Term
describe the hydrolic cycle
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Definition
| The hydrologic cycle begins with the evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean. As moist air is lifted, it cools and water vapor condenses to form clouds. Moisture is transported around the globe until it returns to the surface as precipitation. Once the water reaches the ground, one of two processes may occur; 1) some of the water may evaporate back into the atmosphere or 2) the water may penetrate the surface and become groundwater. Groundwater either seeps its way to into the oceans, rivers, and streams, or is released back into the atmosphere through transpiration. The balance of water that remains on the earth's surface is runoff, which empties into lakes, rivers and streams and is carried back to the oceans, where the cycle begins again |
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Term
likelihood of sheet flow runoff depends on the infiltration of the soil:
what are some of the characteristics of it
(5) |
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Definition
soil texture
slope of land
intensity and duration of rainfall
prior wetted condition of soil
nature of vegation cover |
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Term
what are drainage basins?
how is it seperated? |
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Definition
area the contributes water to a river system.
seperated by a divide ranging in scale from a ridge to a contiental divide |
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Term
what are the 3 zones of a river system?
can all 3 happen in one zone? |
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Definition
erision
sediment transport
deposition
yes, but one will always dominate
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Term
| what is laminar stream flow? |
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Definition
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Term
| what is turbulent stream flow? |
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Definition
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Term
| what determines the velocity of streamflow? |
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Definition
gradient
shape, size and roughness
discharge |
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Term
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Definition
| change in elevation (vertical drop)/distance |
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Term
| the steeper the gradient.... |
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Definition
the more energy avaible
-faster speed |
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Term
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Definition
| rounded depressions on the bottom of the river bed |
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Term
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Definition
| the ability to accumlate and transport soil/ weathered rock aided by rain drops that knock sedimentary particles loose. |
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Term
| what are the 3 ways of transporting materials and describe them or give an example |
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Definition
dissolved load- ex. calcite ions
suspended load-(floating particles) ex. stokes law[settling velocity, sediment size vs stream velocity
bed load(dragged particles) |
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Term
sediment deposition deposition depends on which 2 tings and descirbe them
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Definition
sorting- deposition of particles of a similar size together
alluvium-any stream-depositied sediemnts |
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Term
| what are the characteristics of Bed rock |
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Definition
steep high gradient with fast moving water
ex is the grand canyon |
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Term
what are charactericts of alluvial?
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Definition
braided or meandering streams
ex mississippi river valley |
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Term
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Definition
| wide and shallow streams consisting of smaller interwoven streams. often through course sediment |
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Term
be able to locate a meander and ox bow on a digram.
with the meander know the erosion of the cut banks |
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Definition
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Term
the downward limit to stream erosion (lowest elevation) in which a stream can erode its channel is known as...
gradient stream can neither erode or deposit sediments at this level. |
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Definition
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Term
down cutting is the dominant activity of what?
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Definition
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Term
| the most prominant feature of V-shaped valleys are |
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Definition
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Term
Velley widening:
what are flood plains |
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Definition
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Term
valley widening:
terraces |
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Definition
| remains of former floodplains left as flat elevated surfces |
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Term
valley widening:
what are deltas |
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Definition
| streams enetering an ocean or lake |
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Term
valley widening:
natural levees |
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Definition
| sediment carried by river flows into a flood plain and left there as the water retreats. |
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Term
valley widening:
alluvial fans |
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Definition
fan shaped deposits of alluvium at the mouth of the valley
forms at the base of mountains. |
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Term
| what is groundwater and where is it located |
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Definition
largest resivoir of fresh water redily avaible to humans.
its found in pore spaces in sediment or in bed rock fractures |
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Term
distribution of groundwater:
zone of soil moisture is |
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Definition
| some water is held near the surface |
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Term
distribution of groundwater
zone of saturation is |
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Definition
| remaining water precolates down to fill all pore spaces avaible within the sediment |
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Term
distribution of groundwater
water table is |
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Definition
| upper limit of the zone of saturation |
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Term
gaining or losing
which occurs at high water tables?
which occurs at low water tables?
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Definition
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Term
| what are the factors that effect water storage and movement |
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Definition
porosity
permeability
aquitards (impermeable layers)
aquifers (permeable layers) |
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Term
| wells create _______when water is removed |
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Definition
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Term
| glaciers are part of what 2 cycles? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| thick mass of ice the origonates on land from the accumlimation, compaction and recrystalization of snow. |
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Term
types of glaciers
-exists in mountanious ares
flow down a valley from an accumulation center at its head |
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Definition
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Term
types of glaciers
-exist on a larger scale then valley glaciers
two major ones on earth are over greenland and antartica
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Definition
ice sheets
often called contential ice sheets |
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Term
all types of glaciers (5)
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Definition
valley (alpine)
ice sheets
ice caps
outlet glaciers
piedmont glaciers |
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Term
| what would happen if the ice melted on earth |
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Definition
| sea level would rise 60-70 meters |
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Term
| slightly more then what % of the worlds water is tied up in glaciers |
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Definition
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Term
| what are the characteristics of the Antartic ice sheet |
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Definition
-80% of the worlds ice
-nearly 2/3 of earths freshwater
covers almost 1 1/2 times the area of the United States |
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Term
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Definition
| areas where more snow falls in winter then it melts during the summer |
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Term
how does a glacier form
5 steps |
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Definition
-air infiltrates snow
-snowflakes become smaller, thicker, and more spherical
-air is forced out
-snow is recrystallized into a much denser mass of small grains called firn.
-once the thickness of ice and snow exceed 50 meters, firn fuses into a solid mass of interlocking crystals----glacier ice |
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Term
| 2 tyoes of glacier flow & describe them. |
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Definition
-plastic flow:occurs within the ice...under pressure, ice behaves as a plastic material
-basal slip: entire mass slipping along the ground...most glaciersare thought to move this way |
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Term
movement of glaciers is refered to as.....
zone of fracture is occurs where and is what |
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Definition
- as flow
-occurs in the uppermost 50 meters
tension causes crevases to form in brittle ice |
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Term
| glaciers form at what zone |
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Definition
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Term
| glacires erode the land in two ways, descibe how |
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Definition
-plucking: lifting of rocks
-abrasian: rocks within the ice act like sandpaper to smooth and polish the surface below. |
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Term
erosioanl features created by glacial erosion in valleys
(9)
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Definition
-glacial troughs
-truncated spurs
-hanging valleys
-pater noster lakes
-tarns
-fjords
-aretes
-horns
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Term
types of glacial drift
till
straified drift |
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Definition
till is material that is depositied directly over ice
stratified drift sediments laid down by glacial meltwater |
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Term
indirect effects of Ice Age Glaciers
(6) |
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Definition
-forces migration of plants and animals
-changes in stream courses
-rebounding upward of the crust in former centers of ice accumlation
-worldwide change in sea level
-climatic changes
-pluvial lakes |
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Term
causes of glaciation
the Milankovitch Hypothesis
(4)
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Definition
-shape(ecentricity) of earths orbit varies
-angle of earths axis(obliquity) changes
-earths axis wobbles (precession)
-changes in climate over the past several hundred years are closely associated with variations in the geometry of earths orbit |
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Term
| dry climates are composed of ---% of earths land surface |
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Definition
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Term
| what and where are low latitude deserts |
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Definition
--subtropical heights
-as air sinks it compresses and warms
-very low relative humidity
--tropics of cancer and capricorn |
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Term
what and where are mid-latitude deserts
example? |
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Definition
--not associate with subtropical high pressure systems
-occur in the middle of a large landmass on the leeward side of mountain ranges
ex. gobi desert
rainshadow deserts |
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Term
| what is the rainshadow effect |
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Definition
-wind is forced to rise s it reaches a mountain range
--air cools then condenses
--moisture is precipatated out on the windward side before cresting the mountain
-- as air sinks on leeward side, it compresses and warms but is dry. |
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Term
these are characteristics of what
-short lived
infiltrate/evoprate before water can reach the ocean
-only carry water in response to rainfall
lasts only a few hours to a few days |
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Definition
| --ephemeral streams (deserts) |
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Term
desert rainfall
1.rain occurs as ___ ____
2. most erosion is done by ____ ____
3. vegatation is sparse so _____ is unhindered and ___ ___ are common |
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Definition
1.heavy showers
2. running water
3. runoff, flash floods |
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Term
how is transportation of sediment by wind different then running water?
(2)
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Definition
-- wind is less capable of picking up and transporting course materials
-- wind is not confined to channels and can spread sediment over large areas |
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Term
| what are some characteristics of Dune (a form of wind deposit) |
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Definition
-mound or ridges of sand
-often asymetrically shaped
-windward shape is gently inclined and the leeward slope is called slipface |
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Term
| what are characteristics of Loess ( type of wind deposit) |
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Definition
blankets of windblown silt
-primary sources are deserts and glacial outward deposits
- extensive deposits occur in china and the central United States. |
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Term
flat platform composed of sand and marked by change in a slope at seaward edge is
the wet sloping surface the extends from the berm to the shoreline
an accumlation of sediment found along the landward margin of an ocean or lake. |
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Definition
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Term
| wind generated waves provide most of the |
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Definition
| energy that shapes and modifies shorelines |
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Term
| where do waves derive their energy and motion from |
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Definition
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Term
parts of a wave
crest
trough
measurements of wave
wave height
wave length
wave period |
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Definition
crest- top of the wave
trough- is the low area between waves
wave height- distance between a trough and crest
wave length- horizontial distance between crests ( crest to crest)
wave period- time interval between the passage of the 2 sucessive crests. |
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Term
| height length and period of a wave all depend on |
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Definition
wind speed
length time wind has blown
fetch (distance that the wind has traveled across open water) |
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Term
| wind erosion is caused by |
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Definition
wave impact and pressure
abrasion by rock fragments |
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Term
| what is light wave activity |
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Definition
swash is likely to soak into the beach, decresing the amount of backwash
net movement of sand up beach face toward berm |
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Term
| what is heavy wave activity |
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Definition
beach likely to be saturated
berm erodes because backwash is so strong
net movement iof sand is down the beach face |
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Term
waves approach the shore at an ___
what happens to a wave as it reaches shallow water with a smooth sloping bottom |
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Definition
angle
they are bent and tend to become parallel to the shore |
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Term
| consequences of wave refraction |
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Definition
wave energy is concentrated against the sides and ends of headlands
wave attack is spread out and weakened
over time wave erosion straightens an irregular shoreline |
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Term
waves along the beach moving in a zig-zag pattern is known as a ____
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Definition
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Term
| features of a shoreline vary depending on several factors like: |
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Definition
-rocks along the shore
-currents
-wave intensity
-whether the coast is stable, sinking, or rising |
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Term
shoreline wave erosion: (2)
features associated with headlands: (2) |
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Definition
-wace-cut cliffs
-wave cut platforms
--sea arch
--sea stack |
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Term
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Definition
| elongated ridges of sand extending from the land into the mouth of an adjacent bay |
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Term
_____ is a sand bar that completly crosses a bay
______ is a ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or another island. |
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Definition
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Term
barrier islands are mainly located ?
what are barrier islands? |
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Definition
-along altantic and gulf coasts
-low ridges of sand that run parallel to the coast 3 to 30 kilometers offshore |
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Term
| 4 basic responses to shorline erosion |
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Definition
jetties: extend into ocean at the entrance to rivers and harbors
groins: contsructed at a right angle to the beach to trap sand
breakwaters: protect boats from the force of large breaking waves
seawalls: stops waves from reaching the beach areas behind the wall |
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Term
| what is the most violent storm on earth |
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Definition
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Term
| what is needed for a storm to be considered a hurricane? |
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Definition
wind speed more then 74 mph
rotary cyclonic rotation
profile
form between the latitudes of 5 and 20 degrees |
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Term
emergent coasts develop because of....
2 features |
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Definition
an uplift of an are or a DROP in sea level
-wave-cut cliffs
-wave-cut platforms |
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Term
submergent coasts are caused by...
2 features |
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Definition
land adjacent to the sea or a RISE in sea level
-highly IRREGULAR shores
-estuarires-drowned river mouths |
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Term
| what makes up a spring tide |
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Definition
-occurs during new and full moons
-produce esp high and low tides
-large daily tidal range |
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Term
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Definition
-occur during the first and third quarters of the moon
-gravitional forces of the moon and sun are offset
-daily tidal range is least |
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