to desert or leave entirely.

to soak up.

to gather or collect.

existing, moving, growing, or operating in the air.

(singular: alga) diverse group of aquatic organisms, the largest of which are seaweeds.

species at the top of the food chain, with no predators of its own. Also called an alpha predator or top predator.

region at Earth's extreme north, encompassed by the Arctic Circle.

to evaluate or determine the amount of.

organism that can produce its own food and nutrients from chemicals in the atmosphere, usually through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

ready for use.

to cause a person or organization to lose their money or other funding and resources.

able to decompose naturally.

chemical used to make some types of plastic that may be unsafe for people, especially infants.

to limit or confine.

sale of goods and services, or a place where such sales take place.

goods carried by a ship, plane, or other vehicle.

sailing vessel made of two large flotation devices and a frame above them.

person who studies long-term patterns in weather.

edge of land along the sea or other large body of water.

to combine or put together.

to contain or be made up of.

to imagine or bring to mind.

to use up.

person who uses a good or service.

area where prevailing winds from different areas meet and interact.

steady, predictable flow of fluid within a larger body of that fluid.

steady, predictable flow of fluid within a larger body of that fluid.

remains of something broken or destroyed; waste, or garbage.

to decay or break down.

to lower.

to sincerely devote time and effort to something.

having parts or molecules that are packed closely together.

to throw away.

to learn or understand something for the first time.

to throw away or get rid of.

unmanned aircraft that can be guided remotely.

ability to resist wear and decay.

scientist who studies the relationships between organisms and their environments.

an adventurer, scientist, innovator, or storyteller recognized by National Geographic for their visionary work while still early in their careers.

to tangle or twist together.

conditions that surround and influence an organism or community.

to guess based on knowledge of the situation or object.

journey with a specific purpose, such as exploration.

very costly.

person who studies unknown areas.

degree or space to which a thing extends.

group of organisms linked in order of the food they eat, from producers to consumers, and from prey, predators, scavengers, and decomposers.

all related food chains in an ecosystem. Also called a food cycle.

money or finances.

continued trapping and killing of marine life by a discarded fishing net floating at sea

area of the North Pacific Ocean where currents have trapped huge amounts of debris, mostly plastics.

damaging.

large public road.

having to do with factories or mechanical production.

unit made up of governments or groups in different countries, usually for a specific purpose.

body of land surrounded by water.

to separate materials by running water or another liquid through them.

trash or other scattered objects left in an open area or natural habitat.

degree to which something can be shaped or molded.

to make or produce a good, usually for sale.

having to do with the ocean.

garbage, refuse, or other objects that enter the coastal or ocean environment.

an animal that lives most of its life in the ocean but breathes air and gives birth to live young, such as whales and seals.

to determine the numeric value of something, often in comparison with something else, such as a determined standard value.

piece of plastic between 0.3 and 5 millimeters in diameter.

to plan and direct the course of a journey.

substance an organism needs for energy, growth, and life.

large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth.

an area of ocean that slowly rotates in an enormous circle.

person who studies the ocean.

having to do with facilities or resources located underwater, usually miles from the coast.

complex series of machinery and systems used to drill for oil on land.

group of tissues that perform a specialized task.

living or once-living thing.

(polychlorinated biphenal) chemical substance that can occur naturally or be manufactured that may cause cancer.

small, rounded object.

an unusual act or occurrence.

process by which a substance is broken down by exposure to light.

large, spherical celestial body that regularly rotates around a star.

(singular: plankton) microscopic aquatic organisms.

chemical material that can be easily shaped when heated to a high temperature.

(2009) sailing vessel made partly of plastic water bottles used to travel from San Francisco, California, to Sydney, Australia.

chemical or other substance that harms a natural resource.

total number of people or organisms in a particular area.

to know the outcome of a situation in advance.

to keep something from happening.

earlier, or the one before.

person or organization that creates (produces) goods and services.

clear, sticky substance produced by some plants.

being accountable and reliable for an action or situation.

object's complete turn around its own axis.

to break or tear.

photographs of a planet taken by or from a satellite.

large part of the ocean enclosed or partly enclosed by land.

surface layer of the bottom of the ocean.

fish and shellfish consumed by humans.

transportation of goods, usually by large boat.

steady and reliable.

dying from lack of food.

to scare or be a source of danger.

poisonous.

movement from one position to another.

movement from one place to another.

to fish by dragging a large net along the bottom of the body of water.

column of rotating fluid, such as air (wind) or water.

Pacific coast of the United States, usually excluding Alaska.

movement of air (from a high pressure zone to a low pressure zone) caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun.

sport of racing large sailing vessels.