The assignment: For each process on the below bingo card:
denote the process you are reporting
provide a one sentence definition of process
show us the process (preferably a video narrated) in action (or a very well annotated photo or series of photos) from your own local field observations.
explain why you think it is that process
Snow (Precipitation)
Precipitation is when water falls back to land from clouds. When precipitation occurs as snow, the water is in a solid form (rain is the liquid form), as shown in the upper half of this photo from Mammoth, CA in October 2021. There is minimal snow accumulation in the bottom half of this photo as well.
Evaporation
Evaporation is when liquid changes state to a gas. When water on the land surface changes state to a gas, it typically becomes clouds, like the ones seen in this image in Mammoth, CA in October 2021.
Interception
Interception is when vegetation keeps precipitation from reaching the ground by trapping it with its leaves and structure. This is a redwood tree intercepting fog and rainfall in Redwood National Park in December of 2021.
Base Flow
Base flow is the lowest consistent flow of a stream or river, typically during the late summer months in snow melt dominated systems. Base flow can be set by upstream dam releases in impacted systems or be from underground springs that release water at a consistent rate all year. This is the Colorado River above the confluence with the Green River at its base flow of about 2,000 cfs in March 2022.
Snow Accumulation
Snow accumulation is when there is enough snow from a given storm on the ground to build up and persist for a longer time period than just the duration of the storm. This photo is showing a snow accumulation that is 'Baker' feet tall in Sun Valley, ID in winter of 2019.
Precipitation (drizzle)
Precipitation in the form of drizzle is a very light rain. Sometimes it feels like walking through a cloud. This image is from a drizzle event in Logan, UT in March of 2022. The clouds started low and rose throughout the event until there was no more precipitation.
Precipitation (Rain)
Precipitation in the form of rain is when clouds release water during a storm event. The video above shows a small rain event in Logan, UT in March of 2022.
Condensation
Condensation occurs when water vapor becomes a liquid. In the case of this photo (April 2022), the soil was watered and covered with plastic to increase the humidity and prevent moisture loss, which cause condensation to form on the plastic as the water tried to evaporate but was turned back into liquid when it contacted the plastic covering.