Exam #2 Flashcards
(258 cards)
1
Q
What are the 2 main components of weather and climate
A
temperature and precipitation
2
Q
the temperate zone is from ___ degrees to ____ degrees
A
30°N-60°N
3
Q
the torrid zone is from ___ degrees to ____ degrees
A
30°N-30°S
4
Q
the fridgid zone is from ___ degrees to ____ degrees
A
60°N/S-90°S/N
5
Q
the goal of climate classification is ______
A
to make sense of variation
6
Q
Koppen system uses average monthly ____ and _____
A
temperature and precipitation
7
Q
A classification is
A
tropical and equatorial
8
Q
B classification is
A
dry and subtropics
9
Q
C classification is
A
meso-thermal and mid latitudes
10
Q
D classification is
A
micro-thermal and northern hemisphere only and temperature extremes
11
Q
E classification is
A
polar and at the poles
12
Q
H classification is
A
highland and the woulds plateaus, highlands/mountains
13
Q
disadvantages to the koppen system
A
no wind, amount of sunshine, cloud cover, and radiation
14
Q
these are ____ to the Koppen systems: Based on attainable and easy to understand data,
Closely tied to visible landscape/ vegetation,
A lot of overlap between climate and types and vegetation
A
advantages
15
Q
Koppen classification is best on a ______ and ______ maps
A
small scale and hemispherical
16
Q
there is a _____ change between climate types
A
gradual
17
Q
__% of the moisture is locked up in storage (Oceans, lakes, glaciers/ ice, rocks, reservoirs)
A
99
18
Q
water is distributed ____ on our planet, in our planet, and in the atmosphere
A
unevenly
19
Q
the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants
A
evapotranspiration
20
Q
advection
A
horizontal movement of air
21
Q
the hydraulic cycle is a ____ system
A
closed
22
Q
When precipitation hits the earth it can either turn into ____ or ____
A
runoff or groundwater
23
Q
oceans are __% of the earths moisture
A
97%
24
Q
most evaporation that occurs on earth happens _______
A
over the ocean
25
oceans make up over __ of the earths surface
3/4
26
most of the oceans are not explored because
there is too much pressure
27
In the broadest sense there is ___ ocean interrupted by continents and islands
one
28
what are the 4 oceans
Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic
29
what is the chemical composition of seawater
NaCl
30
what is the average salinity (salt content)
35 ppt
31
What factors influence the saltiness
Evaporation leaves salt and
| a lot of rain dilutes the water and decreases salt content
32
the amazon pumps a ton of fresh water into the _____ ocean
Atlantic
33
the red sea is salty because _______
they do not get a lot of precipitation and high evaporation rates
34
the higher the latitude the ____ the ocean water
colder
35
____ currents take water from high to low latitudes on the east side
cold
36
____ currents take water from low to high latitudes on the west side
warm
37
what is all of the solid ice on earth
the cryosphere
38
the distant second biggest reservoir of water is
the cryosphere
39
the ___ portion of ice is most of the cryosphere
land
40
____ and ____ are big parts of the land portion of the cryosphere
Antarctica and Greenland
41
oceanic ice is mostly found in the ____ ocean
arctic
42
all ice is ____ even though it comes from seawater
fresh
43
the fringe of ____ also holds some of the worlds oceanic ice
antarctica
44
what is permafrost
permanently frozen subsoil
45
permafrost is mostly found in ______ and ______
north America and northern Eurasia
46
permafrost is very prevalent in
siberia
47
a lot of the ice is also held in _____ and _____
ice fields and glaciers
48
surface water consists of (5)
lakes, swamps, marshes, rivers, and streams
49
only a fraction of water on earth is _____ water
surface water
50
Body of unevenly distributed water surrounded by land
lakes
51
Upper midwest and northeast US and north Eurasia were covered in ______ which created the basins for the lakes
glaciers
52
only in ______ are lakes due to a fissure and not glaciers
east africa
53
lake ___ is the largest freshwater lake lake due to volume which has more water than all 5 great lakes combined
Baikal
54
swamps and marshes are shallow enough to
create an environment for water tolerable plants
55
swamps have _____
trees
56
marshes have ____
grasses
57
swamps and marshes are often on ________
low lying areas near the coast and by river valleys
58
rivers and streams are likely found in areas with a lot of
runoff and precipitation
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______ streams only exist for part of year
ephemeral
60
what is the mightiest river in terms of discharge
amazon
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the longest river is the
nile
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groundwater is ______
more widely distributed and is everywhere
63
These 4 things aid gradational processes
running water, ice (glaciers), wind, and tectonic activity
64
a ____ is a fast flowing stream
torrent
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the are over 1 million ___ streams
first order
66
the higher the order of a stream the more it ____
drains
67
no stream can erode lower than ____
the base level
68
2 major fluvial processes
running water and erosion
69
murky water means
there are a lot of sediments suspended in it
70
gradient is _____
the slope of a river
71
the gradient strongly effects the _____
velocity
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velocity is low on the
inside of the curve
73
velocity is high on the
outside of the curve
74
what is an oxbow lake
when the curve of a stream gets cut off from the rest of the stream
75
distributaries flow ___ from the stream (opposite of tributaries)
away
76
4 agents of movement
Running water, ice, wind, tectonic activity
77
3 stream types
Braided, Straight, and Meandering
78
A stream that is windy with big S curves that are in areas that are relatively flat with a gradual slope
meandering stream
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Sediments that are suspended in the water will be deposited in the inside of the loop due to
the lower velocity
80
When the rivers have a ton of suspended sediments that they can’t carry any more and the sediments settle to give them many interconnected little streams that are likely in places that were glaciated
braided
81
True of false: there be a braided meandering stream?
true
82
a stream that isn't meandering or braided
straight stream
83
what is a flat and smooth angular rock that fragments have fallen off of
a talus slope
84
beaches need ___ to stay healthy
sediments
85
_____ can occur too often sediments are not deposited on beaches
coastal erosion
86
_____ and ____ affect how streams flow
topography and rock types
87
what are the 7 drainage patterns
Dendritic, Trellis, Radial, Parallel, Rectangular, Annular, Deranged
88
what drainage pattern resembles tree branches and has primary streams with secondaries flowing into them and so on
dendritic
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drainage pattern that resembles vines and secondaries flow into primaries at a right angle
trellis
90
drainage pattern that in areas where there are symmetrical volcanic landforms where the water flows away from the center (Hub to the rim)
outward radial
91
drainage pattern that is in an area that is away from the sea
Elevation of the rim is higher than the hub
Water moves into the center
inward radial
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drainage pattern that is kind of like trellis where all are parallel to each other
parallel
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drainage pattern that referring to disordered/ chaotic streams
Often connect lakes, swamps, and marshes
Found in areas covered in till
deranged
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till is common in places
that were once glaciated (after the glaciers melt the till is left)
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ephemeral streams are found in
arid and desert areas
96
_____ are common in arid/desert areas with ephemeral stream because when it rains its torrential
flash floods
97
in waterfalls a steep gradient with a lot of undercutting, churning, and erosion can cause the
waterfall to collapse
98
when the waterfall collapses the nickpoint
moves upstream (against the current) sometimes miles
99
The science of landforms- Their origin, evolution, form, and spatial distribution
geomorphology
100
The upper surface of bedrock that undergoes continuous weathering, which creates broken up rock
regolith
101
The parent rock from which weathered regolith and soils develop
bedrock
102
Processes either disintegrate rock into mineral particles or dissolve them into water
weathering
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When a rock is broken and disintegrated without any chemical alteration. Also known as mechanical weathering
physical weathering
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The actual decomposition and decay of constituent minerals in a rock due to chemical alteration of those minerals, always in the presence of water
chemical weathering
105
When water freezes, it can expand up to 9%. Such expansion creates a powerful mechanical force in which the ice melts and refreezes and expands and contracts and ends up weathering the rocks over time
frost action
106
In any mass movement, gravity pulls on a mass until the critical shear-failure point is released— a geomorphic threshold
classes of mass movement (falls and avalanches, landslides, flows, and creep)
107
Applies to any unit of movement of a body of material, propelled and controlled by gravity. Mass movement is usually used interchangeably with Mass Wasting
mass movement
108
A volume of rock that falls through the air and hits a surface
rockfall
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A mass of falling and tumbling rock, debris, and soil
debris avalanche
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A sudden rapid movement of a cohesive mass of regolith or bedrock that is not saturated with moisture
landslides
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When the moisture content of moving material is high.
flows
112
A persistent, gradual mass movement of surface soil
creeps
113
All stream related processes
fluvial
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The general term for clay, silt, sand, gravel, and mineral fragments deposited by running water
alluvium
115
When water dislodges, dissolves, or removes surface material
erosion
116
The way sediments in the water are carried in a suspension
transport
117
The way materials are laid down
deposition
118
The area where a stream drains. Every stream has one ranging in size from tiny to vast
drainage basin
119
Several high drainage divides, called ______________, are situated in the US and Canada. These are extensive mountain and highland regions separating drainage basins, sending flows to the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, Hudson Bay, or the Arctic Ocean.
continental divide
120
When streams do not find their way to larger rivers and/or the ocean and water leaves the drainage basin by means of evaporation or subsurface gravitational flow
internal drainage
121
The arrangement of channels in an area
drainage patterns
122
A stream that is sourced in well-watered lands and crosses a desert on its way to the sea. An example is the Nile River
exotic stream
123
The work of flowing water alone
hydraulic action
124
Mechanical erosion that uses rock particles in the water to carve and grind the stream-bed like liquid sandpaper
abrasion
125
Refers to the dissolved load of a stream especially the chemical solution derived from minerals such as limestone or dolomite or from soluble salts
solution
126
Consists of the fine-grained, clastic particles (bits and pieces of rocks). They are held aloft in the stream, with the finest particles not deposited until the stream velocity is nearly zero
suspension
127
(2 word answer) Particles transferred by saltation are too large to remain in suspension but are not limited to the sliding and rolling motion of traction.
saltation and traction
128
Occurs when the load (bed and suspended) exceeds a stream’s capacity and sediments accumulate
aggradation
129
Where there is a sharp change in channel slope, such as a waterfall or lake. they reflect different conditions and processes on the river, often caused by previous erosion due to glaciation or variance.
nickpoint
130
The flat, low lying area flaking many stream channels that is subjected to recurrent flooding
floodplain
131
When flood waters rise, the river overflows its banks, loses streams competence and capacity as it spreads out, and drops a portion of its sediment load to form them
natural leeves
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The level or nearly level depositional plain that forms at the mouth of a river
delta
133
The work of wind- erosion, transportation, and deposition
eolian (aeolian)
134
The removal and lifting of individual loose particles
deflation
135
The grinding of rock surfaces by the “sandblasting” action of particles captured in the air
abrasion
136
Whenever wind encounters loose sediment, deflation may remove enough material to form basins
blowout depression
137
Rocks that have such evidence of eolian erosion
ventifacts
138
an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt
loess
139
Near shore area where sunlight penetrates all the way to the sediment and allows aquatic plants (macrophytes) to grow
littoral zone
140
A longshore current is generated only in the surf zone and works in combination with wave action to transport large amounts of sand, gravel, sediment, and debris along the shore
longshore/ littoral drift
141
_________ tend to be rugged, of high relief, and tectonically active, as expected from their association with the leading edge of drifting lithospheric plates
erosional coast
142
Are generally along land of gentle relief, where sediments from many sources are available. Such as the case with the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the US, which lie along the relatively passive, trailing edge of the North American lithospheric plate
depositional coast
143
What is made when wave action can cut a horizontal bench in the tidal zone, extending from a sea cliff out into the sea
wave-cut platform
144
A deposition landform which consists of material deposited in a long ridge extending out from a coast
barrier split
145
If a split grows to completely cut off the bay from the ocean and form and inland lagoon it becomes a ______
bay barrier (bay-mouth bar)
146
What is formed if deposits completely cut off the bay from the ocean
lagoon
147
Occurs when sediment deposits connect the shoreline with an offshore island or sea stack by accumulating on an underwater wave-built terrace
tombolo
148
Changes in coastal sediment transport can disrupt human activities– beaches are lost, harbors are closed, and coastal highways and beach houses can be inundated by sediment
maintaining beaches
149
Long, narrow, depositional features, generally of sand, that form offshore roughly parallel to the coast
barrier formations
150
A large mass of ice resting on land or floating as an ice shelf in the sea adjacent to land
glacier
151
A glacier in a mountain range
alpine glaciation
152
The lowest elevation where snow can survive year round
snow line
153
A continuous mass of ice
continental glaciation
154
A type of alpine glacier that is literally a river of ice confined within a valley that originally was formed by stream action
valley glacier
155
A scooped out erosional landform at the head of a valley that is just a bowl shaped recess in a mountain snowfield
cirque
156
a glacier that forms in a cirque
cirque glacier
157
When several valley glaciers pour out of their confining valleys and coalesce at the base of a mountain range that then forms and spreads freely over the lowlands
piedmont glacier
158
A glacier that ends in the sea, calving (breaking off) to form floating ice as icebergs
tidal glacier
159
Has traits of both a mineral with a specific chemical makeup and a rock. _______ goes under similar circumstances to igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.
glacial ice
160
Where snowfall and other moisture feed the glaciers upper reaches
accumulation zone
161
The line that indicates where the winter snow and ice accumulation survived the summer melting season
firn line
162
Where the loss of material occurs, either by melting, deflation (wind), calving of ice blocks, or sublimation
ablation zone
163
The zone where accumulation gain balances ablation loss
equilibrium line
164
Occurs during cold periods with adequate precipitation and the mass of the glacier grows
positive net balance
165
Occurs during warmer times when the glacier retreats and grows smaller
negative net balance
166
A combination of processes that include internal plastic deformation and basal sliding
glacial movement
167
sharp-crested ridges separating the heads of opposing valleys (cirques) that formerly were occupied by Alpine glaciers
arete
168
a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier
tarn lake
169
typically formed when the main valley has been widened and deepened by glacial erosion
hanging valley
170
Forms along each side of a glacier
lateral moraine
171
If two lateral moraines join together
medial moraine
172
When eroded debris that is dropped at the glacier’s farthest extent
terminal moraine
173
Forms behind an end moraine; it features unstratified coarse till, has low and rolling relief, and has deranged drainage
till plain
174
Stratified drift featuring stream channels that are meltwater fed, braided, and overloaded with sorted and deposited materials
outwash plain
175
When a block finally melts it leaves behind a steep-sided hole that frequently gets filled with water
kettle lake
176
A deposited till that has been streamlined in the direction of continental ice movement, blunt end upstream and tapered end downstream
drumlin
177
A thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year that occurs when soil or rock temperatures remain below 0℃ for at least two years
permafrost
178
A heaved up, circular, ice-cored mound
pingo
179
natural features along river banks (some can be manmade)
leeves
180
vegetation along the river bank
riparian vegetation
181
we are currently in an ______ period
interglacial period (more ablation and glaciers are losing mass)
182
material pushed up by a glacier
moraine
183
2 zones of alpine glaciers
ablation and accumulation
184
highest mountain in the western hemisphere
Aconcagua (23,000 ft)
185
What glacier is accumulating more ice than its losing (which is rare in an interglacial period)
The Moreno glacier in Argentina
186
peaks on the glaciers with crevices in between due to freezing and thawing
seracs
187
a popular hanging glacier in in
Chile
188
rocks that were left when ice sheets retreat (big rocks/ boulders in the middle of no where)
glacial erratics
189
_____ glaciers are bowl like depressions that are separated by aretes (cleavers)
Cirque
190
A body of water that occupies a valley that was once carved out by a glacier
fjord
191
Fjords are found in (4)
Norway/Scandinavia, Southern Chile, Alaska, South New Zealand
192
Valleys that were created by glaciation are often a _ shape
U
193
what is produced when ice acts on rock like sandpaper does on wood
Rock flour
194
WNY Finger lakes were a result of ______ glaciation
continental
195
what is the highest mountain in the US
Mt Denali
196
Highest mountain in the Alps
Mt Blanc
197
what does a pedologist study
soils
198
soils are important for
food production and regulating and purifying water
199
soils take ___ periods of time to form
long
200
soils are a mixture of (4)
Minerals, organic material, moisture, and gases
201
the ___ of a soil reflects its composition
color
202
Soil found in the tropics and sub tropics is usually ______ color
orangey, reddish brown
203
soil with an orange or red hue means
a lot of iron oxide/ rust
204
dark soil means there's
a lot of organic material
205
light grey/white soil means
a lot of aluminum oxide
206
soil ___ is the size of the particles
texture
207
what are the 3 types of soil texture
clay, silt, sand
208
clay is the ___ texture
finest
209
sand is the most _____ texture
coarse
210
silt is
between sand and clay
211
soil samples can determine the texture by
examining the percentage of the 3 types of soil textures
212
is clay good for plants?
No because it holds too much water
213
is sand good for plants?
No because it doesn't hold enough water
214
the soil texture triangle uses
the soil composition to determine what kind of soil you have
215
what is a relatively balanced soil that is good for the growth of plants
loam
216
cirque glaciers are common in the vicinity of _________
Mt Rainier
217
a terminal moraine holds in the water of
the finger lakes in Chile
218
there is a tarn lake in
Southern Argentina
219
till material that was once locked in a glacier is
not sorted and were deposited when the glacier melted
220
what is produced when ice works on rock like sandpaper does to wood
rock flour
221
WNY finger lakes resulted from
continental glaciation
222
soils are important for
food production and regulating and purifying water
223
a complex mixture of minerals, organic material, moisture and gases
soils
224
what are the 8 properties of soils
color, texture, structure, consistence, porosity, moisture, chemistry and pH (alkalinity and acidity)
225
how do you determine soil texture?
By getting a soil sample that tells you the percentage of each soil particle
226
if you have the percentages of your soil you can find out what kind of soil you have by looking at the
soil texture triangle
227
how the soil particles are arranged
structure
228
smallest soils structure is
a ped
229
_____ of peds show how the soil structure is classified
shape
230
what are the 4 soil structure types
crumb/granular, platy, blocky, and prismatic/columnar
231
the degree to which the soil particles stick together which is a product of texture and structure
consistence
232
size, continuity, orientation, shape of the pores of the soil
porosity
233
type of moisture not available for plant growth
hygroscopic
234
types of moisture that is available for plant growth
capillary and gravitational
235
______ moisture comes from underground and goes up
capillary moisture
236
_______ moisture that comes from above and works its way down
gravitational moisture
237
the composition regarding soil fertility; if a soil has proper nutrients doesn't mean it is fertile
chemistry
238
soil need the right amount of ____ and _________ to have fertile soil; along with proper nutrients because they have a negative electric charge while the nutrients have a positive charge
clay and decomposed organic material
239
most plants have trouble thriving with a pH balance less than (there are some exceptions)
6
240
____ tress do very well in low pH soil
pine
241
What is the order of the idealized soil profile (top to bottom)
O Horizon, A Horizon, E Horizon, B Horizon, C Horizon, R Horizon
242
o horizon is derived from
plant and animal deposits (organic material)
243
material from the O Horizon is taken down to the _ Horizon with the help of earthworms and burrowing animals
A
244
the __ Horizon is just bedrock
R
245
the __ Horizon is mostly regolith (weathered bedrock)
C
246
the _ Horizon has a lot of clay and decomposed organic material
A
247
decomposed organic material is also known as
humus
248
_______ complex has a strong negative charge, has a lot of nutrients, known as the zone of fertility
Clay-Humus complex
249
__ Horizon has a lot of silt and sand, any water moves right through
E
250
__ Horizon: Zone of illuviation and mineral deposits, receives minerals that go through E
B
251
what are the 5 factors that influence soil development
parent material, climate, vegetation, topography, and time
252
where soils develop: either on regolith or on windblown glacial deposits (loess) which is more favorable for fertile soil to develop
parent material
253
a factor that influences soil development whose principle components are temp and precip as well as evaporation, sunshine, etc
climate
254
a factor that influences soil development that is influenced by the amount of organic material and humus, also pH
vegetation
255
a factor that influences soil development: surface relief (flat or steep slopes) if theres a steep slope it will be harder for soil to develop and very flat places sometimes do not have adequate drainage
topography
256
a factor that influences soil development: soils take thousands of years to fully develop. Old ones have a better idealized profile
time
257
human activity has a huge effect on
soils and agriculture
258
where are you likely to find loess
northern China, the Great Plains of North America, central Europe, and parts of Russia and Kazakhstan. The thickest loess deposits are near the Missouri River in the U.S. state of Iowa and along the Yellow River in China
