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Physical Geography > ELSS key terms > Flashcards

ELSS key terms Flashcards

(85 cards)

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1
Q

Interconnected

A

Different parts being connected or joined

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2
Q

Atmosphere

A

The envelope of gases surrounding the earth

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3
Q

Hydrosphere

A

The layer of water at or near the Earths surface, including oceans, lakes, rivers, ice and groundwater

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4
Q

Geosphere

A

Any of the almost concentric regions of the earth and its atmosphere, especially the lithosphere

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5
Q

Biosphere

A

The worldwide sum of all ecosystems

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6
Q

Cryosphere

A

The portion of the Earths surface where water is in solid form

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7
Q

System

A

A set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network

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8
Q

Open system

A

A system where both energy and materials can be transferred e.g a drainage basin

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9
Q

Closed system

A

A system where only energy can be transferred and not material
e.g The global water/hydro-logical cycle

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10
Q

Isolated system

A

A system where no energy or material is transferred e.g The only example is the Universe

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11
Q

Inputs

A

Matter or energy moving into a system from the outside

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12
Q

Outputs

A

Matter or energy leaving a system

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13
Q

Store

A

Different components of a system that hold or store different elements e.g In the water cycle this could be stationary water

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14
Q

Transfer, flux

A

Movements or transfers of different elements

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15
Q

Global Water cycle

A

The circulation of water around the Earth

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16
Q

Drainage basin system

A

An area where all the water from precipitation flows into a single river or outlet

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17
Q

Drainage basin

A

An area of land around the river that is drained by the river and its tributaries

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18
Q

Source

A

A source is the place where a river begins

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19
Q

Tributary

A

A freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream or river

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20
Q

Confluence

A

Where two or more flowing bodies of water join together to form a single channel

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21
Q

Mouth

A

The place where a river enters a lake, large river, or the ocean

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22
Q

Watershed

A

An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas

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23
Q

Precipitation

A

Any form of moisture which falls to the Earth,including rain, snow, hail and sleet

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24
Q

Condensation

A

The process where water vapour becomes liquid

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25
Surface Run-off
The unconfined flow of water over the ground surface
26
Evapotranspiration
The process where water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants
27
Saturated overland flow/surface run-off
When rain falls on already saturated soil and has no other option than to run off
28
Photosynthesis
A process used by land plants and marine phytoplankton to convert light energy into chemical energy
29
Infiltration
The process by which precipitation or water soaks into subsurface soils and moves into rocks through cracks and pore
30
Percolation
The downward movement of water through soil layers due to gravity and capillary forces
31
Through-flow
The movement diagonally downwards of water through the soil
32
Base flow/Ground water flow
The very slow transfer of percolated water through permeable or porous rocks
33
Water table
An underground boundary between the soil surface and the area where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in rock
34
Aquifer
A body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater
35
River run-off
The water in a rivers channel, can be referred to as stream-flow, channel run-off, or river run-off
36
Snowmelt
Surface runoff produced from melting snow
37
Interception
Precipitation that does not reach the soil, but is instead intercepted by the leaves, branches of plants and the forest floor
38
Through-fall
The portion that reaches the soil or litter by falling through spaces in the canopy or by leaf drip
39
Stemflow
The flow of intercepted water down the trunk or stem of a plant
40
Lag time
The time taken between peak rainfall and peak discharge
41
Peak discharge
The point on a hydrograph when river discharge is at its greatest
42
Stormflow duration
The time between peak discharge and peak rainfall
43
Hydrograph
A graph that shows the discharge versus time past a specific point in a river, channel, or conduit carrying flow
44
River regime
The seasonal patterns of a rivers flow and water levels over the course of a year
45
Soil moisture surplus
When precipitation exceeds potential evapotranspiration and the soil has reached its field capacity
46
Soil moisture utilisation
When water is withdrawn from soil moisture storage, occurs when evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation
47
Soil moisture recharge
Where water is added to soil moisture storage, when precipitation exceeds potential evapotranspiration
48
Soil moisture deficit
Where potential evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation, so the demand for water goes above what is available
49
Troposphere
The lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth
50
Dew point temperature
The critical temperature at which condensation occurs
51
ELR
Environmental lapse rate, which is the rate at which the air temperature changes with height through the atmosphere
52
DALR
The dry adiabatic lapse rate, which is the temperature gradient experienced in an ascending or descending pack of air that is not saturated
53
SALR
The saturated adiabatic lapse rate, which is the temperature gradient experienced by an ascending or descending packet of air that is saturated with water vapour
54
Sublimation
The process by which a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas without passing through the liquid phase
55
Orographic rainfall
Precipitation produced as moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range
56
Convectional rainfall
When the suns energy heats the surface of the Earth, causing water to evaporate to form water vapour
57
Frontal rainfall / cyclonic rainfall
When warm air is forced to rise over cold air
58
Stratiform cloud / layer clouds
Cloud formations that are not vertically developed
59
Cumuliform cloud
Clouds with vertical development, most common type of cloud
60
Cirrus cloud
Thin, wispy clouds which form at high altitudes, typically above 20,000 feet
61
Global carbon cycle
The process where carbon compounds are interchanged among the biosphere, geosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere of the Earth
62
Diffusion
The spreading of something more widely
63
Carbonation
When rainwater hits rock causing it to wear away
64
Respiration
The process which living organisms intake oxygen and glucose to produce energy and carbon dioxide
65
Lithification
When sediments compact under pressure and gradually become rock
66
Decomposition
The process of which organic matter is broken down
67
Subduction
The movement of one plate below another
68
Fast carbon cycle
A molecule of carbon takes minutes or a maximum of a few thousand years to complete a full cycle e.g trees
69
Slow carbon cycle
A molecule of carbon takes millions of years to complete a full cycle
70
Biological carbon pump
The biologically driven sequestration of carbon
71
Physical carbon pump
The physio-chemical processes where by carbon is transported from the ocean surface to its deeper depths
72
Positive feedback
Feedback loops which amplify the initial change and lead to a repetition of the cycle
73
Negative feedback
Feedback which will discourage change in the cycle
74
Fossil fuels
Fuels found in the Earths crust which contain carbon and hydrogen. Coal, oil and natural gas
75
Aquifer
A body of porous rock or sediment, saturated with groundwater
76
Carbon sequestration
Capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide
77
Carbon source
Processes which release carbon into the atmosphere
78
Carbon sink
A natural environment which has the ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide
79
Life support system
A life support system is a system that furthers life in the biosphere in a sustainable way, these systems encompass natural systems as well as social systems
80
Earths life support systems
A system of natural processes that sustaining enables life to continue to be present on Earth
81
River discharge
The volume of water passing a given point in a given time, usually measured in cubic metres per second or CUMECS
82
Latent heat
The energy absorbed or released when something is changing state of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
83
Nutrient cycle
The way that valuable minerals like nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium through the ecosystem via a series of processes
84
Absolute humidity
The mass of water vapour in a given volume of air
85
Relative humidity
The mass of water vapour in a given volume of air as a ratio of the mass needed to saturate it

Physical Geography (2 decks)

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