Extreme Environment
relatively inaccessible areas that tend to be viewed as inhospitable to human habitation, though they do provide opportunities for settlement and economic activity
The Angle of Incidence
the angle at which light strikes the surface of the Earth
Ferrel Cell’s Wind Circulation
Driven by temperature differences, cool polar air masses, and warm subtropical air masses converge, pushing each other upwards along their meeting line around 60 and 70 degrees north and south.
Adiabatic Cooling
the cooling of an air parcel as it rises adiabatically in the atmosphere
Lapse Rate
the rate at which temperature drops
Slope Aspect
the direction that a slope faces
Solifluction
seasonal freeze-thaw action upon waterlogging topsoils which induces downslope movement
Ice Heaves
sheets of ice that push against each other or the shoreline. They form when ice sheets expand due to rapid temperature fluctuations. Thermal expansion of the ice occurs when a rapid increase follows a period of very cold weather in temperature
Ablation
all methods by which the glacier can lose mass. In this zone, there is a net loss in mass when outputs are greater than inputs
Desertification
the process by which deserts expand into semi-arid areas or become more intense
Cirque
an oval-shaped depression in the side with a steep back wall and a rock lip
Arete
narrow, knifed-edged ridge
Pyramidal Peak
pointed peak with radiating aretes
Glacial Trough
steep-sided u-shaped valley
Hanging Valley
tributary glacier left high above the main valley
Truncated Sur
steep cliff-like valley sides
Rock Steps
stepped long profile in a glacial trough
Ribbon Lake
long narrow lack in glacial trough
Cirque Lake
small, deep, circular lake
Roche Moutonnée
ice-smoothed rocks with steeper side facing down-valley
Striations
rocks scaled with parallel scratches
Freeze-Thaw
the process by which the freezing of water puts pressure on rocks (especially jointed rocks). Only occurs when the temperature fluctuates above and below freezing points are there are cycle of strain and release
Frost Heave
the expansion of fine-grained soils such as silts and clays to form small domes. Results from the direct formation of ice.
Solifluction
Common when surface sediments are poorly drained and saturated with water. Occurs when tyres are above zero and free liquid water is available in the action later
Frost Creep
type of solifluction that occurs because of frost heaving and thawing
Rockfalls
when fragments of rock break away from a cliff face from freeze-thaw weathering
Permafrost
permanently frozen subsurface
Thermokarst
irregular, hummocky terrain with marshy or lake-filled hollows created by the disruption of permafrost's thermal equilibrium
Pingos
dome-shaped isolated killed with interrupted flat tundra plains. Form as a result of movement and freezing of water under pressure
Open-system pingos
forms when the source of water is a distance elevate the source
Closed-system pingos
forms when the supply of water is local and permafrost expands
Salt crystallization
a form of weathering that causes the decomposition of rock by the solution of salt, causing chemical and physical changes in the rock
Disintegration
a form of weathering where the grains of rock become loose and fall out, leaving a pitted surface
Exogenous rivers
rivers that have their source in wetter environments and then flow through a desert
Endorheic Rivers
rivers that drain into an inland lake or sea
Ephemeral rivers
Rivers that flow seasonally or after a storm and tend to have high discharges and sediment levels
Deflation
Progressive removal of fine material by the wind leaving behind larger materials
Dunes
develops when sans Grania, moved by saltation and surface creep, are deposited
Yardangs
extensive ridges of rock. They are separated by troughs, and have an alignment similar to the prevailing winds.
Zeugens
tabular masses of resistant rock separated by trenches where the wind cuts vertically through the cap into the underlying soft rock
Rock petals
formed by exposed isolated rocks in the series when a more resistant layer of sedimentary rocks sits above a softer layer
Oases
fertile spots in the desert where water is found. Formed where natural depressions are deep enough to cut into water table
Wadis
dry river channels that are generally steep-sided and flat-bottomed. May have formed during flash floods or during wetter pluvial periods in the Ice Age when the runoff collected from sheet flood becomes concentrated into deep ravines
Measea
Plateau-like featured with steep-sides
Buttles
a smaller version of mesas, representing the final stage of erosion before the resistance rock is finally eroded
Sustainable Development
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. They should fulfill needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, but are restricted by limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet these present and future needs.
Solar Power
A completely renewable resource that has non-direct pollution during electricity generation and requires little maintenance.
Desalination
The removal of salts and minerals from seawater and soil.
Aquaponics
an integrated form of farming that enables farms to increase yield by growing plants and farming fish in the same closed freshwater system