Water: Topics 3/4 Review

salt water

water that contains dissolved salts and other minerals

fresh water

water that contains insignificant amounts of salts, as in rivers and lakes

water cycle

The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back

water quantity

amount of water

water quality

The degree of purity of water, determined by measuring the substances in water besides water molecules.

ice cap

very cold all year with permanent ice and snow

icefield

a large mass of ice between mountains

valley

an area of low land between hills or mountains

glacier

A large mass of moving ice and snow on land

continental glacier

A glacier that covers much of a continent or large island

crevasse

A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier.

icefall

a frozen waterfall made when a glacier flows over a steep cliff

pack ice

a floating layer of sea ice that completely covers an area of the ocean surface

icebergs

huge chunks of floating glacial ice

calve ice

striations

Long parallel scars in rocks carved by rock fragments being dragged across them by a glacier (erosional)

cirques

Bowl-shaped basin high on a mountain

arête

A jagged, narrow ridge that separates two adjacent glacier valleys or cirques.

horn

A pyramid-like peak formed by glacial action in three or more cirques surrounding a mountain summit.

till

The sediments deposited directly by a glacier

moraine

A ridge formed by the till deposited at the edge of a glacier.

outwash

Layered sediment deposited by streams of water that flow from a melting glacier

esker

long ridge of material deposited by a meltwater stream flowing beneath a glacier

meltwater

water formed by melting snow and ice

millwell

a rounded hole in the ice formed by a stream as it melts its way downward through the ice

ice ages

long periods of freezing weather

surface water

Water above the surface of the land, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, floodwater, and runoff.

groundwater

water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers

lake

a large body of water surrounded by land

pond

a small lake

clarity

clearness

wetlands

a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife.

streams

any body of flowing water confined within a channel, regardless of size

rivers

are large, natural streams of fresh water.

watershed

An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water

run-off

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

Continental Divide

mountain ridge that separates river systems flowing toward opposite sides of a continent

headwaters

the source of a stream or river

outflow

The water that flows out of a watershed

erosion

Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away (i.e. weathering, glaciation)

deposition

Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

stream

a channel through which water is continually flowing downhill

flow

movement

permeable

penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through

impermeable

Impassable, not allowing passage through (such as by a liquid)

aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.

water table

The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater

contamination

The introduction of dangerous chemicals, disease, or infectious materials.

point sources

discharge pollutants at specific locations through drain pipes, ditches, or sewer lines into bodies of surface water

non-point sources

Large or dispersed land areas such as crop fields, streets, and lawns that discharge pollutants into the environment over a large area.

flood plain

a flat area that fills with water during flooding events

salinity

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

ocean ridges

long undersea mountain ridges from divergence

ocean trenches

Long, deep, steep troughs in the seafloor where an oceanic plate sinks beneath an overlying plate.

abyssal plains

a smooth, nearly flat region of the deep ocean floor

continental shelf

A gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent

continental slope

a steep incline of the ocean floor leading down from the edge of the continental shelf

ocean waves

Moving ridges of water on the surface of the ocean caused by wind and constantly cause weathering along the shoreline.

swells

Rolling waves that move in a steady procession across the ocean

breaker

Collapsing ocean wave that forms in shallow water and breaks onto the shore

longshore currents

movement of water near & parrallel to shore

tides

the regular rise and fall of the ocean's surface influenced by the moon's gravity pulling on earth

spring tides

tides that have the greastest tidal range due to the alignment of the earth-moon-sun system

neap tides

tides with minimum daily tidal range that occur during the first and third quarters of the moon

tidal range

The difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide

currents

Mass movements of surface water produced by prevailing winds blowing over the oceans.

trade winds

Prevailing winds that blow northeast from 30 degrees north latitude to the equator and that blow southeast from 30 degrees south latitude to the equator

westerly winds

global winds that blow from west to east in the temperate region

thermocline

a layer in a large body of water, such as a lake, that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt.

heat capacity

the number of heat units needed to raise the temperature of a body by one degree. Higher in water than area leads to less extremes in temperature by bodies of water