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Topic 7
Water and Climate
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adiabatic temperature change | A change in temperature without the addition or removal of energy. Adiabatic temperature changes in the atmosphere occur as a result of changes in pressure as air rises and descends. Rising air expands and cools, while descending air is compressed |
| Air temperature | A measurement of the average kinetic energy or the degree of heat in the atmosphere. |
| Capillarity | The upward movement of water that occurs as a result of the adhesive and cohesive forces (surface tension) of water molecules. |
| Climate | The long term characteristic weather of a region. Climates can be classified on the basis of several factors, including: temperature, precipitation, vegetation and P/Ep ratio |
| Cloud base | The base level or bottom of clouds; the elevation at which clouds begin to form. The air temperature equals the dewpoint temperature at the cloud base. |
| Cloud cover | A visual measurement of the amount of sky containing clouds; it is measured by observing the sky and estimating the percentage of area covered with clouds vs. open sky. |
| Condensation | The change in state of matter from a vapor to a liquid. Condensation of water vapor during cloud formation releases large amounts of energy to the atmosphere. |
| Continental Climate | Middle latitude climate found near the interior of land masses. Climates recognized by generally lower P/Ep ratios, a large temperature range, and low precipitation values. |
| Dewpoint temperature | The temperature at which condensation occurs. As the air temperature approaches the dewpoint temperature, the relative humidity increases. |
| Diameter | The distance across a circle that passes through the center of the circle. |
| Distance | The separation in time or space between two points or locations. |
| Elevation | The vertical distance (height) of a surface above an accepted reference point, usually sea level. Elevation generally measures the height of a surface where as altitude indicates the height of an object above a surface. |
| Equator | An imaginary line drawn around the Earth midway between the North and South Poles. The basic reference point for the system An imaginary line drawn around the Earth midway between the North and South Poles. |
| Evaporation | Vaporization. A phase change or change in state of matter from liquid to vapor. |
| Gradient | The slope or rate of change on a graph or field diagram. The closer the isolines on a map, the steeper the gradient. |
| Ground water | Fresh water that is found between particles of soil or cracks in rocks. Water that moves towards and/or becomes part of the zone of saturation. |
| Impermeable material | Rock or soil that inhibits the movement of water or other fluids. Impermeable materials include crystalline rock and soil in which the pore spaces are too small to allow the movement of fluids. |
| Infiltration | The movement of water into the ground. Ground water will generally move downward until it reaches an impermeable layer or the water table. |
| Latitude | The angular distance (in degrees) measured North and South of the equator. The latitude of an observer is equal to the altitude of Polaris. |
| Leeward side | The side of an object or feature, such as a mountain, that is opposite the windward side. Air generally descends the leeward side of a mountain, producing a rain shadow. |
| Longitude | The angular distance, measured in degrees, east and west of the Prime Meridian. |
| Low-pressure system | A cyclone, or a region of the troposphere where air converges and rises, creating a center with lower barometric pressure than the surrounding region. |
| Magnetic orientation | When molten material cools any magnetic minerals, such as magnetite, crystallize and align with the existing magnetic field of the Earth. |
| Maritime Climate | A middle-latitude climate near a coastline. The nearness to a large body of water generally produces a moderate temperature range and high precipitation totals. |
| Pebble | A rock fragment, soil particle, or sediment having a diameter in the range of 0.2 cm to 6.4 cm. A rounded fragment that is larger than a sand grain and smaller than a cobble. |
| Permeability | The ability of rock, sediment, or soil to allow fluids (generally water, oil, or natural gas) to pass through. The rate of flow of a fluid through an earth material. |
| pH | The measurement of the hydrogen ions. The pH scale is used to determine acidity and alkalinity. |
| Planetary winds | The differential heating of the Earth’s surface produces a system of large-scale atmospheric convection. The system of prevailing winds that cross the various latitudes of the Earth’s surface. The mainland United States in located in the Southwesterlies |
| Porosity | The percentage of air space or voids in a rock or soil. |
| Precipitation | Weather phenomena of rain, snow, sleet, and hail. |
| Pressure belts | Bands of pressure that form parallel to the equator as a result of rising or descending air. Low pressure belts at the equator and higher latitudes are associated with humid climates. |
| Prevailing winds | The part of the Planetary Wind system in a region. The direction that the winds usually move across a given location. The prevailing southwesterlies blow across most of the mainland United States. |
| Rain shadow zone desert | An arid region that forms on the leeward side of a mountain barrier. As warm, moist air is forced up the windward side of a mountain, adiabatic cooling results in the |
| Rate | The change of a quantity, such as distance, over a unit period of time. Rate can be calculated by the equation: r= quantity /time |
| Relative humidity | The ratio of the actual amount of water vapor in the air to the capacity of the air to hold moisture at a given temperature. Relative humidity is generally expressed as a percent (%). |
| Runoff | The flow of water across the Earth’s surface. Most runoff is confined to streamflow. |
| Sand | A rock fragment, soil particle, or sediment having a diameter in the range of 1/16mm to 2mm. Sediment or soil particle that is larger than silt and smaller than a pebble. |
| Saturated Soil | Soil in which all of the pore spaces are filled with a liquid, such as water or oil, or a solid such as ice. Saturated soil is impermeable. |
| Sediments | Any solid material that is transported and deposited by an agent of erosion, chemically precipitated from water, or secreted by an organism. |
| Silt | A soil particle or sediment having a diameter in the range of 1/256mm to 1/16mm. An accumulation of particles that are larger than clay and smaller than sand. |
| Soil | The rock fragments, weathering products, and organic matter found above solid bedrock. The regolith. |
| Sorted sediments | Deposits that are generally separated by size, shape, or density. Streams sort sediments horizontally while turbidity currents sort sediments in a vertical direction. |
| Sorting | The separation of sediments on the basis of some natural characteristic, such as size, shape, or density. |
| Specific heat | The amount of heat required to change the temperature of one gram of a substance 1° C without a change in phase. The heat capacity of a material. |
| Surface ocean currents | Movement of the uppermost sections of the oceans. Movement of the ocean waters as a result of the planetary wind system and the Coriolis effect. |
| Surface slope | The gradient or inclination of the existing land or topography. |
| Temperature | A measure of the degree of heat or random motion of the particles in an object or region. |
| Tornado | An intense, rotating column of air with a funnel shape that extends from a cumulonimbus cloud (thunderstorm) to the ground. |
| Transpiration | The loss of water vapor by the leaves of plants. Plants take in liquid water through their roots and lose water vapor through their leaves. |
| Unsaturated soil | Soil in which some the spaces between the particles or grains are occupied air rather than water. |
| Unsorted sediments | A collection or deposit of fragments or particles with a wide range of sizes. |
| Urbanization | Changes in the environment that occur as natural environments are converted to cities, including the removal of natural vegetation to form population centers. |
| Vapor pressure | The portion of atmospheric pressure caused by water vapor. A method of measuring the amount of water vapor in the air. The vapor pressure of the dewpoint temperature measures the actual vapor pressure |
| Volume | The amount of space occupied by an abject. |
| Water cycle | A model of the pattern of movement and phase change of water at and near the Earth’s surface. The model is often constructed to include the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. |
| Water retention | The amount of water that remains on the surfaces of particles. The amount of water required to “wet” a given material or soil sample. |
| Water shed | The total area drained by a river or river system. |
| Water table | The upper surface of the zone of saturation. The interface between the zone of saturated soil and unsaturated soil. |
| Zone of Aeration (soil) | The region above the water table in which the spaces or pore within soil, sediment, or rock contain mostly air and are not saturated with water. Groundwater infiltrates from the surface through the zone of aeration to the WT and zone of saturation |
| Zone of Saturation (soil) | The region in which all open spaces or pores in sediment or rock are filled with water. The upper surface of the zone of saturation is referred to as the water table. |
Created by:
bhowell65
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