Term
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Definition
| Water is constantly circulating through the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| Each year land gains 8% of water while oceans lose 8% of water. Replaced by runoff. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plants release water. Cooling mechanism. |
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Term
| Potential Evapotranspiration |
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Definition
| Amount of water that would evaporate/transpire under optimum moisture conditions when there is adequate precipitation and soil moisture supply. Determined by latitude and temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Components of the hydrologic cycle vary greatly from one location to another. |
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Term
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Definition
| An assessment of the hydrologic cycle at a specific site. |
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Definition
| Less precipitation than expected or needed. Demand exceeds supply. |
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Definition
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Definition
| Bit more severe. Not enough moisture for crops. |
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Definition
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Definition
| People don't have enough water to survive. |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to the average weather conditions over a long period of time. Based on temperature, precipitation, etc. Helps to determine global distribution of ecosystems (biomes.) |
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Definition
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Definition
| Dry, far away from moisture sources. |
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Term
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Definition
| Based on forcing factors such as net radiation, thermal regime and air masses. |
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Term
| Empirical Classifications |
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Definition
| Based on actual data such as temperature and precipitation. |
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Term
| Tropical Rain Forest Climates |
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Definition
| Constantly moist, year-round. Huge water surpluses. Lush evergreen broadleaf trees. |
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Term
| Tropical Monsoon Climates |
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Definition
| Similar to Tropical Rainforest, but have a dry season. Along coastal areas. |
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Term
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Definition
| Seasonal reversal of winds. |
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Term
| Tropical Savanna Climates |
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Definition
| North/south of Tropical Rainforests. Distinct wet and dry season of approximately equal length. Greater annual temperature variability. |
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Term
| Humid Subtropical Winter-Dry Climates |
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Definition
| Monsoonal conditions. 10 times more rain in summer than in winter. |
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Term
| Marine West Coast Climates |
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Definition
| mP air masses- cool, moist, unstable. Year-round moisture. Surprisingly mild winters, cool summers. |
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Term
| Mediterranean (Dry-Summer) Climates |
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Definition
| Dry summers, expansion of subtropical high. Winters are wet. Also caused by cold ocean currents. |
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Term
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Definition
| In middle- and high-latitudes. Cold, long winters. Hot-to-cool summers, going south-to-north. Year-round moisture. |
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Term
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Definition
| Great temperature seasonally. Year-round (low) moisture. |
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Term
| Subarctic Very Cold Winter |
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Definition
| Extremely cold winters, mild summers. Extreme temperature seasonally. |
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Term
| Polar and Highland Climates |
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Definition
| No true summer. Too cold for trees. Extremely low moisture. |
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Term
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Definition
| Summer barely above freezing. 8-10 months of snow-covered ground. Low-growing vegetation when snow melts. Extensive permafrost. |
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Term
| Dry, Arid and Semiarid Climates |
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Definition
| Most extensive climate region on the planet. Caused by subtropical highs, stabilizing ocean currents, rain shadow effects and great distance to water. |
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Term
| Hot Low-Latitude Steppe Climates |
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Definition
| Found in tropics and subtropics. Surround hot tropics. |
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Term
| General Circulation Models |
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Definition
| Useful tools for projecting the response of Earth systems to humans and natural influences. |
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Term
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Definition
| Area where the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere function together to form the environment in which life exists. Contains all plant and animal life. |
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Term
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Definition
| Study of the distribution of plants and animals. Geographic relationships between organisms and their environments. Closely related to ecology. |
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Term
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Definition
| Relationships of organisms and their environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Very specific climactic requirements including summer advection fog. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tolerates a range of temperature and moisture conditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Feeds on a variety of food sources. |
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Term
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Definition
| Only feeds on one type of snail. |
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Term
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Definition
| All organisms are locked in a life and death struggle for resources. Resources mean energy, growth and reproduction. |
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Definition
| Herbivores (feed on producers.) |
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Definition
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Break down organic matter- release nutrients. |
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Term
| Average Annual Precipitation |
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Definition
| High precipitation= high plant productivity= biomass production. |
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Term
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Definition
| A large terrestrial ecosystem characterized by specific plant and animal communities; named based on the dominant vegetation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Organisms evolve adaptions in order to exploit a particular set of environmental conditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| A self-sustaining association of plants and animals and their physical environmental. |
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Term
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Definition
| Constantly changing in response to environmental conditions and disturbances. |
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Term
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Definition
| Older, simple communities are replaced by newer, more complex communities. |
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Term
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Definition
| Competition for sunlight. |
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Term
| Primary Terrestrial Succession |
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Definition
| Beginning of a new ecosystem. |
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Term
| Secondary Terrestrial Succession |
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Definition
| Starts from remains of previous community in disturbed area, where soil remains intact. |
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Term
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Definition
| Competition for nutrients. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Molten iron. Magnetic field. Protects from solar wind/cosmic radiation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Caused by fluid outer core. Polarity changes over time. Helps establish "relative" time. |
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Term
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Definition
| 80% of Earth's volume. Probably contains lots of water. Contains "hot spots." |
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Term
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Definition
| Crust and uppermost mantle. |
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Term
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Definition
| Crust is in a constant stage of change. Being formed by endogenic (internal) processes. Worn down by exogenic (external) processes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Inorganic, non-living, natural compound. Has chemical formula and crystalline structure. |
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Term
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Definition
| Assemblage of minerals, or a mass of a single mineral or solid organic material. |
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Term
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Definition
| Solidifies from cooling magma or lava. Products of the "crystallization" of magma and lava. |
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Term
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Definition
| Slower cooling, larger crystals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Faster cooling, smaller crystals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sediments worn from other rocks. |
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Term
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Definition
| Acted upon by cementation, competition, and hardening of sediments. |
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Term
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Definition
| Changing the chemistry, mineralology. Harder and more resistant to erosion. |
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Term
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Definition
| Changes in the configuration of the Earth's crust due to internal forces. |
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Term
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Definition
| Earth 200 million years ago. |
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Term
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Definition
| Re-melts and is recycled as magma. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plates move apart and new oceanic crust forms. |
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Term
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Definition
| Continental and oceanic crusts collide. Produces subduction zones, mountains volcanoes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plates slide past one another. |
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Term
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Definition
| Upwelling material from the mantle. Occur beneath both continental and oceanic crust. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bending of rock strata that are subjected to compressional forces. |
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Term
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Definition
| Occurs when rocks on either side of a fracture (break) are displaced relative to the other side. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| How the rocks respond to stress. |
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Term
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Definition
| What happens at the surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tension -> stretching -> thinning. |
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Term
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Definition
| Compression -> shortening -> folding. |
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Term
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Definition
| Shear -> shearing -> bending. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sub-surface area along a fault plane where motion is initiated. |
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Term
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Definition
| Area at the surface directly above the focus. |
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Term
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Definition
| Shocks that occur after (before) the main shock. |
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Term
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Definition
| Modified version of Richter scale. Based on amount of fault slippage, size of area, type of ruptured materials. |
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Term
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Definition
| Lots of lava, little pyroclastics. Low viscosity. Formed by effusive erruptions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Also "stratovolcano." Steep (cone like.) High viscosity. Little lava, lots of pyroclastics. Formed by explosive eruptions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Science of landforms. Their orgin, evolution, form and spatial distribution. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any proces that wears away or rearranges landforms. |
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Term
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Definition
| Disintegrates surface and subsurface rock into mineral particles or dissolves them in water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Freezing expands water by 9%. |
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Term
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Definition
| Moisture that evaporates on a rock surface. Arid climates. |
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Term
| Pressure-Release Jointing |
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Definition
| Layers of rock are exfoliated (sheeting) from the underlying intrusive igneous rocks. Produces dome-shaped features. |
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Term
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Definition
| Decomposition or chemical change of minerals in rock. Dominant weathering type in warm, moist climates. Minerals combine with oxygen or carbon dioxide, or dissolve in water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mineral is combined with water (water becomes part of the mineral.) |
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Term
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Definition
| When minerals chemically react with water. Formation of new materials. Weakens rock, causes granular disintegration. |
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Term
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Definition
| A universal solvent, capable of dissolving at least 57 elements. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any movement of material (soil, regolith, rock) that is driven by gravity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Steepest slope angle where there is a balance between driving forces and resistng forces. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gravity pulls on a mass until the critical shear-failure point is reached. |
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Term
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Definition
| Slowest and least perceptible. Persistent, downhill movement of soil and regolith. |
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Term
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Definition
| "Soil flowage." Wetter type of creep. Low velocity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sudden rapid movement of a cohesive mass of regolith or bedrock that is not saturated with moisture. Medium velocity and moisture. Material failing simultaneously. Sometimes triggered by earthquakes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Addition of water causes instability. Generally occur in humid climates. |
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Term
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Definition
| Volume of rock that falls through the air and hits a surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| Human-induced mass movements. |
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