2.1.1: Concepts of system and mass balance Flashcards
How much water in the earth-atmosphere system
fixed amount
Store
A reservoir where water is held such as the ocean or the ice caps
Flow
movement, transfers or flux between stores in a system
Closed system
No flows operating across the system boundary
Hydrological cycle system type
closed system
Mass balance
The amount of mass in a system doesn’t change but could change state
Fresh water stores
5
ground water biosphere rivers and lakes clouds/ atmosphere ice
Biosphere
flora and fauna
Cryosphere
The proportion of global water stored as ice.
Largest fresh water store
and %
cryosphere
68%
Type of cryospheric water
5
permafrost sea ice ice caps ice sheets alpine glaciers
Example of permafrost
The Alaska north slope
Example of sea ice
The Ross ice shelf
Example of ice caps
The Iceland ice cap
Example of ice sheets
The Greenland ice sheet
Example of alpine glaciers
Mer de Glace, France
Accumulation
cryospheric
During the winter months in mountainous regions glaciers will in size. When it snows, the snow accumulates on the glaciers and forms new ice.
Ablation
and cause
During the summer months, glaciers will melt (ablation) causing the cryosphere to decrease in size
Steady-state equilibrium
in terms of ice
Balance between accumulation and ablation over time.
Anthropogenic
Caused by humans
Seasonal changes
3
Accumulation
Ablation
Steady-state equilibrium
Long term changes
2
plate movements
milankovitch cycles
Milankovitch cycles
Orbital cycles
How many milankovitch cycles
3
