cirque when glaciers fill mountain top bowls mountain glacier high elevation flows to low types include cirque peak valley Piedmont continental glacier vast ice sheet covering large land areas Greenland Antarctica zone of accumulation area of net snow addition ice formation zone of ablation area of net ice loss melt calves wind etc equilibrium line Boundary between accumulation and ablation zones ice sheet largest type of glacier on Earth continent sized mass of ice that covers all or nearly all landmass within its margins tarn lake due to melt of cirque glacier arete knife edge ridge two cirques eroded towards each other horn pointed mountain peak 3 or more cirques surround peak U shaped valleys glacial erosion s distinct trough shape 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 hanging valley intersection of glacier trunk glacier waterfall occurs fjord u shaped glacial trough flooded by sea glacial till unsorted sediments dropped by glacial ice beneath toe glank of glacier moraine deposit of debris by glacier albedo reflectivity of the sun ablation shrink of glaciers melting iceberg calving sublimation wind erosion glacial advance occurs when climates get colder and snowier leading to a general enlargement of the glacier glacial retreat rate of ablation is greater than the rate of accumulation glacier moves back behind the equilibrium line bed load larger particles that roll or slide along stream bed suspended load fine particle float in stream dissolved load ions from mineral weathering in streams ephemeral streams water doesn t flow year round elevation is above water tables 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 dry climates flow mostly during flash floods depend on precipitation delta forms when streams enter large body of water slow flow point bar deposition builds at inside of meader cut bank erosion accentuates outside of meander meander bend in a river watershed land from which water runs off into a stream Oxbow lake Can form when a river changes its course abandoned meander w water runoff water in motion over land surface thalweg deepest part of a channel V shaped valley A narrow steep sided valley formed as a result of rapid erosion by a stream or river abyssal plain A large flat almost level area of the deep ocean basin thermohaline circulation heat and salinity driving vertical ocean current cold dense saline sinks warm less dense not saline rises 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 current A body of air or water moving in a definite direction longshore current coastal moves material laterally beach drift tide predictable daily changes in ocean heights tide generating force the force caused in part by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon and in part by the centrifugal force created by the earth s spin that generates tides emergent coast relative sea level fall submergent coast relative sea level rise wave refraction wave bending caused by the irregular shape of the shore compared to the incoming wave or by areas of shallow water offshore coastal wetland gentle slopes low wave action extensive vegetation gravitational pull The attraction between two objects due to the invisible force of gravity the gravitational pull from the Moon is primarily responsible for the tides that form on Earth Coriolis Effect the deflection of winds caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis effects ocean currents 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 permeability degree of pore interconnections allows groundwater to flow though aquifers porosity percent volume of open space in a rock or sediment aquifer groundwater is stored in moves through aquitard groundwater is confined low permeability pore open space unconfined aquifer exposed at Earth s surface easily contaminated confined aquifer have aquitard above them less susceptible to pollution water table top zone of groundwater saturation below land surface can change groundwater water that fills subsurface voids hydraulic gradient the slope of gradient of the water table hydraulic head potential energy driving flow due to elevation above sea level pressure of overlying water flows form low to high Groundwater contamination addition to the groundwater mostly through anthropogenic means of elements that are harmful and make the groundwater dangerous to consume EX sanitary wastes agricultural wastes toxic chemicals 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 saturated zone below water table pores filled with water unsaturated zone Pores include both air and water above water table Perched water table If there is a bed of impermeable rocks above the actual water table that water gets stuck above you ll have a perched water table lens shaped aquitard in subsurface recharge areas ground water infiltrates flows downward at topographic uplands wells holes excavated or drilled to obtain water springs natural groundwater outlets cone depression drawdown of water table near well drops artesian well upland recharge pressurizes aquifers no pumping needed karst landscape irregular terrain limestone caves sinkholes troughs etc sinkholes water table in limestone cave network via dissolution table drops creates new caves roof collapse creates the sinkhole adiabatic heating cooling as air rises in the atmosphere the pressure decreases and air expands Conversely as air sinks the pressure increases and the air decreases in volume air mass 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 huge body of air that is uniform throughout in terms of temperature and humidity characteristics air pressure force applied by air on a unit surface area atmosphere mixture of gases surrounding Earth cloud water vapor saturated air cold front steep T P gradient cold dense air flows below warmer air Ferrel cell middle latitude circulation cell in troposphere front boundary between air masses Hadley cell low latitude Equatorial circulation cell in troposphere low pressure ozone layer of atmosphere with oxygen that allows diversification of respiratory life polar cell high altitude circulation cell in troposphere warm front moves slowly flows up gentle incline over cold front broad cloud cover incline reflect t p gradient wind air density pressure variation causing motion albedo reflection of sun s rays 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Earth System Atmosphere earth s gaseous envelope Hydrosphere earth s surface and near surface water Biosphere earth s great variety of life forms Lithosphere outer rigid shell of earh interior mantle core global cooling natural planetary albedo clouds and light colored surfaces