Unit 5 final exam Flashcards
what is the water cycle?
control the distribution of earth water as it evaporates from bodies of water, condenses, precipitates, and returns to those bodies of water.
the ability for water to disappear is a result of two common changes of state what are those?
Condensation and evaporation
what is evaporation ?
converts liquid water from earth’s surface into gaseous water vapour
what is condensation ?
is the change of state from a gas to a liquid,
what happens when gaseous vapour remains in the atmosphere?
its starts ti cool as it cools, water vapour condenses to form clouds.
what is precipitation ?
liquid and solid water fall from the clouds, they form snow or rain
what energy drives the water cycle ?
the suns energy
what eventually happen to water vapour after in the air for quite a bit?
The water condenses and eventually falls to the earth.
where does a percent of earths water go after precipitation ?
78 % of the earths precipitation falls into the ocean.
what is aquifer ?
the system of water flowing through porous rock is called aquifer
how does the water is aquifers move?
like rivers on the surface the water in aquifers moves, although its flow is very slow.
how long might it take for water in a aquifers to travel with sand?
80 years or more to travel through 1m of sand.
explain what water table is ?
the layer of porous rock in which all pores are full of water forms
how might the level of water table change?
rising closer to the surface in wet seasons and sinking in dry seasons.
explain the definition of lakes and ponds ?
they are basically large holes in the ground.
what are the characteristics of a lake ?
a lake differs from a pond not in size but in depth. Sunlight does not reach the bottom.
what are the characteristics of a pond ?
a pond is where sunlight reaches all the way to the bottom.
what is one thing that a pond is able to be from a lake ?
larger than a lake
what is clarity?
is determined by the amount of matter suspended in the water.
what is the comparison and the differences between both streams and river?
are both fast-waterways.
differences is that they differ greatly is speed, tempeture, and clarity. They also differ on the nature of their banks and bottoms.
what are fast- flowing water ways most common in?
are usually rich in oxygen, which fish and other animals need to survive.
river and lakes are the most visible form of what?
fresh water
how does the water reach underground?
it goes downwards from connected pores and crack s
explain how water filled layers make wells?
when groundwater cannot move any deeper, it begins to back up. It fills the pores of the bedrock, that how they make wells.
what are the ice ages
Any of the major periods when glaciers covered much of the earth.
when did the most recent ice age began?
120 000 years ago
Describe how it was like during the ages and the climate?
Glaciers covered as much as 28 percent of the land. It was very cold
how much space did the glaciers cover of the land int he arctic?
it covered from the land of the Arctic to as far south as the Great Lakes.
what are some examples of the features glaciers create In the land?
Striations, Moraines, U-shaped valleys, and erratics.
what happens if more of the land is covered in snow and ice?
a greater amount of sunlight is reflected back into the atmosphere, adding to the cooling.
what are some reasons scientists think the ice ages were cold?
- Mountains that had extra snow remained on the cold peaks through the summer and reflects sunlight and may reduce temperature
- The movements of the Earths tectonic plates alter the shape of the oceans. Creating less flow and not enough mixing between cold and hot waters making some regions cold.
- Changes in the tilt of the earths axis, or orbit around the sun may reduce colder climates.
what is a crevasse
Is a fissure, or crack, in the ice
How is a crevasse formed
when the glacier stretches, cracks and crevasses form
what is pack Ice
is a sheet of ice rarely more than 5 m thick that breaks easily.