unit 9 studyguide Flashcards
what factors 3 determine whether precipitation becomes runoff or infiltrates the ground and becomes groundwater?
soil composition, vegetation, and slope
smaller stream branches that join together to form larger branches
tributaries
watershed
all land areas whose water drains into a stream system
what is a divide
ridge that seperates watersheds
where does precipitation on the eastern side end up
gulf of america and the atlantic ocean
where does precipitation on the western side end up
pacific ocean
major watershed Maryland is apart of
chesapeake bay watershed
stream discharge
amount of water that flows past a given area in a certain amount of time
what happens when stream discharge is greater than the capacity the stream bed
flooding
Benthic Macroinvertebrate
found at the bottom of a stream or river
why do ecologists regularly collect macro… in a stream
to see if the water is healthy
aquifer
porous layers of rock
uppermost boundary of an aquifer
the water table
how do dissolved minerals pick up groundwater
water is a polar molecule, so as it moves through an aquifer it picks up dissolved minerals
how does a cave form
the dissolved acid in the water dissolves limestone as it flows, creating caves
how do stalactites form
water seeps into the cave. Minerals in the water drip into the cave, accumulating and forming stalactites
3 sources of groundwater pollution
fertilizers
chemicals
landfill waste
earths 4 oceans
atlantic pacific arctic indian
which ocean is biggest and deepest
pacific
what did the HMS challenger do that no other voyage before had ever done
1st vessel dedicated to oceanographic research
4 technologies used to study ocean currents
sonar
submersibles
floats
satellites
thermocline
layer between 300 m-1000 m where there is a rapid change in temp
why does ocean temp decrease with depth
less sunlight reaches the lower depths in the ocean
measure of salt in a substance
salinity
1 place in the ocean where the salinity is higher and why is it higher there
Mediterranean sea and more evaporation
what causes tides
caused by gravitational pull of the moon and sun + the rotation of the earth
spring
the earth sun and moon are in a line, causing abnormal tides: high tides higher, low tides lower
how many high and low tides occur a day
2 each
what causes most surface waves
wind
high pioint of a wave
crest
low point
trough
what causes breakers
crest outruns the trough and collapses when approaching the shore
what causes a rip current and how do yk if your in one
strong waves tear thru a longshore bar, causing a fast-moving narrow current
youll be moving out to sea rather than parallel to shore
what current affects the climate in our climate on the east coast
gulf stream
what are gyres and why are they helpful
large, circular ocean currents
important for moving nutrients and balancing salinity in marine ecosystems
what is the giant pacific giant patch and why is it a problem
collection of debris in the pacific ocean that harms marine life when they eat it
why are nurdles a problem
animals starve to death when they eat the microplastics because they never biodegrade
what causes sea arches and sea stacks
erosion and removal of weaker rocks near sea level
how do volcanic islands form
underwater volcanoes reach the earth’s surface
what is located after the continental shelf
continental slope
