1.c. the water cycles have distinctive processes and pathways that operate within them

Question 1

evaporation

Answer 1

When water changes state from a liquid to gas (usually due to heating)
- Latent heat is taken in

Factors that affect the rates:
Temperature -> warmer it is -> more evaporation

Humidity -> more humid it is -> air is already saturated -> no concentration gradient > less evaporation

Wind -> winds can blow saturated air out of an environment -> and bring in unsaturated air -> increasing evaporation

Question 2

transpiration

Answer 2

When water changes state from a liquid to gas via vegetation

Factors that affect rates:

Same as evaporation-
Temperature -> warmer it is -> more transpiration
Humidity -> more humid it is -> air is already saturated -> no concentration gradient -> less transpiration
Wind -> winds can blow saturated air out of an environment -> and bring in unsaturated air -> increasing transpiration

Others-
SA of vegetation -> more exposure to air -> more transpiration
Amount of vegetation -> more transpiration
Type of vegetation -> evergreen trees vs deciduous trees -> yearly transpiration in evergreen vs none in winter months in deciduous

Question 3

condensation (including cloud formation)

Answer 3

When water changes state from a gas to liquid (usually due to cooling)
- Latent heat is given off

• Adiabatic lapse rates (DALR and SALR)
• Types of clouds (Cumuliform, Stratiform, Cirrus, Advection fog)
• Cloud formation

Air rises -> air cools with altitude -> air CONDENSES when DEW POINT is reached -> clouds form

Question 4

precipitation (including causes of precipitation)

Answer 4

Convectional rainfall
Sun heats earths surface -> air is heated and rises -> clouds form

Spatial variation- mostly in warmer places near the topics
Temporal variation- in summer seasons

Relief rainfall
Air is forced to rise over a mountain -> clouds form-> often dry conditions on the other side

Frontal rainfall
Where a warm and cold air mass meet -> hot air rises above -> clouds form

Spatial variation- found in mid-latitudes e.g. England

Question 5

interception

Answer 5

The process by which vegetation catches + stores rainfall before reaching the surface

Factors that affect rates- (same as others)
SA of vegetation -> more surface to intercept rainfall
Amount of vegetation -> thicker + denser vegetation e.g. forests intercept more effectively than grass -> more throughfall including stem flow + leaf drip
Type of vegetation -> evergreen trees vs deciduous trees -> yearly interception in evergreen vs none in winter months in deciduous trees

Question 6

ablation

Answer 6

snow melt

Question 7

runoff (including overland flow and saturated overland flow)

Answer 7

Surface runoff-
Water travelling across the earth’s surface -> and into the river

Factors that affect rates-
- Soil/ rock permeability

Question 8

catchment hydrology (including infiltration, percolation, through flow, groundwater flow and cryospheric processes)

Answer 8

Infiltration
The process by which water moves from the surface down into the soil by gravity

Factors that affect rates-

Type/ permeability of soil
-> clay -> fewer air spaces -> more compact when wet -> less infiltration
-> sandy -> more air spaces -> more infiltration

Antecedent conditions -> if soil is
-> saturated from last rainfall event
-> frozen solid from low temps
-> baked dry by hot, dry temps
-> less infiltration

Soil depth
-> deep soils -> greater capacity -> more infiltration
-> shallow thin soils -> less capacity -> less infiltration

Percolation-
The process by which water moves from the soil down into the ground rock by gravity

Factors that affect rates-
- Rock permeability

Throughflow-
The horizontal movement of water through the soil

Factors that affect rates-
- Soil permeability

Groundwater flow-
The horizontal movement of water through the ground rock

Factors that affect rates-
- Rock permeability

Cyospheric processess-

Ablation -> snow melt

Accumulation -> the growth of ice

Sublimation -> water changing straight from a solid to gas