Dynamic Planet Freshwater - Science Olympiad 2021-2022

fresh water

water that contains very low amounts of salts, such as rivers and lakes

topographic maps

show elevation of land with shape and spacing of contour lines; closer lines mean steeper slopes; flat places have widely spaced lines; series of increasingly smaller closed loops indicates hill or mountain

stream order

a measure of the relative size of streams

drainage patterns

The pattern a drainage network takes when viewed from the air.

dendritic drainage pattern

a stream system that resembles the pattern of a branching tree

trellis drainage pattern

a pattern in which the tributaries join the main stream at right angles

radial drainage pattern

develops where streams flow away from a common high point on cone- or dome-shaped geologic structures, such as volcanoes (opposite is centripetal).

parallel drainage pattern

direction of water flow is where two rivers come together

centripetal drainage pattern

A basin structure in which the streams converge toward the center.

Deranged drainage pattern

no clear pattern, areas covered by continental galcial ice sheet

angular drainage pattern

A drainage pattern in which streams follow a roughly circular or concentric path along a belt of weak rock, resembling in plan a ringlike pattern.

rectangular drainage patterns

Some rocks are fractured in a rectangular fashion and streams develop on the fractures. The drainage pattern developed in this case is called _______ drainage.

tributaries

smaller streams and rivers that flow into a main river

watersheds

river basins drained by a river and flowing into the same large body of water

river channels

a type of landform consisting of the outline of a path of relatively shallow and narrow body of fluid

river mouth

the point where a river enters a lake or sea

river head

a stream's point of origin

bedrock channels

channels in which the streams are actively cutting into solid rock

alluvial channels

a river flows down a steep slope into a flat valley

braided channels

a stream consisting of numerous intertwining channels

meandering stream

A river or small stream that curves back and forth across its valley

straight channels

Rare; short; deepest part typically wanders back and forth

channel sinuosity

is the ratio between the length of the channel and the straight-line path length along the valley floor.

weathering

The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.

erosion

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

clastic sediments

physically deposited particles derived from weathered rocks

sediment transportation

streams move sediments acquired from mass wasting, overland flow, and groundwater

dissolved load

The load contains dissolved materials such as sodium and calcium.

suspended load

the fine sediment carried within the body of flowing water

bedload

the sediment carried along the bed (bottom) of the river

river capacity

total amount of sediments a river is capable of transporting

river competence

maximum particle size that a river is capable of transporting at a given point

deposition

Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

alluvium

the sorted material deposited by a stream

Aeolian landforms

Are formed by the chemical and mechanical action of the wind

Dust storms

strong winds that pick up large quantities of dust

fluvial deposits

sediment deposited in a stream channel, along a stream bank, or on a floodplain

Fluvial landforms

landforms shaped by running water

River valley

areas of land that have been eroded by water and are always U or V shaped

Stream flow

water flow in streams.

Stream gaging

measure the stream channel shape, monitor the velocity and the water level

Ground water

underground water that is held in the soil and in previous rocks

zone of aeration

upper soil layers that hold both air and water

zone of saturation (phreatic zone)

zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water

water table

the top of the saturated zone and is completely filled with water

porosity

the volume of open spaces in rock or soil

Permeability

Ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it

aquifers

An underground water reservoir.

karst features

caves, speleothems (stalactites and stalagmites), sinkholes, springs

caverns

a naturally formed underground chamber or series of chambers most commonly produced by solution activity in limestone

sinkholes

a large surface crater caused by the collapse of an underground channel or cavern; often triggered by groundwater withdrawal

springs

A natural source of water formed when water from an aquifer percolates up to the ground surface.

lakes

A body of water that is surrounded by land it can be fresh water or salt water.

speleothems

Collective term for the dripstone features found in caverns (Cave formations)

Fluvial lakes

lakes formed by rivers (oxbow lakes)

Solution lakes

formed by the dissolution of limestone deposits

Landslide lakes

Large landslides can block rivers and create lakes in the mountains

Aeolian lakes

lakes formed by wind

organic lakes

These lakes are caused by the activities of living organisms

Anthropogenic lakes

man-made lakes

Meteorite lakes

impact lakes

lake stratification

Lack of mixing of a lake due to differences in water temperature (density)

waves

Waves produced by the energy of moving water

wetlands

water-saturated land area that supports aquatic plants

swamps

wetlands with trees

marshes

a wetland typically covered with grasses

bogs

low swampy lands

fens

An area of waterlogged soil that tends to be peaty; fed mainly by upwelling water; low productivity.

hydrologic cycle

the movement of water through the biosphere

pollution

Release of harmful materials into the environment

air pollution

the contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources

water pollution

the addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water

land pollution

The contamination of land by both solid and hazardous waste

soil pollution

pollutants being added to soil by agricultural runoffs, unclean technology, waste disposal

noise pollution

Type of pollution characterized by unwanted or potentially damaging sound.

light pollution

brightening of the night sky caused by street lights and other man-made sources, which has a disruptive effect on natural cycles and inhibits the observation of stars and planets.

radioactive pollution

radioactive waste and nuclear accidents

thermal pollution

a temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life

critical zone

heterogeneous, near surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine the availability of life-sustaining resources

Darcy's Law

A mathematical equation stating that a volume of water, passing through a specified area of material at a given time, depends on the material's permeability and hydraulic gradient.

ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler)

is a hydroacoustic current meter similar to a sonar, used to measure water current velocities over a depth range using the Doppler effect of sound waves scattered back from particles within the water column.

ADV (Acoustic Doppler velocimetry)

Is a velocity measurement technique that allows for the measurement of 3D flow velocities by using the Doppler shift principle. _____ operates by emitting short acoustic pulses along a transmitter beam, the central transducer.

Stages of river development

youthful, mature, old

Waterfalls

Occur where a river meets an area of rock that erodes slowly

stream capture

process by which a stream in one watershed is captured by a stream in an adjacent watershed

knickpoints

channel irregularities such as rapids and waterfalls

deltas

deposits of sand and soil at the mouth of a river form

Hjulstrom Diagram

graph used to show if sediments will deposit, transport, or erode sediment

Estuary

A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

oxbow lake

A meander cut off from a river.

stream load

The materials other than the water that are carried by a stream

wells

Holes dug or drilled deep into the ground to reach a reservoir of groundwater

artesian well

A well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifer

water table well

well that extends into the zone of saturation in an unconfined aquifer

Evapotranspiration

The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration

Permafrost

permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground

Pingo

a dome-shaped mound consisting of a layer of soil over a large core of ice, occurring in permafrost areas.