4. Hydrological Cycle Flashcards
How much of the earth’s surface is water?
70-71%
What are glaciers?
large masses of land-based ice, usually found in mountains or near poles
Explain warming of the earth and the effects Greenland and Antarctica would have on the water levels.
- 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
Explain the division of water on Earth.
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%]
Explain the division of water among the lakes of the world.
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
Explain the relationship between Earth’s soil and water.
- it contains more freshwater than atmosphere [0.036%] and rivers [0.004%] combined
- amount of water held depends on texture, temperatures, and organic matter
What is transpiration?
a process of water movement through plants - leads to evaporation.
What is stomata?
water transpired through small pores in plants that must open up to take in CO2
What is evapotranspiration?
hydrologic cycle term used to describe the sum of evaporation and transpiration
What is ground water recharge?
downward motion of rain and snowmelt from surface to underground aquifers.
Draw the hydrological cycle
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What is residence time?
the average time a water molecule spends in a specific reservoir within the hydrological cycle
What are some examples of residence time?
- 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
What are factors that influence residence time?
wind speed, solar radiation, air temps, humidity
What boundary currents have the highest evaporation rates?
western boundary current
Explain atmospheric cooling.
for every 1C increase in temp, the atmosphere can hold 7% more water
What processes are able to cool moist air and cause condensation?
- 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
What is a rain shadow?
dry area n leeward (dry) side of a mountain range, acts as a physical barrier to the transport of moisture
What factors drive variations in temperatures?
latitude, altitude, and continentality
What is continentality?
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)
