surface; a TIN is also
referred to as an irregular triangular mesh or an irregular triangular surface model
Trophic level—a step in the transfer of food or energy within a chain
Tropical—the geographic region found in the low latitudes (30° north of the equator to 30° south of the
equator) characterized by a warm climate
Tropical cyclone—a warm core low pressure system which develops over tropical, and sometimes
subtropical, waters, and has an organized circulation. Depending on sustained surface winds, the system
is classified as a tropical disturbance, a tropical depression, a tropical storm, or a hurricane or typhoon
Tsunami—series of waves of extremely long wave length and long period generated in a body of water
by an impulsive disturbance caused by an earthquake, a submarine landslide, or a submarine volcanic
eruption. Tsunamis are not caused by or related to tides and therefore “tidal wave” is a misnomer
Tursiops—the genus of bottlenose dolphins comprised of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops
truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)
Typhoon—a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (65 knots) or greater in the
western North Pacific Ocean. This same tropical cyclone is known as a hurricane in the eastern North
Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean, and as a cyclone in the Indian Ocean
Unisexual—individuals that are both male and female
Upwelling—upward movement or rising of deep, usually nutrient- and oxygen-rich, water to the surface;
may be caused by wind-forcing, divergent currents, or density differences
Vagile—wandering, free motile, mobile
Vagrant⎯a wanderer, in the sense of an animal moving outside the usual limits of distribution for its
species or population
Ventral—relating to the underside (or belly side) of an animal
Vertebrates—animals with a backbone
Viviparous—type of development in which the young are born alive after having been nourished in the
uterus by blood from the placenta
Water mass—a body of water that can be identified by a specific temperature or salinity
West Pacific—that part of the Pacific Ocean found west of the 180° longitude line
Western North Atlantic—the part of the Atlantic Ocean found north of the Equator and west of the midocean
ridge (or roughly the area between Iceland and Greenland); synonymous with Northwest Atlantic
Ocean
Wetland—an area inundated by water (either freshwater or saltwater) frequently enough to support
vegetation that requires saturated soil conditions for growth and reproduction; generally includes swamps,
marshes, springs, seeps, or wet meadows
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