Glacier Basics
What type of glacier covers large areas, such as Greenland or Antarctica?
Continental glacier.
What is the top layer of groundwater where spaces are filled with air and water?
Zone of aeration.
What is a smaller stream or river that flows into a larger one?
Tributary
What process describes water turning into vapor and rising into the atmosphere?
Evaporation
What is the main purpose of building dams and reservoirs?
To store water and generate hydroelectric power.
What is the zone of a glacier where snow accumulates and adds to the glacier?
Zone of accumulation.
What is the term for a layer of rock or sediment that holds and transmits groundwater?
Aquifer
What is the elevated region that separates watersheds called?
Divide
What is the name for the movement of water through plant roots and into the air?
Transpiration
What is the term for the artificial structures built to prevent flooding along rivers?
Levees
What is the compacted granular snow found in glaciers called?
Firn.
What is the name of the underground boundary between the saturated and unsaturated zones?
Water Table
What is the term for the land area that drains into a specific river or stream?
Watershed
What term refers to water stored in the atmosphere, such as in clouds?
Atmospheric Pool
What term refers to the hidden water used to produce goods, such as in agriculture?
Virtual Water Footprint
What type of glacier forms in mountainous areas and flows down valleys?
Valley Glacier
What geological feature forms when the roof of a cave collapses, leaving a depression?
Sinkhole
What type of river is deep, wide, and has a slow-moving current?
Old River
What is the process of water moving from the atmosphere back to Earth’s surface?
Precipitation
What human activity can increase the formation of sinkholes and depletion of aquifers?
Overpumping groundwater.
What term describes the loss of ice or snow from a glacier through melting or sublimation?
Zone of Ablation
What type of topography is characterized by caves, sinkholes, and underground streams?
Karst Topography
What is the process by which lakes form due to glacier activity, volcanic craters, or human-made dams?
Pond Formation
What is the name for water moving through soil and rock layers to recharge aquifers?
Infiltration
What practice can reduce runoff and improve groundwater recharge in urban areas?
Rainwater harvesting.