The Hydrosphere Vocab Flashcards
Beach
The shore of an ocean, lake, river, or other body of water; covered by rock or sand
Breakwater
Artificial offshore construction protects the shore from wave damage and also protects vessels in a harbor; sometimes called jetty
Canal
Narrow body of water built for shipping, irrigation, or drainage
Channel
Body of water located between two land areas or the deepest part of a river
Cove
Small sheltered bay; sometimes called a lagoon or inlet
Dam
Barrier built to hold water or stop and control its flow
Distributary
A smaller stream or river that empties into a larger stream or river
Downstream
The direction that water in a river or stream flows downward to its mouth; this flow occurs always from higher to lower elevations
Bay
Body of water that extends inland from a larger body of water and is smaller than a gulf
Fjord
Narrow and deep inlet of the sea between steep cliffs; created by glaciations
Gulf
Large body of water that extends inland from the ocean
Harbor
Natural or artificial inlet deep enough to be navigable
Iceberg
Mass of floating ice that has broken off froma glacier in a process known as calving
Lake
Body of water completely surrounded by land
Mouth
Place where a stream or river enters a larger river or body of water; end of river
Oasis
Furtile area surrounded by desert terrain where water is available; oasis(plural)
Ocean
Large body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the earths surface; the global ocean is divided into five main components- the atlantic, arctic, indian, pacific and southern
Port
City where ships are loaded and unloaded
Rapids
Shallow, often rocky parts of a river where the current moves swiftly due to drop in elevation; rated on a scale of class 1(gentle) to class 6(waterfall)
Reef
Landform composed of rock or sand at or near the waters surface and is covered by coral in tropical waters
Reservoir
An artificial body of water created by a dam or river ; often used for water storage and hydroelectricity
River
Large stream with a substantial flow of water
Sea
Large body of water that is entirely or almost entirely surrounded by land
Seaboard
Land area bordering a sea or ocean
Sound
Broad inlet of ocean usually parallel to the coast; or a waterway separating islands from the mainland
Source
Place located in the highlands where a river or stream begins; aka headwaters
Strait
Narrow, natural body of water that connects two larger bodies of water
Stream
Body of water similar but smaller than a river; aka creek
Tributary
A smaller stream or river that empties into a larger stream or river
Upstream
The opposite direction water in a river flows; or the directionto a rivers source and away from its mouth
Waterfall
a steep drop in a steam or river which water flows; sometimes refered to as cataract
Watershed
A land area drained by a river and its many tributaries; sometimes called drainage basin
