GEO 202 Final
Terms
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- geomorphology
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-study of landform development
-uplift and erosion occur simultaneously and are often balanced at any one time - process that wear away and rearrange landforms
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-weathering
-mass movement
-transportation and deposition (streams, ice, wind) - weathering
- -physical, chemical, and biological processes that weaken rocks at the Earth's surface
- factors in weathering
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-type of rock
-structure of rock
-vegetation
-climate - physical weathering
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-rock is broken without chemical alteration
-increases surface area - types of physical weathering
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-frost action
-crystallization
-hydration
-pressure release jointing
-biological processes - frost action
- -freezing water expands
- crystallization
-
-salt crystals precipitate from solution and exert force on rock
-common in arid climates - hydration
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-absorption of water into a mineral
-many minerals expand when hydrated
-weathering is due to expansion - pressure-release jointing
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-fractures produced by release of pressure
-aka "exfoliation" - chemical weathering
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-rock is decomposed by chemical reactions
-decreases strength of rock - types of chemical weathering
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-hydrolysis
-oxidation
-dissolution - hydrolysis
- -chemical reaction of water with rock
- braided streams
- -high sediment loads, easily erodible banks, variable discharge
- pool and riffle streams
- -small streams with very coarse sediment
- meandering streams
- -lower sediment loads, less erodible banks
- floodplain
- -flat low lying area flanking a stream
- meander development
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-erosion on outside of bends
-deposition on inside of bends - point bar
- -landform from sediment deposition in meandering streams
- oxbow lake
- -lake that was formerly part of a meandering stream
- levees
- -locations of high ground right next to the rivers/streams
- glacier
- -body of moving ice, formed on land by accumulation and recrystallization of snow
- classification of glaciers
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-alpine (Mt. Rainer)
-continental - temperate glacier
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-ice near melting temperature/pressure
-generally very active, fast moving, more erosive
-many alpine glaciers are temperate - polar glacier
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-ice below melting temperature/pressure
-less active, slower moving, less erosive
-continental glaciers in greenland and Antarctic are polar - formation of glacial ice
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-snow
-firn
-glacial ice - firn
- -last years snow
- movement of ice
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-ice flows under pressure and gravity
-temperate ice moves more rapidly than polar under the same load - ablation
- -loss
- south cascade glacier
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-net loss/gain of precip, temp
-net annual mass balance=total change in ice over one year
-most alpine glaciers now=net ablation - glacial mass balance
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-net specific mass balance=change at a specific point in space
-equilibrium line=firn line=snow line - erosion (alpine glaciers)
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-abrasions (striations)
-U shaped valleys
-hanging valleys
-cirques
-Fjords - fjords
- -u shaped valleys that have been flooded by sea water
- deposition (alpine glaciers)
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-glacial drift (till)
-moraines
-outwash plains (sandurs) - till
- -unsorted, unstratified deposits under ice
- erosion (continental glaciers)
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-deranged drainage
-roche mountonnees - roche moutonnees
- -displays a gently sloping upstream side and an abrupt, steep downstream side
- deposition (continental glaciers)
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-drumlins
-eskers
-kettle lakes - esker
- -develops underneath the glacier
- kettle lake
- -isolated block of ice that when it eventually melts it's steep hole fills with water
- eolian
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-wind
-wind can erode, transport, and deposit - deflation
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-blowing away of loose sediments
-common desert process
-often results in desert pavement - abrasion
- -grinding of rock surfaces by airborne sand
- ventifacts
- -result of abrasion over time
- yardangs
- -streamlined rock structure formed by deflation and abrasion
- eolian transport
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-suspension
-saltation
-surface creep - suspension (eolian)
- -fine particles that are held airborne
- saltation
- -transported by bouncing the grains along the ground
- surface creep
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-too big for saltation
-move by slide and roll - dunes
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-most area of deserts are not covered by dunes (only 10%)
-often occur together in dune fields
- - ergs
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-sand seas
-very large dune fields - dune forms
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-barchan
-transverse - ***Dune forms
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-Barchan
-transverse
-parabolic
-longitudinal
-star - barchan dune
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-crescent shaped
-point up wind
-forms where limited sand and unidirectional wind - transverse dune
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-long wavy ridges
-perpendicular to wind
-ample sand and unidirectional wind - parabolic dune
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-"blowouts"
-crescent shaped
-point down wind
-stabilizing influences (vegetation)
-variable sand - longitudinal dune
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-"seif" dune
-linear
-parallel to prevailing wind
-wind shifts - star dune
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-star shaped
-wind shifts widely
-may be very large - loess
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-silt deposits created by wind
-created near ice sheets after last glaciation
-very thick
-fertile - palouse region of WA, OR, ID
- -Loess deposits
- ecosystem
- -self sustaining association of living things and their abiotic environment
- photosynthesis
- -CO2 + H2O + photon= CH2O + O2
- respiration
- -CH2O + O2=CO2 + H2O + energy
- net primary production
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-NPP
-mass fixed carbon per sq. m per year
-land produces about 3.5 times ocean per area, but total are the same - influences of NPP
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-light
-nutrients
-temperature
-water availability - fixed nitrogen
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-biologically available nitrogen
-done by bacteria or lichen
-some by lightening
-human activity now fixes high levels of nitrogen - denitrification
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-done with only bacteria
-no oxygen present - how humans impact fixed nitrogen
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-plant organisms in the soil
-burning of fossil fuels
-manufacture of fertilizers - Eutrophication
- -algae filled ponds/waterways
- Gulf coast dead zone
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-happening every year
-phytoplankton over consume on surplus Nitrogen
-oxygen crashes - anoxia
- -no O2
- hypoxia
- -low O2
- Food pathways
- -producers
- ***Food pathways
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-producers
-consumers
-decomposers - producers
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-autotrophs (plants)
-use sunlight to produce food - consumers
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-heterotrophs (animals)
-herbivores (primary consumers)
-carnivores (secondary, tertiary) - decomposers
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-heterotrophs
-eat dead stuff - metabolism
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-transformation of energy within an organism and exchange of energy with the environment
-usually involves generation or consumption of carbs - coastal population
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-US: 17% of counties are coastal with 53% population
-Global: 40% is coastal - tsunamis
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-long wavelength wave that propagates very rapidly away from submarine disturbance
-velocity= sq root (gd)
-g=9.8
-d=water depth - hurricanes
- -storm surge and flooding responsible for most damage
- brine
- -water that exceeds the average 3.5% salinity
- brackish
- -water that is less than 3.5% salinity
- physical structure of the ocean
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-mixing zone
-thermocline transition zaone
-deep cold zone - inputs in the coastal system
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-solar energy
-atmospheric winds
-climatic regimes
-coastal geomorphology
-human activities
-gravity - littoral zone
- -the coastal environment
- tides
- -daily oscillations in sea level
- causes of tides
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-gravitational pull from the Sun and Moon
-Inertia - spring tides
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-highest tidal range
-occurs when moon and sun are in opposition or conjunction - neap tide
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-low tidal range
-occurs when the moon is in it's first or third quarters - waves
- -friction between wind and the ocean surface generates undulations of water
- swells
- -mature undulations of the open ocean
- breakers
- -when waves height exceeds its vertical stability
- erosional coastlines
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-Pacific ocean along north and south america
-rugged
-high relief
-tectonically active - sea cliffs
- -formed by undercutting action of the sea
- characteristics of erosional coastlines
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-sea cliffs
-sea caves
-sea arches
-sea stacks
-wave cut platform - wave cut platform
- -where wave action cuts a bench that extends from the cliff base out into the sea
- depositional coastal landforms
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-barrier spit
-bay barrier
-lagoon
-tombolo
-beach - barrier spit
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-material deposited in a long ridge extending out from a coast
-partially crosses and blocks mouth of a bay - bay barrier
- -if a spit grows completely across the bay to form a island lagoon
- lagoon
- -coastal seawater that is cut off from the ocean by a bay barrier
- tombolo
- -sediment deposits connect the shoreline with an offshore island or sea stack
- beach
- -part of coastline where an accumulation of sediment is in motion
- methods to maintain a beach
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-jetty
-groin
-breakwater
-beach nourishment - barrier beaches
- -long narrow depositional features that form offshore parallel to the coast
- O horizon
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-top of soil profile
-organic composition
-high humus - R horizon
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-bottom of soil profile
-unconsolidated material or consolidated bedrock - A horizon
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-humus and clay particles
-richer in organic content
-darker in color
-human disruption takes place here - E horizon
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-coarse sand, silt, resistant minerals
-lighter in color
-eluviation occurs here - eluviation
- -removal of fine particles and minerals by water, leaving behind sand and silt
- B horizon
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-accumulates clays, aluminum, and iron
-illuviation occurs here
-reddish or yellowish color - illuviation
- -downward movement and deposition of fine particles from upper horizons
- solum
- -combination of A, E, and B horizons
- C horizon
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-weathered bedrock
-regolith - soil properties
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-color
-texture
-structure
-consistence
-porosity
-moisture
-chemistry
-acidity/alkalinity - loam
- -balanced mixture of sand, silt, and clay
- wet soil
- -sticky between the thumb and forefinger
- moist soil
- -filled to about half of field capacity
- dry soil
- -brittle and rigid
- soil colloids
- -tiny particles of clay and organic material that attract positively charged ions
- cation-exchange capacity
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-measure of soil fertility
-ability of a colloid to exchange cations between their surface and the soil solution - laterization
- -leaching process in humid and warm climates
- salinization
- -process that concentrates salts in soils in climates with excessive POTET rates
- calcification
- -produces an illuviated accumulation of calcium carbonates in continental climates
- podzolization
- -soil acidification associated with forest soils in cool climates
- gleization
- -accumulation of humus and a thick water saturated gray layer of clay beneath cold wet climates and poor drainage conditions
- oxisols
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-tropical soils
-horizon of iron and aluminum oxides - aridisols
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-desert soils
-pale, light color
-shallow soil horizons
-salinization - mollisols
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-grassland soils
-soft
-high fertility
-calcification - alfisols
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-moderately weathered forest soils
-fertile - ultisols
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-highly weathered forest soils
-low fertility - spodosols
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-northern coniferous forest soils
-podzolization - entisols
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-recent, undeveloped soils
-not climate dependent - inceptisols
- -weakly developed soils
- gelisols
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-cold and frozen soils
-soil development is slow - andisols
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-volcanic parent materials
-moderate fertility - vertisols
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-expandable clay soils
-better farming soils - histosols
- -organic soils