Key Concepts in Physical Geography and Meteorology

Absolute flow: Quantity or volume of a liquid flowing through a particular section in a given time. River regime: Flow behavior of water in a river, leading to an average in each month throughout the year. Hydrographic basin: Drainage area by a single natural drainage system, i.e., its waters draining into the sea through a single river, or that pours its waters into a single endorheic lake. Hydrographic slope: Whole river and its tributaries that flow into the same sea.

Lake: A body of fresh or salt water, more or less extensive, which is separated from the sea. Macchia: A major Mediterranean ecosystem, a plant formation consisting mainly of perennial shrubs and thermophilic trees, of average height between 50 cm to 4 m. Soil: Structured system, biologically active, which tends to develop in the area of land.

Time: The physical quantity that measures the duration or separation of events. Climate: The set of mean values of weather conditions that characterize a region. Meteorology: Interdisciplinary science that studies the weather. Climatology: The branch of physical geography that deals with the study of climate and weather.

Jet streams: Fast flows of air, relatively narrow air currents found in the atmosphere at a height of 11 kilometers. Wind: The movement of air in the atmosphere, especially in the troposphere. Anticyclone: An area of high pressure air, where atmospheric pressure is higher than the surrounding air.

Storm: A region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than the surrounding air. Thermal amplitude: Temperature difference between the highest and lowest recorded in a place or area. Temperature: Scale referring to the common notions of hot or cold. Evapotranspiration: Moisture loss from a surface by direct evaporation with water loss by transpiration of vegetation.

Aridity: The lack of water in the soil and moisture in the air. Zócalo (Continental Shelf): An offshore rig, offering a natural extension of land from its coastline and natural decline. Massif: Section of the Earth's crust that is demarcated by faults or fissures. Folding Cordilleras: Large mountain ridges encountered in the Tertiary sedimentary materials of the Secondary Era.

Sedimentary basin: A significant accumulation of sediments due to erosion of the Earth's surface. Glacier: Thick ice mass that originates on the Earth's surface by compaction and recrystallization of snow. Terraced sedimentary basins: Small platforms or tables built in a river valley by the river sediments themselves. Marsh: A wetland ecosystem with herbaceous plants that grow in water.

Lagoon: A coastal lagoon of salt water or slightly brackish water, separated from the sea by a sandy tongue or string. Tombolo: Sedimentary landform such as a bar, forming a narrow strip of land between an island or a large rock off the coast and the mainland.