What lakes and streams are around the Greenbelt/Lanham area?

Does my enquiry seem adequate?

• It is to have a minimum of 400 words and the focus is "The Geological Formation of the Matukutuki Valley". If you could advise any different wording or you think I could expand some of the points please tell me. The Geographic Formation of the Matukituki Valley How glaciers form and their role in shaping the valley. * Where and how glaciers form. * Their role in shaping the valley. * Their effects on local water sources. Glaciers are formed above the snow line at the top of the many peaks and mountains throughout the Matukutuki Valley, although they can form anywhere snow is present all year round. Over time, as snow build up in layers the combined weight cause it to compact and form the large block of ice typical of a glacier. Once formed, gravity and the shape of the land dictate where the glacier will go, as it moves, its immense weight and the strength of the ice will wear away at any rock it rubs against for sustained periods of time, this is what created the tall, steep walls seen in the valley today. Once a glacier can move no more and/or the temperature becomes high enough it will begin to melt, although this can take many hundreds, even thousands of years, glaciers can also end up this will carve out large craters called cirques, these can then fill up with the melted water from the glacier to form a lake called a tarn. A water source for local plants, animals and humans. How vegetation and water (rivers creeks & lakes) help to maintain the valleys ecosystem. * Vegetation's effects on the valley. * Water sources' effect on the valley. * How they interact with one another. The water sources throughout the valley (primarily the moving ones such as rivers and creeks) are vital to the plant and animal life in the region. They provide water to both, which is essential to their survival, and help to spread nutrients throughout the soil. Whether this be minerals released from the rocks that have been broken from the cliffs by freeze-thaw action, to be ground down by the running water, or nutrients deposited in it by plants and animals. This enriches the soil, keeping the plants that provide food and shelter for the animals healthy. Vegetation also has an important roll in maintaining the valley, providing food and shelter for animals and providing shade for small creeks and streams that may otherwise dry up, which would make survival for both the plants and animals nearby harder. The smaller plants also secure scree slopes with their roots, and over time the dead plant matter and soil that builds up will secure the slope, allowing larger plants to grow, further supporting the scree slopes and adding to the local forestation. The effects of global warming on the valley. * Effects on glaciers and other forms of ice. * Effects on eco-system. * Effects on water. Global warming is a problem for the valley, it could have some detrimental effects if left for too long. The heating will start to melt glaciers, the melt from these could start to flood the valley, and the increased temperature will make it harder for new glaciers to form. It will also reduce the amount of rain in the valley, as the moist air pushed up by the mountains will take longer to cool and release the moisture. Less rain will effect the average level of rivers and streams, inhibiting how many nutrients they can spread to plants. In turn, this could lead to less leaf cover for the creeks, further decreasing their average water level. The extra heat would also slow freeze-thaw action, a large part of shaping the valley. The weather's role in the valley. * Weather's role in forming glaciers. * Weather's role in freeze-thaw action * Weather's effects on water sources. The weather in the region is important for many of the factors shaping the valley. Glaciers could not form without snow building up year by year. The rain that hits the valley is important for the plants and animals in the area, providing them with water and increasing the local water sources height. It is also important for freeze-thaw action, the rain that fills the cracks in the rocks is what jacks them apart as it freezes, creating scree slopes and making up a large part of the soil once the fragments have been processed by the rivers and streams in the valley. How mountains benefit the valley. * Their effect on the wind and how this benefits the valley. * How they increase the likelihood of rain. The mountains in and around the valley act as a giant wind break, reducing the amount of wind that can sweep through the valley. This benefits the plants and animals in the area. They are also the cause of the extra rain in the region, as warm, moist air travels across the land it will hit the mountains, it will then start to rise cooling as it does so, since cold air can carry less moisture than warm air it will dump all of this into the valley as rain.

• Answer:

  Very Good, nothing to say, i think.