cascading system

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 605 words | Copyright

cascading system In geomorphology, a type of dynamic system characterized by the transfer of mass and energy along a chain of component subsystems, such that the output from one subsystem becomes the input for the adjacent subsystem. An example is the valley glacier, where the inputs of snowfall and rock debris from the slopes above, and potential energy (derived from elevation) are cascaded through a sequence of climatic environments with a progressive reduction in mass and dissipation of energy, the output from the glacier being sediment and water which form the input to the proglacial subsystem.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "cascading system." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "cascading system." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-cascadingsystem.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "cascading system." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-cascadingsystem.html

Learn more about citation styles