4. Hydrological Cycle

Question 1

How much of the earth’s surface is water?

Answer 1

70-71%

Question 2

What are glaciers?

Answer 2

large masses of land-based ice, usually found in mountains or near poles

Question 3

Explain warming of the earth and the effects Greenland and Antarctica would have on the water levels.

Answer 3

• Antarctica: at max. ice sheet is 4.7km (3 miles) thick, if melted 57m increase in water height.
• Greenland: ice sheet is fully above sea level, if melted 7m rise in water height

Question 4

Explain the division of water on Earth.

Answer 4

saltwater: 97.2%
freshwater: 2.8%
- ice caps and glaciers: 77% [2.15%]
- groundwater: 22% fresh [0.62%]
- surface water: 1% fresh [0.03%]
- saline lakes: 0.3% fresh [0.008%]
- freshwater lakes: 0.3% [0.009%]
- soil moisture: 0.3% [ 0.005%]
- atmosphere: 0.036% fresh [ 0.001%]
- rivers and streams: 0.004% fresh [0.0001%]

Question 5

Explain the division of water among the lakes of the world.

Answer 5

Great lakes contain over 70% of non-frozen surface water

• Africa’s great lakes contain 29% of total
  
  • Lake Albert, Lake Victoria, Lake Tengayika, Lake Malawi, Lake Mweru, and Lake Rukwa
• Great lakes of the US contain 21% of total
• Lake Baikal of Siberia/Russia contains 20% of total
  
  • largest and possibly oldest lake on Earth

Question 6

Explain the relationship between Earth’s soil and water.

Answer 6

• it contains more freshwater than atmosphere [0.036%] and rivers [0.004%] combined
• amount of water held depends on texture, temperatures, and organic matter

Question 7

What is transpiration?

Answer 7

a process of water movement through plants - leads to evaporation.

Question 8

What is stomata?

Answer 8

water transpired through small pores in plants that must open up to take in CO2

Question 9

What is evapotranspiration?

Answer 9

hydrologic cycle term used to describe the sum of evaporation and transpiration

Question 10

What is ground water recharge?

Answer 10

downward motion of rain and snowmelt from surface to underground aquifers.

Question 11

Draw the hydrological cycle

Answer 11

*

Question 12

What is residence time?

Answer 12

the average time a water molecule spends in a specific reservoir within the hydrological cycle

Question 13

What are some examples of residence time?

Answer 13

• atmosphere: 9 days
• soil: 1-2 months
• snow: 2-6 months
• glaciers: 20-100 years
• lakes: 50-100 years
• oceans: 3200 years
• groundwater: 10000 years
• Greenland & Antarctica: 20000 years

Question 14

What are factors that influence residence time?

Answer 14

wind speed, solar radiation, air temps, humidity

Question 15

What boundary currents have the highest evaporation rates?

Answer 15

western boundary current

Question 16

Explain atmospheric cooling.

Answer 16

for every 1C increase in temp, the atmosphere can hold 7% more water

Question 17

What processes are able to cool moist air and cause condensation?

Answer 17

• convective: heated surface
• frontal: cool air mass hits a warmer air mass
• orographic: warm moist air from ocean/lake cools and condenses as it goes up the side of a mountain, rains/snows and as front moves over top of mountain it becomes dry and sinks & warms

Question 18

What is a rain shadow?

Answer 18

dry area n leeward (dry) side of a mountain range, acts as a physical barrier to the transport of moisture

Question 19

What factors drive variations in temperatures?

Answer 19

latitude, altitude, and continentality

Question 20

What is continentality?

Answer 20

how far you are from the ocean, further from it = larger annual temp range
- highest temp range: higher latitudes north (on larger continents - ie. Asia and North America)