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Glossary of Terms: H

 
Habitat
Location where a plant or animal lives.
 
Hadean
Geologic eon that occurred from 3800 to 4600 million years ago. The Earth's oldest rocks date to the end of this time period.
 
Hadley Cell
Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation cell located at roughly 0 to 30° North and South of the equator. The Hadley cell consists of rising air (intertropical convergence zone) at the equator and descending air (subtropical highs) at 30° North and South.
 
Hail
Hail is a solid form of precipitation that has a diameter greater than 5 millimeters. Occasionally, hailstones can be the size of golf balls or larger. Hailstones of this size can be quite destructive. The intense updrafts in mature thunderstorm clouds are a necessary requirement for hail formation.
 
Hair Hygrometer
Hygrometer that uses the expansion and contraction of hair to determine atmospheric humidity.
 
Half-life
Time required for one half of the nuclei in a radioisotope to emit its radiation. Half-lifes for radioisotopes range from a few millionths of a second to several billion years.
 
Halite
Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of sodium and chlorine.
 
Hamada
A very flat desert area of exposed bedrock.
 
Hanging Valley
A secondary valley that enters a main valley at an elevation well above the main valley's floor. These features are result of past erosion caused by alpine glaciers. Hanging valleys are often the site of spectacular waterfalls.
 
Hanging Wall
The topmost surface of an inclined fault.
 
Haploid
Cell that contains only one set of chromosomes. Also see diploid.
 
Hardpan
Impervious layer found within the soil. It can result from the precipitation of iron, illuviation of clay or the cementing of sand and gravel by calcium carbonate precipitates.
 
Hawaiian High
See Pacific High.
 
Hazard
Phenomenon which can cause loss of life, injury, disease, economic loss, or environmental damage.
 
Headlands
A strip of land that juts seaward from the coastline. This feature normally bordered by a cliff.
 
Headwaters
Upper portion of stream's drainage system.
 
Heat
Heat is defined as energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another because of the temperature difference between them. In the atmosphere, heat is commonly transferred by conduction, convection, advection, and radiation.
 
Heat Capacity
Is the ratio of the amount of heat energy absorbed by a substance compared to its corresponding temperature rise.
 
Heat Energy
A form of energy created by the combined internal motion of atoms in a substance.
 
Heat Island
The dome of relatively warm air which develops over the center of urbanized areas.
 
Helical Flow
Movement of water within a stream that occurs as spiral flows.
 
Herb
A nonwoody angiosperm whose above ground vegetation dies off seasonally.
 
Herbivore
Heterotrophic organism that consumes plants for nutrition. Also known as a primary consumer. Also see detritivore, omnivore, scavenger, and carnivore.
 
Heredity
The transmission of behavioral, physiological and morphological characteristics from parent to offspring.
 
Heterogeneity
State of being dissimilar or diverse.
 
Heterosphere
The upper layer in a two part classification of the atmosphere based on the general homogeneity of chemical composition. In this layer, oxygen atoms and nitrogen molecules dominate and remain constant in their relative quantities. The heterosphere extends upward from a height of 80 to 100 kilometers depending on latitude. Below this layer is the homosphere.
 
Heterotroph
Organism that must consume energy rich organic molecules for survival. Energy is released from these molecules through the chemical process respiration. Also see carnivores, herbivores, and detritivores.
 
High Pressure
An area of atmospheric pressure within the Earth's atmosphere that is above average. If this system is on the Earth's surface and contains circular wind flow and enclosed isobars it is called an anticyclone.
 
Histosols
Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System. This soil is composed more than 30% organic matter as a result of saturated environmental conditions.
 
Holistic
Concerned with a complete system.
 
Holocene Epoch
Period of time from about 10,000 years ago to today. During this period glaciers retreated because of a warmer global climate. Time of modern humans.
 
Homeostatic (Homeostasis)
A constant or non-changing state of equilibrium in a system despite changes in external conditions.
 
Homosphere
The lower layer in a two part classification of the atmosphere based on the general homogeneity of chemical composition. In this layer, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and the trace gases dominate and remain constant in their relative proportions. The homosphere extends from the Earth's surface to a height of 80 to 100 kilometers depending on latitude. Above this layer is the heterosphere.
 
Horizon
(1) A surface separating two beds in sedimentary rock.
(2) A layer within a soil showing unique pedogenic characteristics. Four major horizons are normally found in a soil profile: A, B, C, and O.
(3) Point at which the visible edge of the Earth's surface meets the sky.
 
Horn
Pyramidal peak that forms when several cirques erode a mountain from three or more sides.
 
Horst Fault
A fault that is produced when two reverse faults cause a block of rock to be push up.
 
Hot Spot
A volcanic area on the surface of the Earth created by a rising plume of magma.
 
Host
Organism that develops disease from a pathogen or is being feed on by a parasite.
 
Human Geography
Field of knowledge that studies human-made features and phenomena on the Earth from a spatial perspective. Subdiscipline of Geography.
 
Human-Land Tradition
Academic tradition in modern Geography that investigates human interactions with the environment.
 
Humidity
A general term used to describe the amount of water vapor found in the atmosphere.
 
Humus
Dark colored semi-soluble organic substance formed from decomposition of soil organic matter.
 
Hurricane
An intense cyclonic storm consisting of an organized mass of thunderstorms that develops over the warm oceans of the tropics. To be classified as a hurricane, winds speeds in the storm must be greater than 118 kilometers per hour.
 
Hydration
A form of chemical weathering that involves the rigid attachment of H+ and OH- ions to the atoms and molecules of a mineral.
 
Hydraulic Gradient
The slope of the water table or aquifer. The hydraulic gradient influences the direction and rate of groundwater flow.
 
Hydrocarbon
Organic compound composed primarily of hydrogen and carbon atoms. An example of a hydrocarbon is methane (CH4).
 
Hydrograph
A graph describing stream discharge over time.
 
Hydrologic Cycle
Model that describes the movement of water between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
 
Hydrology
Field of physical geography that studies the hydrosphere.
 
Hydrolysis
Chemical weathering process that involves the reaction between mineral ions and the ions of water (OH- and H+), and results in the decomposition of the rock surface by forming new compounds, and by increasing the pH of the solution involve through the release of the hydroxide ions.
 
Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere describes the waters of the Earth. Water exists on the Earth in various stores, including the: atmosphere, oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, snowfields and groundwater. Water moves from one store to another by way of: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, deposition, runoff, infiltration, sublimation, transpiration, and groundwater flow.
 
Hydrostatic Pressure
Force caused by water under pressure.
 
Hygrometer
An instrument for measuring atmospheric humidity.
 
Hygroscopic
Substances that have the ability to absorb water and therefore accelerate the condensation process.
 
Hygroscopic Coefficient
Maximum limit of hygroscopic water around the surface of a soil particle.
 
Hygroscopic Water
Water held within 0.0002 millimeters of the surface of a soil particle. This water is essentially non-mobile and can only be removed from the soil through heating.
 
Hyphae
Thread like structures found on a fungus.
 
Hypothesis
A tentative assumption that is made for the purpose of empirical scientific testing. A hypothesis becomes a theory when repeated testing and evidence suggests the hypothesis has a strong chance of being correct.
 
Hypothesis Testing
Process where an alternative and a null hypothesis are statistically tested for the purpose of falsifying a hypothesis.
 

 

 

Citation: Pidwirny, M. (2006). "Glossary of Terms: H". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. Date Viewed. http://www.physicalgeography.net/physgeoglos/h.html

 
 

 

Created by Dr. Michael Pidwirny & Scott Jones University of British Columbia Okanagan

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Copyright © 1999-2008 Michael Pidwirny

05/07/2009 15:26

 

Geography