Geography

River

A stream of continous water

Floodplain

The area subject to flooding during a given number of years according to historical trends.

valley

an area of low land between hills or mountains

precipitation

Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.

weather

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.

climate

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

atmosphere

A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon.

rain gauge

An instrument used to measure precipitation.

thermometer

An instrument used to measure temperature

barometer

An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure

air pressure

The measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface

humid

having a large amount of water or moisture in the air

anemometer

An instrument used to measure wind speed

wind vane

measures wind direction

cloud cover

the fraction or percent of the total sky at a location that is covered by clouds

oktas

A measure of cloud cover.

flash floods

floods in which a dangerous volume of water builds up in a short time

cyclone

A swirling center of low air pressure

surface runoff

Water flowing off the land into bodies of surface water.

groundwater

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

interception

Water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees or grass

infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

impermeable

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

discharge

An outflow of water from a stream, pipe, groundwater aquifer, or watershed; the opposite of recharge.

contour lines

lines that connect points of equal elevation

equator

0 degrees latitude

latititude

distance of a point on Earth's surface north or south of the equator

longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

Prime Meridian

0 degrees longitude

map scale

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface.

string and scale method

using a string to measure from wonky paths. when finished, measure length of rope and use the scale

Continents

Large land masses

Crust

Earth's outermost layer.

mantle

The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core.

core

The central part of the earth below the mantle

outer core

A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth

inner core

A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth

greenhouse gases

Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat near the surface

Tsunamis

A giant wave caused by an earthquake on the ocean floor

plateau

A large area of flat land elevated high above sea level

plate tectonics

A theory stating that the earth's surface is broken into plates that move.

Landslides

The sudden and rapid movement of a large amount of material down a slope

peninsula

A piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.

knots

Measure of the speed of aircraft and boats measured as nautical mile per hour or 6076 feet per hour.

river mouth

the point where a river enters a lake or sea

hail

ice falling from the sky