Geography

#1426 What causes rogue waves?

What causes rogue waves? There are many reasons why rogue waves can form but three of the most common theories are modulational instability, constructive interference, and another current. Tsunamis can be thought to be rogue waves, but they aren’t. They have a much longer wavelength. The majority of the waves in the sea are caused […]

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#1406 What is the Sargasso Sea?

What is the Sargasso Sea? The Sargasso Sea is the only sea in the world that doesn’t have any land borders. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean and has an area of 3.5 million square kilometers. That makes it roughly 3% of the Atlantic Ocean. The Sargasso Sea is bordered by four ocean currents.

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#1397 What is a steppe?

What is a steppe? A steppe is a dry, grassy plain that is found in a temperate climate. It is one of the many biomes on Earth. The word “steppe” comes from the Russian word “step” (степь), which means low lying land. It came into English through German. In Russian, it us pronounced stjepj, and

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#1396 Why is Jakarta sinking?

Why is Jakarta sinking? Jakarta is sinking by as much as 30 cm a year in some places, and the cause is overextraction of groundwater. Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, and home to 11.3 million people, which is roughly 4% of all Indonesians. It is on the northwest coast of Java and is

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#1376 Why do geysers form?

Why do geysers form? Geysers form where the groundwater is heated by geothermal vents until it boils. This steam builds up until the pressure is too great and it erupts out through weak points in the rock. The word geyser comes from the name of a geyser in Iceland back in 1780. It was called

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#1371 What causes a heat island?

What causes a heat island? A heat island is caused by cities because they absorb more heat and produce more heat than rural areas. Heat islands are more commonly known as urban heat islands because they happen in urban areas. Before we look at what causes them, let’s look at urban areas themselves. The first

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#1361 What is continentality?

What is continentality? Continentality is the condition of being in the center of a large landmass, which makes summers much hotter and winters much colder than other places. Anybody who lives in the center of a large landmass will notice that the temperatures in the summer are higher and the temperatures in the winter are

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