Terrain

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Terrain

Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater

Underwater

Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river....
, the term bathymetry

Bathymetry

Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth, of the third dimension of lake or ocean floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry....
is used. Topography

Topography

Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, Natural satellite, and asteroids. It is also the description of such surface shapes and features ....
has recently become an additional synonym, though in many parts of the world it retains its original more general meaning of description of place.

Terrain is used as a general term in physical geography

Physical geography

Physical geography is one of the three major subfields of geography. Physical geography focuses on understanding the processes and patterns in the natural environment, as opposed to the cultural or built environment, the domain of human geography....
, referring to the lie of the land.

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Encyclopedia

Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater

Underwater

Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river....
, the term bathymetry

Bathymetry

Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth, of the third dimension of lake or ocean floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry....
is used. Topography

Topography

Physical geography

Elevation

The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, often the above mean sea level. Elevation, or geometric height, is mainly used when referring to points on the Earth's surface, while altitude or geopotential height is used for points above the surface, such as an aircraft in flight or a s...
, slope

Slope

Slope is used to describe the steepness, incline, gradient, or grade of a line . A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline. The slope is defined as the ratio of the "rise" divided by the "run" between two points on a line, or in other words, the ratio of the altitude change to the horizontal distance between any two point...
, and orientation of terrain features. Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect weather

Weather

Weather is a set of all the Phenomenon occurring in a given atmosphere at a given time. Weather phenomena lie in the hydrosphere and troposphere....
and climate

Climate

Climate encompasses the temperatures, humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other Meteorology elements in a given region over long periods of time, as opposed to the term weather, which refers to current activity of these same elements....
patterns.

Importance of terrain

The understanding of terrain is critical for many of reasons.

The terrain of a region largely determines its suitability for human settlement: flatter, alluvial plains tend to be better farming soils than steeper, rockier uplands.
In terms of environmental
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
quality, agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
, and hydrology
Hydrology

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both the hydrologic cycle and water resources....
, understanding the terrain of an area enables the understanding of watershed
Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean....
boundaries, drainage
Drainage

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and groundwater from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies....
characteristics, water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
movement, and impacts on water quality
Water quality

Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed....
. Complex arrays of relief data are used as input parameters for hydrology transport models (such as the SWMM or DSSAM Model
DSSAM Model

The DSSAM Model is a computer simulation developed for the Truckee River to analyze water pollution impacts from land use and wastewater management decisions in the Truckee River Basin, an area which include the cities of Reno, Nevada and Sparks, Nevada as well as the Lake Tahoe Basin....
s) to allow prediction of river water quality
Water pollution

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities, which can be harmful to organisms and plants that live in these water bodies....
.
Understanding terrain also supports on soil conservation
Soil conservation

Soil conservation is a set of management strategies for prevention of soil being erosion from the earth?s surface or becoming chemically altered by overuse, salinization, acidification, or other chemical soil contamination....
, especially in agriculture. Contour
Contour line

A contour line of a Function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value. In cartography, a contour line joins points of equal elevation above a given level, such as mean sea level....
plowing
Plough

The plough is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture....
is an established practice enabling sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals: natural environment stewardship, farm profitability, and prosperous farming community. These goals have been defined by a variety of List of academic disciplines and may be looked at from the vantage point of the farmer or the consumer....
on sloping land; it is the practice of plowing along lines of equal elevation instead of up and down a slope.
Terrain is militarily
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
critical because it determines the ability of armed forces
Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external and internal aggressors....
to take and hold areas, and to move troop
Troop

A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. A cavalry soldier of Private is called a Trooper ....
s and material into and through areas. An understanding of terrain is basic to both defensive and offensive strategy.
Terrain is important in determining weather
Weather

Weather is a set of all the Phenomenon occurring in a given atmosphere at a given time. Weather phenomena lie in the hydrosphere and troposphere....
patterns. Two areas close to each other geographically may differ radically in precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)

File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
levels or timing because of elevation differences or a "rain shadow
Rain shadow

For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow .A rain shadow or rainshadow, or more accurately, precipitation shadow, is a dry region of land that is leeward of a mountain range or other geographic feature, with respect to prevailing wind direction....
" effect.

Geomorphology

Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them. Geomorphologists seek to understand why landscapes look the way they do: to understand landform history and dynamics, and predict future changes through a combination of field observation, physical experiment, and numerical mathematical model....
is in large part the study of the formation of terrain or topography. Terrain is formed by intersecting processes:

Geological
Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
processes: migration of tectonic plate
Tectonic Plate

#REDIRECT Plate tectonics...
s, faulting and folding
Fold (geology)

The term fold is used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary Stratum, are bent or curved as a result of plastic deformation....
, volcanic eruptions
Erosional processes: water and wind erosion
Erosion

For morphological image processing operations, see Erosion 'For use of in dermatopathology, see Erosion Erosion is the removal of solids in the natural environment....
, landslides
Extraterrestrial: meteorite
Meteorite

A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earth's surface. While in space it is called a meteoroid....
impacts

Tectonic processes such as orogenies

Orogeny

Orogeny refers to natural mountain building, and may be studied as a tectonic structural event, as a geographical event, and a chronological event: orogenic events cause distinctive structural phenomena and related tectonic activity, affect certain regions of rocks and crust, and happen within a specific period of time....
cause land to be elevated, and erosional (and weathering

Weathering

Weathering is the decomposition of earth Rock , soils and their minerals through direct contact with the planet's atmosphere. Weathering occurs in situ, or "with no movement", and thus should not be confused with erosion, which involves the movement of rocks and minerals by agents such as water, ice, wind, and gravity....
) processes cause land to be worn away to lower elevations.

Land surface parameters are quantitative measures of various morphometric properties of a surface. The most common examples are used to derive slope

Slope

Aspect

Aspect may be:*Aspect , a feature that is linked to many parts of a program, but which is not necessarily the primary function of the program...
of a terrain or curvatures at each location. These measures can also be used to derive hydrological parameters

Hydrology

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both the hydrologic cycle and water resources....
that reflect flow/erosion processes. Climatic

Climate

Landform

In the earth sciences and geology sub-fields a landform or physical feature comprises a geomorphology unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography....
s are definite physical objects (lines, points, areas) that differ from the surrounding objects. The most typical examples are lines of watershed

Water divide

A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins . In hilly country, the divide lies along topography pyramidal peak and ridges, but in flat country the divide may be invisible – just a more or less notional line on the ground on either side of which falling...
s, stream

Stream

A stream is a body of water less than 60 feet wide with a current , confined within a stream bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as brook, beck, Burn , creek, crick, kill, lick , rill, river syke, bayou, rivu...
patterns, ridge

Ridge

A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size....
s, break-line

Fall line

In geomorphology, a fall line marks the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet. Technically, a fall line is an unconformity. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls....
s, pool

Stream pool

A stream pool, in hydrology, is a stretch of a river or stream in which the water depth is above average and the stream velocity is quite low. Such pools can be important for juvenile fish habitat, especially where many stream reaches attain high summer temperatures and very low flow dry season characteristics....
s, borders of specific landforms etc.

Terrain

Importance of terrain

Geomorphology

See also