• Cyclonic wind strength is measured by the Saffir–Simpson Scale. • When a tropical cyclone approaches or crosses a coastline, the very low atmospheric pressure and impact of strong winds on the sea surface combine to produce a rise in sea level. 9.13 Inquiry: What is the water quality of a local waterway? • Water quality will vary depending on the location of the testing site and whether or not rain has fallen in the previous 24 hours. • All recordings should be dated to add validity to the results. 9.14.2 Key terms alluvium the loose material brought down by a river and deposited on its bed, or on the floodplain or delta aquifer a body of permeable rock below the Earth’s surface that contains water, known as groundwater; water can move along an aquifer artesian aquifer an aquifer confined between impermeable layers of rock; the water in it is under pressure and can flow upward through a well or bore atmosphere the layer of gases surrounding Earth avalanches rapid movement of snow down a slope, usually under the influence of gravity; can also be triggered by animals, skiers or explosions barometer an instrument used to measure air pressure catchment the drainage basin of a river climate change any change in climate over time, whether due to natural processes or human activities cloud seeding implanting clouds with substances to cause rain continuous resource a resource that is never used up by humans crevasses a deep crack in ice cyclones intense low-pressure systems producing sustained wind speeds in excess of 65 km/h; they develop over tropical waters where surface water temperature is at least 27 ° C desalination a process that removes salt from sea water Dreaming The Dreaming in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality explains the beginning of Earth, life cycles, creation, and nature. It shows everyone’s place in the world and the importance of rituals and traditions. drought a long period of time when rainfall received is below average El Niño the reversal (every few years) of the more usual direction of winds and surface currents across the Pacific Ocean; this change causes drought in Australia and heavy rain in South America environmental resource a material found in nature that is necessary or useful to people evaporation the process by which water is converted from a liquid to a gas and thereby moves from land and surface water into the atmosphere frostbite damage caused to the skin when it freezes, brought about by exposure to extreme cold; extremities such as fingers and toes are most at risk, along with exposed parts of the face Gale force winds wind over 62 kilometres per hour Groundwater water that is stored underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It comes from rain and water that soaks into the ground and collects in areas called aquifers. hydrologic cycle another term for the water cycle hydrometeorological hazards natural disasters caused by weather or water, like floods, storms or droughts. hypothermia when a person’s core body temperature falls below 35 ° C and the body is unable to maintain key systems; risk of death without treatment infrastructure the basic physical and organisational structures and facilities that help a community run, including roads, schools, sewage and phone lines Isobars lines on a map that join places with the same air pressure megadrought a drought lasting more than 20 years. meteorologists a person who studies and predicts weather monsoon rainy season accompanied by south-westerly summer winds in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia mound spring mound formation with water at its centre, formed by minerals and sediments brought up by water from artesian basins non-renewable resource a resource that cannot be renewed in a short time and is finite
336 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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