APES

watersheds

all of the land that drains into a specific body of water

sediment

solid material that settles at the bottom of a liquid or is carried or deposited by water, wind or ice

albedo

the measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects back into space

erosion

the natural geological process in which earthen materials like rock, soil, and sediment are worn away and transported from one location to another by natural forces

rain shadow

a dry area on the leeward (downward-wind) side of a mountain range that receives significantly less precipitation than the windward side

alluvial

material that has been transported by water

eluvial

eroded material close to parent material

three types of rocks

igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamoprhic rocks

graize size

degree of weathering and parent material

mineral content

depends on parent material

tributaries

small streams that flow into the river

drainage divide

the high points that stop water flow - mountain

precipitation

water in any form from the sky

infiltration

The process by which water on the ground surface soaks into the soil.

run off

water flowing on the ground / surface

slope

the angle of the watershed from headwater to store

dead zone

an area with no oxygen caused by eutrophication / stratification

eutrophication

adding too many nutrients causing algal bloom and mass die off

insolation

the amount of solar radiation hitting a point

axis

imagenary line that the earth spins around - tilted at 23.5 degree

rotation

one of the eath around its axis, it takes 24 hours and we see day and night

orbit

one complete revolution around the sun - it takes 365.25 days and we see seasons