Ersc 2p61 final terms Flashcards
hydrosphere
all the water on Earth, including water on the surface, underground, and in the air
Hydrological cycle
the continuous movement of water between the Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and underground
Watershed
a land area that drains water to a common body of water, like a river or lake
Stream
a body of water that flows down a slope in a channel
Discharge
the amount of water that passes through a river or stream in a given amount of time
Perennial stream
a stream that has flowing water all year, except during prolonged droughts.
Ephemeral stream
a stream that only flows after it rains, and for a short time after
Hydrograph
a graph that shows how the amount of water in a river or stream changes over time
Lag time
the time between the peak of rainfall and the peak of discharge in a river
Rising/falling limb
shows the increase in discharge on a hydrograph. Falling limb - shows the return of discharge to normal/base flow on a hydrograph
Sediment load
the amount of sediment that is carried by a body of water over a specific period of time
Saltation
the bouncing of sand grains as they are picked up, carried along, and dropped repeatedly by flowing water
Suspended load
the portion of a river’s sediment that is carried in the water column, rather than on the river bed
Dissolved load
the part of a river’s sediment load that is carried in the water as dissolved ions and minerals
Floodplain
a flat area of land next to a river or stream that floods when there is a lot of water
Mass wasting/movement
the movement of soil, rock, and debris down a slope due to gravity
Failure surface
the surface along which a slope fails or slides
Angle of Repose
the steepest angle of descent or dip relative to the horizontal plane on which the material can be piled without slumping
Shear stress
a force that causes deformation of the Earth’s materials, such as rocks and slopes, by causing them to slip or slide
Shear strength
the maximum amount of shear stress that soil can withstand before it deforms or fails
Mechanical & chemical weathering
mechanical weathering: the physical breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces
chemical weathering: the chemical breakdown of minerals within rocks.
Buffering capacity
the ability of a medium, like soil or water, to resist changes in pH
Porosity
the percentage of empty space in a material, such as soil or rock
Permeability
a measure of how easily a material, like soil or rock, allows fluids to pass through it
Water table
the boundary between the saturated and unsaturated zones of groundwater
Aquifer (confined & unconfined
confined aquifers: are underground aquifers that are under pressure
unconfined aquifers: are aquifers that are in direct contact with the surface
Aquitard
Poorly permeable underground layer that limits the flow of groundwater from one aquifer to another
Potentiometric surface
A hypothetical surface representing the level to which groundwater would rise if not trapped in a confined aquifer
Acid mine drainage
acidic water that contains heavy metals and is caused by mining activities
Biomonitoring
the measurement of the body burden of toxic chemical compounds, elements, or their metabolites, in biological substances.
Coal
a sedimentary deposit composed predominantly of carbon that is readily combustible
Earthquake intensity
a measure of how much shaking occurs at a specific location during an earthquake
Earthquake magnitude
a measure of earthquake size and remains unchanged with distance from the earthquake
Evaporites
layered crystalline sedimentary rocks that form from brines generated in areas where the amount of water lost by evaporation exceeds the total amount of water from rainfall and influx via rivers and streams.
Fracking
a drilling method used to extract petroleum (oil) or natural gas from deep in the planet
Focus (earthquake)
the place inside Earth’s crust where an earthquake originates
Hazardous waste
waste that can be harmful to human health or the environment if it’s not managed properly
Lahar
a hot or cold mixture of water and rock fragments that flow quickly down the slopes of a volcano
Leachate
the solution (or suspension) that forms when liquid travels through a solid and removes some components of that solid with it
Liquefaction
a process that occurs when loosely packed, water-logged sediments at or near the ground surface lose their strength in response to strong ground shaking
Mineral reserve
the economically viable portion of a mineral resource that can be extracted
Petroleum (crude oil)
a naturally occurring, non-renewable fossil fuel that’s found in liquid, gaseous, or solid form underground
Potash
a variety of mined and manufactured salts, all containing the element potassium in water-soluble form
Pyroclastic flow
a hot (typically >800 °C, or >1,500 °F ), chaotic mixture of rock fragments, gas, and ash that travels rapidly (tens of meters per second) away from a volcanic vent or collapsing flow front
Radon
a radioactive gas that forms naturally when uranium, thorium, or radium, which are radioactive metals break down in rocks, soil and groundwater
Radioactive waste
any material that contains a radioactive substance and has no further use
Resource
a physical material that humans need and value such as land, air, and water
Sanitary landfill
a designed area for disposing of solid waste in a way that protects the environment by spreading the waste in thin layers, compacting it to the smallest practical volume and covering it with compacted soil by the end of each working day or at more frequent intervals if necessary
Seismic waves
vibrations that travel through the Earth, caused by sudden movements of the Earth’s materials
Sequential land use
the progression of different land use types over time in a particular area
Sulfides
chemical compounds that occur naturally in Earth’s crust as minerals
Tailings
waste materials left after the target mineral is extracted from ore
Tsunami
giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea that cause a sudden displacement of ocean water
Uranium
a heavy, radioactive metal that is found in the Earth’s crust, seawater, and rocks. is also used as an energy source
Volcanic Explosivity Index
a scale that describes the size of explosive volcanic eruptions based on magnitude and intensity
smog
Polluted air made from smoke and fog, often caused by cars and factories.
ozone
A gas in the upper atmosphere that protects us from UV rays, but harmful near the ground.
CFCs
stands for chlorofluorocarbons. Human-made chemicals once used in sprays and coolants that break down the ozone layer.
Ozone hole
A thinning area in the ozone layer, mainly over Antarctica, caused by CFCs.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs)
Gases like CO₂ and methane that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Greenhouse Effect
The warming of Earth’s surface because greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun
Thermal inversion
When warm air traps cooler air near the ground, keeping pollution from escaping
Buffering capacity
A material or system’s ability to resist changes in pH when acids or bases are added
Carbon capture and storage
Technology that traps CO₂ from power plants or factories and stores it underground.
Environmental law
Rules made by governments to protect nature and public health.
Environmental policy
Plans or actions by governments to manage and solve environmental problems
Carbon tax
A fee placed on fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change
Geographic Information System (GIS)
A computer system that collects and maps data related to locations and geography.
Electrical Conductivity
A measure of how well water conducts electricity; shows how many dissolved salts are in the water
pH
A scale that shows how acidic or basic a substance is, from 0 (acidic) to 14 (basic), with 7 being neutral.
Turbidity
A measure of how cloudy or muddy water is, usually from suspended particles.
Advection
The movement of substances like heat or pollution by flowing water or air.
Dispersion
The spreading of substances (like pollutants) from a source in different directions.
Diffusion
When particles move from areas of high concentration to low concentration
Point source
Pollution coming from a single, clear location (like a pipe)
Non-point source
Pollution coming from many scattered sources (like runoff from roads or farms).
Equilibrium line (glacier)
The spot on a glacier where the amount of snow gained equals the amount that melts
Great Acceleration
A period since the mid-20th century with rapid increases in human activity and environmental impact
Ice sheet
A massive glacier covering over 50,000 square kilometers, like those in Antarctica and Greenland
Ice shelf
A floating sheet of ice connected to land-based glaciers
Last Interglacial
The warm period before the last Ice Age, about 129,000 to 116,000 years ago.
Loess
Fine, wind-blown silt that forms fertile soils
Clay
Very fine soil particles that are sticky when wet and hard when dry
Silt
Fine soil particles, smoother than sand but not as fine as clay
Till
A mix of different-sized sediments left behind directly by a glacier
Love Canal
A neighborhood in New York that became unsafe in the 1970s due to toxic waste buried underground
Hazard mitigation
Steps taken to reduce or prevent damage from natural hazards like floods, earthquakes, or storms
Hurricane intensity
A rating of how strong a hurricane is, based mostly on wind speed (like Category 1 to 5)
Nuclear fission
Splitting atoms to release energy, used in nuclear power plants
Nuclear fusion
Joining atoms to release energy, the process that powers the sun.
Reserve
A known amount of a natural resource that can be used in the future.
Resource
Any natural material that can be used for economic or practical purposes
Radioactive waste
Dangerous waste from nuclear power or weapons that stays harmful for a long time
Risk assessment
The process of figuring out how likely a hazard is to cause harm and how serious it could be.
