Hydrosphere
Water — the fundamental ingredient of life on Earth.
Streams and Groundwater
Streams and groundwater are absolutely vital sources of freshwater on Earth and have huge impacts on other landscapes such as mountains and valleys. This handout will outline the key concepts regarding this topic, and it also serves as an excellent study guide for the Dynamic Planet Science Olympiad event.
Deserts and Glaciers
Deserts and glaciers are two seemingly contrasting topics that actually have a lot in common. Deserts are landscapes that are classified as having very little precipitation, regardless of the temperature; glaciers are massive sheets of ice that form in places where snow is able to accumulate over time. You'll learn more about these two topics in this handout.
Ocean Circulation
Ocean circulation is a key component of physical oceanography that is all about air-sea interactions. Many meteorology concepts will appear and it is recommended that one is familiar with some atmospheric concepts beforehand.
Waves and Water Dynamics
Aside from pure oceanography, wave motion, and wave physics are key to understanding micro-, macro-, and planetary-sized wave motion (tsunamis). This handout covers advanced waves and water dynamics topics that can get a bit math heavy, such as Langmuir circulation and wave physics.
Beaches and Shorelines
In this handout, we will dive deep into everything related to the shoreline, such as key shoreline features, sand movements, and different bodies of water. The study of the shore allows us to learn how the ocean interacts with the land, and sphere-to-sphere interactions like this are critical for earth scientists and students alike to understand.