Hydrosphere Flashcards
What is the hydrosphere?
A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. The hydrosphere includes water that is on the surface of the planet, underground
what is a watershed?
A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall, snowmelt, and runoff into a common body of water.
Which aspects slow down or accelerate the flow inside of catchment areas?
Topography: The shape, slope, terrain of the area.
Geology: Type, depth, and structure of the rock.
Climate: Amount of rain or snowfall, winds and temperature.
Vegetation: Density and diversity.
Human interference: Agricultural, industrial, and urban development.
What are 4 important factors when studying oceans?
Depth, seasons, Latitude and salinity.
what is salinity?
amount of salt in the ocean.
what is the average salinity?
between 3.4% and 3.7%
What are deep water currents caused by?
They are caused by changes in the density of various layers of water. The denser
the water, the deeper it sinks. Water density is varies with temperatures; the colder the
water, the denser it is so cold water sinks. Salinity also affects the density; the higher
the salinity, the denser the water is and the more it tends to sink.
What is ocean circulation?
Ocean circulation is
the combined effect of surface currents and subsurface currents.
what is the cryosphere?
The cryosphere is made up of all the solid water on the Earth’s surface. Park ice
is made up of the ice floating on the oceans near the North and South poles.
What is the difference between pack ice and glaciers?
Glaciers do not float on water, they are attached to land and are formed by compressed snow. When glaciers fall in the water the water level rises.
What is the effect of pack ice melting?
It affects thermohaline circulation and doesn<t cause a rise in sea level.
(est) What does warm water in rivers do?
Certain factories discharge chemicals and warm water into rivers.
Warm waters reduce the concentration of oxygen in the water which in turn can affect aquatic
species.
(est)What do pesticides and fertilizers do when they make their way into rivers and lakes?
It promotes algae growth and leads to the
eutrophication of lakes, a phenomenon of reduced oxygen concentration in the water because
bacteria are consuming too much of it.
(est)What are hydrocarbons?
an organic compound consisting of hydrogen and carbon found in crude oil, natural gas, and coal.
What are the effets of mining?
Machines releasing Co2
destruction of habitat
release of heavy metals