Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word terra (the root of terrain) means "earth."
In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientation of terrain features. Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect weather and climate patterns.
The understanding of terrain is critical for many reasons:
The terrain of a region largely determines its suitability for human settlement: flatter alluvial plains tend to have better farming soils than steeper, rockier uplands.[1]
Understanding terrain also supports soil conservation, especially in agriculture. Contour ploughing is an established practice enabling sustainable agriculture on sloping land; it is the practice of ploughing along lines of equal elevation instead of up and down a slope.
Terrain is militarily critical because it determines the ability of armed forces to take and hold areas, and move troops and material into and through areas. An understanding of terrain is basic to both defensive and offensive strategy. The military usage of "terrain" is very broad, encompassing not only landform but land use and land cover, surface transport infrastructure, built structures and human geography, and, by extension under the term human terrain, even psychological, cultural, or economic factors.[4]
Terrain is important in determining weather patterns. Two areas geographically close to each other may differ radically in precipitation levels or timing because of elevation differences or a "rain shadow" effect.
Precise knowledge of terrain is vital in aviation, especially for low-flying routes and maneuvers (see terrain collision avoidance) and airport altitudes. Terrain will also affect range and performance of radars and terrestrial radio navigation systems. Furthermore, a hilly or mountainous terrain can strongly impact the implementation of a new aerodrome and the orientation of its runways.
Relief
Relief (or local relief) refers specifically to the quantitative measurement of vertical elevation change in a landscape. It is the difference between maximum and minimum elevations within a given area, usually of limited extent.[5] A relief can be described qualitatively, such as a "low relief" or "high relief" plain or upland. The relief of a landscape can change with the size of the area over which it is measured, making the definition of the scale over which it is measured very important. Because it is related to the slope of surfaces within the area of interest and to the gradient of any streams present, the relief of a landscape is a useful metric in the study of the Earth's surface. Relief energy, which may be defined inter alia as "the maximum height range in a regular grid",[6] is essentially an indication of the ruggedness or relative height of the terrain.
Geomorphology is in large part the study of the formation of terrain or topography. Terrain is formed by concurrent processes operating on the underlying geological structures over geological time:
Tectonic processes such as orogenies and uplifts cause land to be elevated, whereas erosional and weathering processes wear the land away by smoothing and reducing topographic features.[7] The relationship of erosion and tectonics rarely (if ever) reaches equilibrium.[8][9][10] These processes are also codependent, however the full range of their interactions is still a topic of debate.[11][12][13]
Land surface parameters are quantitative measures of various morphometric properties of a surface. The most common examples are used to derive slope or aspect of a terrain or curvatures at each location. These measures can also be used to derive hydrological parameters that reflect flow/erosion processes. Climatic parameters are based on the modelling of solar radiation or air flow.
Land surface objects, or landforms, are definite physical objects (lines, points, areas) that differ from the surrounding objects. The most typical examples airlines of watersheds, stream patterns, ridges, break-lines, pools or borders of specific landforms.
^Dwevedi, Alka; Kumar, Promod; Kumar, Pravita; Kumar, Yogendra; Sharma, Yogesh K.; Kayastha, Arvind M. (January 1, 2017). Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai (ed.). "15 - Soil sensors: detailed insight into research updates, significance, and future prospects". New Pesticides and Soil Sensors. Academic Press: 561–594. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804299-1.00016-3. ISBN978-0-12-804299-1. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
^Baker, N.T.; Capel, P.D. (2011). "Environmental factors that influence the location of crop agriculture in the conterminous United States". U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5108. U.S. Geological Survey. p. 72.
^Brush, L. M. (1961). Drainage basins, channels, and flow characteristics of selected streams in central Pennsylvania(PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. Washington D.C.: U.S. Geological Survey. pp. 1–44. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
^"Joint Publication 1-02" (PDF). Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. * "compartmentation ... [involves] areas bounded on at least two sides by terrain features such as woods..." * "culture — A feature of the terrain that has been constructed by man. Included are such items as roads, buildings, and canals; boundary lines; and, in a broad sense, all names and legends on a map." * "key terrain — Any locality, or area, the seizure or retention of which affords a marked advantage to either combatant." * "terrain intelligence — Intelligence on the military significance of natural and manmade characteristics of an area."
^Bollig, Michael; Bubenzer, Olaf, eds. (2009). African Landscapes: Interdisciplinary Approaches. Cologne: Springer. p. 48. ISBN9780387786827 – via Google Books.
^Strak, V.; Dominguez, S.; Petit, C.; Meyer, B.; Loget, N. (2011). "Interaction between normal fault slip and erosion on relief evolution; insights from experimental modelling" (PDF). Tectonophysics. 513 (1–4): 1–19. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2011.10.005.
^Gasparini, N.; Bras, R.; Whipple, K. (2006). "Numerical modeling of non–steady-state river profile evolution using a sediment-flux-dependent incision model. Special Paper". Geological Society of America. 398: 127–141. doi:10.1130/2006.2398(08).
^Roe, G.; Stolar, D.; Willett, S. (2006). "Response of a steady-state critical wedge orogen to changes in climate and tectonic forcing. Special Paper". Geological Society of America. 398: 227–239. doi:10.1130/2005.2398(13).
^Stolar, D.; Willett, S.; Roe, G. (2006). "Climatic and tectonic forcing of a critical orogen. Special Paper". Geological Society of America. 398: 241–250. doi:10.1130/2006.2398(14).
^Wobus, C.; Whipple, K.; Kirby, E.; Snyder, N.; Johnson, J.; Spyropolou, K.; Sheehan, D. (2006). "Tectonics from topography: Procedures, promise, and pitfalls. Special Paper". Geological Society of America. 398: 55–74. doi:10.1130/2006.2398(04).
^University of Cologne (23 August 2016). "New insights into the relationship between erosion and tectonics in the Himalayas". ScienceDaily.
^I. Balenovic, H. Marjanovic, D. Vuletic, etc. Quality assessment of high density digital surface model over different land cover classes. PERIODICUM BIOLOGORUM. VOL. 117, No 4, 459–470, 2015.
^(PDF). Severn Tidal Tributaries Catchment Flood Management Plan – Scoping Stage. UK: Environment Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-10.
Bibliography
Bonnet, C.; Malavieille, J.; Mosar, J. (2007). "Interactions between tectonics, erosion, and sedimentation during the recent evolution of the Alpine orogen: Analogue modeling insights" (PDF). Tectonics. 26 (TC6016). doi:10.1029/2006TC002048. S2CID 131347609.
Hoth, S.; Adam, J.; Kukowski, N.; Oncken, O. (2006). "Influence of erosion on the kinematics of bivergent orogens: Results from scaled sandbox simulations. Special Paper". Geological Society of America. 398: 201–225. doi:10.1130/2006.2398(12).
King, G.; Herman, F.; Guralnik, B. (2016). "Northward migration of the eastern himalayan syntaxis revealed by OSL thermochronometry". Science. 353 (6301): 800–804. doi:10.1126/science.aaf2637. PMID 27540169. S2CID 206647417.
Further reading
Boots on the ground. On military terrain from the perspective of the combat soldier. By Professor Derek Gregory
External links
Google Maps
Bing Maps
The dictionary definition of terrain at Wiktionary
February 04, 2023
terrain, other, uses, disambiguation, confused, with, terrane, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news,. For other uses see Terrain disambiguation Not to be confused with Terrane This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Terrain news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message Terrain or relief also topographical relief involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level The Latin word terra the root of terrain means earth Present day Earth altimetry and bathymetry Data from the National Geophysical Data Center s TerrainBase Digital Terrain Model Relief map of Sierra Nevada Spain A shaded and colored image i e terrain is enhanced of varied terrain from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission This shows elevation model of New Zealand s Alpine Fault running about 500 km 300 mi long The escarpment is flanked by a vast chain of hills between the fault and the mountains of New Zealand s Southern Alps Northeast is towards the top In physical geography terrain is the lay of the land This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation slope and orientation of terrain features Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution Over a large area it can affect weather and climate patterns Contents 1 Importance 2 Relief 3 Geomorphology 4 Digital terrain model 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Bibliography 7 Further reading 8 External linksImportance EditThe understanding of terrain is critical for many reasons The terrain of a region largely determines its suitability for human settlement flatter alluvial plains tend to have better farming soils than steeper rockier uplands 1 In terms of environmental quality agriculture hydrology and other interdisciplinary sciences 2 understanding the terrain of an area assists the understanding of watershed boundaries drainage characteristics 3 drainage systems groundwater systems water movement and impacts on water quality Complex arrays of relief data are used as input parameters for hydrology transport models such as the SWMM or DSSAM Models to allow prediction of river water quality Understanding terrain also supports soil conservation especially in agriculture Contour ploughing is an established practice enabling sustainable agriculture on sloping land it is the practice of ploughing along lines of equal elevation instead of up and down a slope Terrain is militarily critical because it determines the ability of armed forces to take and hold areas and move troops and material into and through areas An understanding of terrain is basic to both defensive and offensive strategy The military usage of terrain is very broad encompassing not only landform but land use and land cover surface transport infrastructure built structures and human geography and by extension under the term human terrain even psychological cultural or economic factors 4 Terrain is important in determining weather patterns Two areas geographically close to each other may differ radically in precipitation levels or timing because of elevation differences or a rain shadow effect Precise knowledge of terrain is vital in aviation especially for low flying routes and maneuvers see terrain collision avoidance and airport altitudes Terrain will also affect range and performance of radars and terrestrial radio navigation systems Furthermore a hilly or mountainous terrain can strongly impact the implementation of a new aerodrome and the orientation of its runways Relief EditRelief or local relief refers specifically to the quantitative measurement of vertical elevation change in a landscape It is the difference between maximum and minimum elevations within a given area usually of limited extent 5 A relief can be described qualitatively such as a low relief or high relief plain or upland The relief of a landscape can change with the size of the area over which it is measured making the definition of the scale over which it is measured very important Because it is related to the slope of surfaces within the area of interest and to the gradient of any streams present the relief of a landscape is a useful metric in the study of the Earth s surface Relief energy which may be defined inter alia as the maximum height range in a regular grid 6 is essentially an indication of the ruggedness or relative height of the terrain Geomorphology EditMain article Geomorphology Geomorphology is in large part the study of the formation of terrain or topography Terrain is formed by concurrent processes operating on the underlying geological structures over geological time Geological processes Migration of tectonic plates faulting and folding mountain formation volcanic eruptions etc Erosional processes glacial water wind chemical and gravitational mass movement such as landslides downhill creep flows slumps and rock falls Extraterrestrial meteorite impacts Tectonic processes such as orogenies and uplifts cause land to be elevated whereas erosional and weathering processes wear the land away by smoothing and reducing topographic features 7 The relationship of erosion and tectonics rarely if ever reaches equilibrium 8 9 10 These processes are also codependent however the full range of their interactions is still a topic of debate 11 12 13 Land surface parameters are quantitative measures of various morphometric properties of a surface The most common examples are used to derive slope or aspect of a terrain or curvatures at each location These measures can also be used to derive hydrological parameters that reflect flow erosion processes Climatic parameters are based on the modelling of solar radiation or air flow Land surface objects or landforms are definite physical objects lines points areas that differ from the surrounding objects The most typical examples airlines of watersheds stream patterns ridges break lines pools or borders of specific landforms Digital terrain model EditThis section is an excerpt from Digital elevation model edit 3D rendering of a DEM of Tithonium Chasma on Mars A digital elevation model DEM or digital surface model DSM is a 3D computer graphics representation of elevation data to represent terrain or overlaying objects commonly of a planet moon or asteroid A global DEM refers to a discrete global grid DEMs are used often in geographic information systems GIS and are the most common basis for digitally produced relief maps A digital terrain model DTM represents specifically the ground surface while DEM and DSM may represent tree top canopy or building roofs While a DSM may be useful for landscape modeling city modeling and visualization applications a DTM is often required for flood or drainage modeling land use studies 14 geological applications and other applications 15 and in planetary science See also EditApplications of global navigation satellite systems GNSS Cartographic relief depiction 2D relief map Geographic information system GIS Geomorphometry Hypsometry Isostasy Physical terrain model Relief ratio Subterranea Terrain awareness and warning system Terrane TopographyReferences Edit Dwevedi Alka Kumar Promod Kumar Pravita Kumar Yogendra Sharma Yogesh K Kayastha Arvind M January 1 2017 Grumezescu Alexandru Mihai ed 15 Soil sensors detailed insight into research updates significance and future prospects New Pesticides and Soil Sensors Academic Press 561 594 doi 10 1016 B978 0 12 804299 1 00016 3 ISBN 978 0 12 804299 1 Retrieved October 11 2022 Baker N T Capel P D 2011 Environmental factors that influence the location of crop agriculture in the conterminous United States U S Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011 5108 U S Geological Survey p 72 Brush L M 1961 Drainage basins channels and flow characteristics of selected streams in central Pennsylvania PDF U S Department of the Interior GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Washington D C U S Geological Survey pp 1 44 Retrieved October 29 2017 Joint Publication 1 02 PDF Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms compartmentation involves areas bounded on at least two sides by terrain features such as woods culture A feature of the terrain that has been constructed by man Included are such items as roads buildings and canals boundary lines and in a broad sense all names and legends on a map key terrain Any locality or area the seizure or retention of which affords a marked advantage to either combatant terrain intelligence Intelligence on the military significance of natural and manmade characteristics of an area Summerfield M A 1991 Global Geomorphology Pearson p 537 ISBN 9780582301566 Bollig Michael Bubenzer Olaf eds 2009 African Landscapes Interdisciplinary Approaches Cologne Springer p 48 ISBN 9780387786827 via Google Books Strak V Dominguez S Petit C Meyer B Loget N 2011 Interaction between normal fault slip and erosion on relief evolution insights from experimental modelling PDF Tectonophysics 513 1 4 1 19 doi 10 1016 j tecto 2011 10 005 Gasparini N Bras R Whipple K 2006 Numerical modeling of non steady state river profile evolution using a sediment flux dependent incision model Special Paper Geological Society of America 398 127 141 doi 10 1130 2006 2398 08 Roe G Stolar D Willett S 2006 Response of a steady state critical wedge orogen to changes in climate and tectonic forcing Special Paper Geological Society of America 398 227 239 doi 10 1130 2005 2398 13 Stolar D Willett S Roe G 2006 Climatic and tectonic forcing of a critical orogen Special Paper Geological Society of America 398 241 250 doi 10 1130 2006 2398 14 Wobus C Whipple K Kirby E Snyder N Johnson J Spyropolou K Sheehan D 2006 Tectonics from topography Procedures promise and pitfalls Special Paper Geological Society of America 398 55 74 doi 10 1130 2006 2398 04 Hoth et al 2006 pp 201 225 Bonnet Malavieille amp Mosar 2007 King Herman amp Guralnik 2016 pp 800 804 University of Cologne 23 August 2016 New insights into the relationship between erosion and tectonics in the Himalayas ScienceDaily I Balenovic H Marjanovic D Vuletic etc Quality assessment of high density digital surface model over different land cover classes PERIODICUM BIOLOGORUM VOL 117 No 4 459 470 2015 Appendix A Glossary and Acronyms PDF Severn Tidal Tributaries Catchment Flood Management Plan Scoping Stage UK Environment Agency Archived from the original PDF on 2007 07 10 Bibliography Edit Bonnet C Malavieille J Mosar J 2007 Interactions between tectonics erosion and sedimentation during the recent evolution of the Alpine orogen Analogue modeling insights PDF Tectonics 26 TC6016 doi 10 1029 2006TC002048 S2CID 131347609 Hoth S Adam J Kukowski N Oncken O 2006 Influence of erosion on the kinematics of bivergent orogens Results from scaled sandbox simulations Special Paper Geological Society of America 398 201 225 doi 10 1130 2006 2398 12 King G Herman F Guralnik B 2016 Northward migration of the eastern himalayan syntaxis revealed by OSL thermochronometry Science 353 6301 800 804 doi 10 1126 science aaf2637 PMID 27540169 S2CID 206647417 Further reading EditBoots on the ground On military terrain from the perspective of the combat soldier By Professor Derek GregoryExternal links EditGoogle Maps Bing Maps The dictionary definition of terrain at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Terrain amp oldid 1134923280, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
