asting:* regolith is thin and noncontinuous* regolith is course, angular fragments* slopes are steep, with rugged cliffs* desert varnish- older sediment is darkerdesert streams:* flash floods- sudden swift flood caused by a rainstorm* surface runoff is abundant due to lack of vegetation* transports large quantities of sediment* deposits sediments into distinctive desert landformsLandforms in Deserts* butte- isolated, steep-sided hill or pillar* mesa- flat topped wide butte* fans- made of alluvium and debris-flow deposits* bajadas- broad alluvium apron, coalescing adjacent fans* pediments- broad relatively flat surface made of eroded bedrock (running water)* desert lakes- rarely permanent, only water after rains* playas- dry lake bed* inselbergs- steep-sided mountains, ridges, or isolated hills* homogenous, found in grasslands, resistant: shed vs. absorb* steepen with timeDesertification: Desert enters into non-desert areas.* groundwater, erosion, vegetation, saltiness Chapter ThirteenEarth's OceanPhysical Characteristics-71% of earth's surface-97% of earth's water* depth of the oceans:* 3.8km avg. depth (11km Marinana Trench deepest)-.75km avg. land height (9km Mt. Everest tallest)* ocean salinity: 3.5% dissolved salts* mostly sodium and chlorine (NaCl, salt)-small amounts of sulfate, magnesium, calcium, potassium, bicarbonate, and bromine* factors: evaporation, precipitation, fresh water, ice* temperature:* related to latitude- 30 deg. C @ equator, -2 deg. C @ polar regions* heat capacity of the ocean:* high heat capacity: ability to absorb and release large amounts of heat without changing temperature very much (isotherms-map of sea)* ocean water moderates coastal climates by cooling in the summer and warming in the winter* vertical stratification: 2 layers, surface and deep water* variations of density of sea water relate to salinity and temperature-cold water sinks-salty water sinksOcean Circulation* factors that cause seawater move...
