fresh water Flashcards
what is an ice age
an ice age is when the earths temerature is low enought for the following to exist:
glaciers
polar ice sheets
continental ice sheet
what are glacial periods
very cold
last 70,000 to 90,000 years
what are interglacial periods
warmer
last about 10,000 years
what are erosion
when rocks and dirts are moved to new places due to natural processes such as:
wind
plants
water
ice (glaciers)
what are ponds
shallow
sunlight reaches the bottom
all the water is the same temperature
what are lakes
deep
sunlight does not reach teh bottom
water at the bottom is colder
wetlands
large shallow area
has water for most of the year
very important habitats for plants and animals
what is another name for watersheds
drainage basins
the upstream part of the warershed is called?
headwater
the downstream part of the watershead is called?
outflow or mouth
why is the ocean water salty
ocean water and freashwater both have the same type of salts dissolved in them, but ocean water tastes saltier because it has a higher amoutn of salt
continental shelves
part of the contenet that is covered by water formed by the build up of sediment carried itno the coean by rivers
abyssal plain
between the continental shelves and ocean ridges are really flat areas, they are covered with a layer of sediment that can be 1km think
trenches
when two tectonic plates collide, the heavier plate will go underneath the other plate, this forms a deep calley, which makes it deepest part of the ocean
ocean ridges
long underwater mountain range sin teh middle of the Atlantic ocean. they are the yougest areas of the ocean floor.
