click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Cat Ev, TX Eco, Wate
7.8ABC Catastrophic Events, TX Ecoregions, & Watersheds
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Catastrophic Events | Extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes, & tornadoes; classified by the extent & intensity of their impact on the ecosystem. |
Ecosystem | System consisting of all the interactions that occur between the abiotic & biotic factors within an environment. |
Flood | Rising body of water that submerges normally dry land. |
Hurricane | Large, tropical weather system in the northeastern Pacific or northern Atlantic Oceans consisting of an extreme low-pressure air mass with heavy rains & wind speeds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph). |
Tornado | Violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground with wind speeds from 40 to 318 mph. |
Haboob | Large-scale dust storm. |
Wildfire | Large fire that spreads quickly over a natural area. |
Tsunami | Giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor. |
Drought | Long period of dry weather. |
Earthquake | Shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth's surface. |
Volcano | Vent in the surface of Earth that emits ash, gases, &/or molten lava. |
Avalanche | Slide of large masses of snow, ice, & mud down a mountain. |
Landslide | Sudden movement of rock & soil down a slope. |
Sinkhole | A hole formed when limestone is dissolved, causing the land above to collapse. |
ECOREGION | Relatively large area characterized by distinctive plant & animal communities, climate, & ecological features. |
TOPOGRAPHY | Description of land surface area with reference to elevation variations. |
WEATHERING | Mechanical or chemical processes that break rock into smaller pieces. |
SEDIMENT | Earth material broken down by processes of weathering; can be eroded & deposited by agents of water, wind, ice, & gravity. |
EROSION | Process by which water, ice, wind, & gravity remove & transport sediment from 1 place to another. |
DEPOSITION | Process by which gravity, water, wind, & ice deposit weathered & relocated sediment. |
CANYON | Deep gorge in the Earth, typically 1 with a river flowing through it. |
SAND DUNE | Hill of sand near an ocean or in a desert formed by the wind. |
RIVER DELTA | Landform made of sediment deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake. |
GLACIER | Large mass of moving ice and snow on land. |
VALLEY | Area of low land between hills or mountains. |
ICE WEDGING | Process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks then freezes & expands. |
HOODOO | Column of weathered rock with a capstone on the top. |
PLAINS | Large area of flat land with few trees. |
LANDFORM | Natural features of the earth's surface. |
WATERSHED | Area of land where surface water & groundwater drain into a particular body of water separated from each other by drainage divides. |
DRAINAGE DIVIDE | Geographical barrier, such as a ridge, hill, or mountain, separating 1 watershed land area from another. |
SURFACE WATER | Water from precipitation that drains into a gully that flows into a stream, which then flows into a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, or ocean. |
GROUNDWATER | Water that collects in cracks & pores in underground soil & rock layers. |
WATER TABLE | Top of the saturation zone, below which water fills all open spaces between the rock. |
SATURATION ZONE | Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water. |
AQUIFER | Layer of permeable rock that allows water to flow through. |
PERMEABLE ROCK | Allows water movement to flow through the material; opposite of impermeable. |
SUBSIDENCE | Sunken land surface due to underlying compression of earth material as a result of the removal of groundwater. |
POINT SOURCE WATER POLLUTION | Single identifiable & localized source of water pollution, such as waste-water discharge into a stream. |
NON-POINT SOURCE WATER POLLUTION | Pollutants introduced into surface or groundwater that are without a specific location source, such as water flowing over a lawn that has been fertilized & then into a drain. |
PERCOLATION/INFILTRATION | Downward movement of water through soil & rock due to gravity. |
IMPERMEABLE ROCK | Rock that does not allow liquid to flow through it. |
NATURAL DISASTER | Great destruction or loss of life caused by natural forces rather than by human actions. |
MAN-MADE DISASTER | Widespread damage or loss of life brought about by the action of humans. |
RECHARGE ZONE | An area in which water travels downward to become part of an aquifer. |
DISCHARGE ZONE | Area where groundwater flows back up to the surface of Earth. |
WATER WELL | A well made by digging or drilling into the zone of saturation. |
WASTE TREATMENT PLANT | Facility used to purify contaminated water sources. |