continental slope

noun

: the comparatively steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor

Examples of continental slope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The wrecks were first discovered in 2022, roughly 5,000 feet below the surface near the northwest continental slope of the South China Sea. Brie Stimson, Fox News, 15 June 2024 The analysis found a specific instance where dislodged methane traveled over 25 miles from the deeper parts of the continental slope up to the edge of the underwater shelf. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Dec. 2023 Onshore groundwater that flows through the subsurface and offshore brings nutrients and chemicals that sustain delicate marine communities in places along the continental slope. Rob L. Evans, Scientific American, 15 June 2023 Because the shelf is a continuation of the continent, models of groundwater flow in land along the northeastern U.S. coast suggest there could be substantial amounts of fresh water hidden within the rocks and sediments below the continental slope's seafloor. Rob L. Evans, Scientific American, 15 June 2023 The team compiled 165,000 observations of brittle stars from more than 1,600 research expeditions, plotting the species distributions by coastal (0-20 m depth), continental shelf (20-200 m), upper continental slope (200-2,000 m), and deep-sea (2,000-6,500 m) seafloor zones. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2016 In oceans, the benthic zone starts at the shoreline and follows the continental slope to the deepest depths. Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2018 This would extend the Bering Sea boundary west and south to Alaska’s Fox Islands, through Unimak Pass to the edge of the continental slope, the agency said in a statement. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 13 July 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of continental slope was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near continental slope

Cite this Entry

“Continental slope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continental%20slope. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

continental slope

noun
: a usually steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor

More from Merriam-Webster on continental slope

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!