ERTH2404 Lecture 9: Rivers, Oceans, Coasts and Glaciers

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and definitions from Lecture 9 on Rivers, Oceans, Coasts, and Glaciers.

Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.

Evaporation

The process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor.

Precipitation

Any form of water - liquid or solid - falling from clouds and reaching the ground.

Infiltration

The process through which water enters the soil from the surface.

Runoff

Water that flows over land and is not absorbed into the ground.

Watershed

An area of land that drains into a particular stream or river.

Stream Order

A classification system for streams based on the presence of tributaries.

Tributary

A river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake.

Drainage Basin

The land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks and rivers.

Erosion

The process by which soil and rock are removed from one location and transported to another.

Delta

A landform created by the deposition of sediment carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth.

Turbidites

Sediments deposited by underwater landslides on the continental slope.

Floodplain

An area of low-lying ground adjacent to a river, formed mainly of river sediments and subject to flooding.

Biogenic Coast

Coasts primarily formed through the activity of living organisms, such as coral reefs.

Glacial Erosion

The process of erosion caused by the movement of glaciers.

Till

Unsorted glacial sediment deposited directly by a glacier.

Moraines

Accumulations of debris deposited by glaciers, often forming hills.

Ice Cap

A mass of glacial ice covering less than 50,000 square kilometers of land.

Retreating Glacier

A glacier that is losing more ice than it is gaining.

Permafrost

Ground that remains completely frozen for at least two consecutive years.

Glacier Budget

The balance between snow accumulation and ice melting in a glacier.

Velocity of Stream Flow

The speed at which water flows in a stream or river.

Hydraulic Action

Erosion caused by the force of moving water.

Competence of a River

The maximum size of particles that a river can carry.

Capillary Action

The ability of soil to draw water up through its structure via tiny spaces.

Abrasion

The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind.

Isostatic Rebound

The rise of land masses that were formerly compressed by ice sheets.

Snow Line

The elevation above which snow persists throughout the year.

Sublimation

The process by which ice and snow change directly into water vapor.

Calving

The process where chunks of ice break off from a glacier to form icebergs.

Fetch

The distance that the wind has traveled across open water.

Aquifer

An underground layer of water-bearing rock that can provide water.

Fluvial Processes

Processes associated with rivers and streams, including erosion, transportation, and deposition.