Unit 0 Terms 1/2 Flashcards
Height from above sea level
Elevation
Horizontal line (north or south of equator)
Latitude
General circulation (areas of high pressure to low pressure)
Wind Patterns
Movement of seawater
Ocean Currents
Things about the continent (location, shape)
Location on continent
Air masses flow over high topography
Orographic effect
The island’s leeward side faces away from the wind, sheltered from prevailing winds by hills and mountains
Leeward
The island’s leeward side faces towards the wind, exposed to prevailing winds by hills and mountains
Windward
Land that becomes a desert, mountain blocks rain
Rain Shadow Effect
Stretch of water with many islands
Archipelago
Ring shaped reef, island
Atoll
A broad inlet of the sea where the land curves inward
Bay
High point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean
Cape
A very large area of land, main divisions of land
Continent
Piece of continent submerged under water
Continent Shelf
Little precipitation, little plant/animal life
Desert
Wetlands that form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water
Deltas
Portion of the ocean that penetrates land
Gulf
Areas of land that are not connected to a continent and are surrounded by water
Island
A narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and separates two bodies of water
Isthmus
A huge body of saltwater that covers about 71 percent of Earth’s surface
Ocean
Landform that rises at least 1,000 feet (300 meters) or more above its surrounding area
Mountain
Large bodies of water that are surrounded by land and are not part of an ocean
Lake
Artificial lake where water is stored
Reservoir
An area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side
Plateau
A piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water but is connected to the mainland on one side
Peninsula
Narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water
Strait
Portion of ocean, partly surrounded by water
Sea
Stream of water flowing in a channel
River
Areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season (marshes or swamps)
Wetland
Low land between hills and mountains
Valley
A freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream, river or other body of water
Tributary
Geological forces that buckle, distort, and fracture the Earth’s crust, including warping, folding, faulting, and volcanic activity
Tectonic forces
The breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface of the Earth
Weathering
The geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water
Erosion
