Term
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Definition
weight of water vapor/ volume of air
Difficult to use with vertically moving air mass because of combined changes in pressure, volume and temperature
good for measuring humidity in one location over time |
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Term
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Definition
orms when warm moist air flows over cold surface such as snow or
cold ocean current
- Common when have sea or land breezes (coastal fog) |
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Term
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Definition
| middle clouds indicating weather change |
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Term
| Ice Crystal Formation - Bergeron Process |
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Definition
| the upper part of the cloud is above the freezing temperature |
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Term
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Definition
| apparent outward “force” away from the center about which an object revolves |
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Term
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Definition
lock of hair
Thin and wispy clouds composed of ice crystals |
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Term
| collision and coalescence |
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Definition
| Main way precipitation forms in tropics and also important in mid-latitudes in summer |
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Term
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Definition
| Intermediate between absolute stability and instability |
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Term
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Definition
| conical depression in the water table that forms around a well as water is removed from the ground at a rate faster than it can flow through the pore spaces |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| mass or pile- pure form cloud |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Temperature at which air reaches saturation value for the amount of moisture in the air |
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Term
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Definition
last stage of thenderstorm
Downdraft dominates
Precipitation becomes light and ends
Turbulence clears |
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Term
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Definition
one high and one low tide each 24 hours; Gulf of
Mexico coast |
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Term
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Definition
| highlands that separate drainage basins by determining direction in which water will flow. |
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Term
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Definition
all of the area potentially drained by a river and its
tributaries |
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Term
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Definition
| rainfall that has long duration, but small drop size |
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Term
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Definition
| rate at which under-saturated air cools as rises |
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Term
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Definition
| first stage of a thunderstorm. clouds grow vertically |
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Term
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Definition
| Long, but weak, migratory low-pressure systems |
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Term
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Definition
decreasing sea level caused by an area moving into a tidal
depression |
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Term
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Definition
one whose basin is below the level of the water table
and so water seeps from the ground into the lake |
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Term
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Definition
one that is dry most of the time
- only has water immediately after rainfall and snowmelt |
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Term
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Definition
- Water vapor is added to air already nearly saturated
- where cold air flows across warm water
- more common with land breezes |
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Term
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Definition
in days before air-conditioning wet sheets hung in windows cause
evaporative cooling of air as it flowed into room |
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Term
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Definition
| combined effects of evaporation and transpiration |
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Term
| extratropical anticyclone |
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Definition
An extensive, migratory high-pressure cell of midlatitudes
Larger than extratropical cyclones |
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Term
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Definition
ominate weather patterns in the mid-latitudes and responsible for most weather and precipitation there
- Consist of large, migratory, low-pressure systems called depressions, lows or
wave cyclones |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| rising sea level caused by area moving into a tidal bulge |
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Term
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Definition
| Boundary between two air masses is called |
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Term
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Definition
| term for ocean currents that can flow great distances without displaying Coriolis effect |
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Term
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Definition
Mass of ice sufficiently thick that flows outward in a plastic
state at its base because weight of the ice exceeds the internal strength of the ice crystals |
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Term
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Definition
| basic patterns of ocean currents |
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Term
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Definition
Small to large pellets of ice consisting of roughly concentric layers of clear, large icy crystals and cloudy smaller pellets
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Term
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Definition
stores and releases large amount of heat with only a small
change in temperature because of Hydrogen Bond |
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Term
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Definition
| hydrogen bonds hold water molecules in place at the corners of hexagons |
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Term
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Definition
Mountainous regions of the world
Windward (wet) versus leeward (dry) is extremely important
(orographic effect) |
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Term
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Definition
| when dew happens below freezing |
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Term
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Definition
| Slope of the water table; change in elevation over a horizontal distance |
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Term
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Definition
| lake that looses water to the ground |
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Term
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Definition
| lake that periodically dries up, but usually has water |
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Term
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Definition
| lake that periodically dries up, but usually has water |
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Term
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Definition
| line connection points that receive equal amount of precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
| area away from which water flows has a low tide |
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Term
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Definition
| middle stage of a thunderstorm |
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Term
| mild mid-latitude climate |
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Definition
between 30-60o
- greater short term weather variability and distinct seasons - Region where tropical and polar air masses conflict
- Summer - long and hot; winters - short and mild
- Occasional frost restricts growing season
- abundant moisture year-round, but seasonal drought possible |
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Term
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Definition
two high and two low tides of different magnitudes over
a 24 hour period; Pacific Ocean coast |
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Term
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Definition
| minimal tidal range when Earth, Sun and Moon are aligned to form a right angle and tidal bulges overlap at edges |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Produced by adiabatic cooling as humid air is forced up a
topographic slope |
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Term
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Definition
| Topographic barrier that blocks path of air and forces it upslope - If rises high enough, adiabatic cooling may reach dew point and may lead to precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
| begins as thin pancake ice, but snow collects at top and ice thickens below to 1 meter or greater and after one year becomes Pack Ice |
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Term
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Definition
| begins as thin pancake ice, but snow collects at top and ice thickens below to 1 meter or greater and after one year becomes Pack Ice |
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Term
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Definition
| Orbits are elliptical and sometimes the Moon and Sun are closer (perigee) to the Earth |
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Term
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Definition
| permanently frozen subsoil |
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Term
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Definition
| amount (%) of open space in material (pores, cracks, etc.) |
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Term
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Definition
Ground looses heat through radiation
- When air at ground surface cools and dew point reached, fog develops |
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Term
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Definition
| Drops of liquid water warmed above the freezing point that fall from clouds and reach the ground in a liquid state |
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Term
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Definition
| the opposite side of the mountain. where rain does not fall. |
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Term
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Definition
| Where water table intersects ground surface, water flows out as a resurgence |
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Term
| saturated adiabatic lapse rate |
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Definition
rate at which saturated air
cools as rises |
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Term
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Definition
| forms from freezing sea water |
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Term
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Definition
two high and two low tides of relatively same
magnitude over a 24 hour period; Atlantic Ocean coast |
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Term
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Definition
| Temperature sensed by the human body as opposed to actual temperature - the temperature registered by a thermometer |
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Term
| severe mid-latitude climate |
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Definition
Long cold winter
Short warm to hot summer
Only in Northern Hemisphere |
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Term
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Definition
| rainfall that has short duration and large drop size |
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Term
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Definition
US-small rain drops that freeze during descent and reach ground as ice pellets
Everywhere else-mixture of snow rain |
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Term
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Definition
Not significantly altered by change in volume or temperature
more useful for air masses moving vertically |
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Term
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Definition
| maximum tidal range that occurs when the tidal bulges of the Sun and Moon overlap because the Sun, Earth and Moon align in a straight line |
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Term
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Definition
| rainfall that has short duration and small drop size |
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Term
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Definition
| when material is at the level of its own density, such that there is no tendency to rise or sink |
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Term
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Definition
| Air at its own density level and is neither ascending or descending |
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Term
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Definition
| spread out layer. pure form cloud |
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Term
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Definition
| hydrogen bonds hold water molecules in place at Empty the corners of hexagons |
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Term
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Definition
| of water forces it to form spheres, but shape makes it difficult for additional water to enter droplet and easy for water molecules to leave |
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Term
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Definition
| Sun, Earth and Moon align in a straight line |
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Term
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Definition
| Local, short violent convective storm accompanied by thunder and lightening |
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Term
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Definition
| emporary local change in sea level caused by a redistribution of ocean water |
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Term
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Definition
| locally, most destructive of all atmospheric disturbances |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| air can still hold more water vapor |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| less dense air lies below more dense air |
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Term
|
Definition
when water molecules are not in hexagons and
either move about freely or clustered around ions |
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Term
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Definition
| surface water blown away from a landmass pulls deep nutrient water up toward the surface |
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Term
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Definition
| Effect of water vapor in the air on evaporation and precipitation |
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Term
|
Definition
refers to that part of the lunar orbit as less of
the lunar disk is illuminated each night |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to that part of the lunar orbit as more of the lunar disk is illuminated each night |
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Term
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Definition
| excavation into ground to recover fluid |
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Term
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Definition
Swamps and Marshes
Flat land, partially submerged in water, but shallow enough to permit rooted, water-tolerant plants to survive |
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