5.6

Question 1

How does climate change impact inputs and outputs?

Answer 1

Precipitation:
- northern areas rain falls instead of snow
- higher humidity creates higher likelihood of precipitation

Evaporation/evapotranspiration:
- increased over oceans and land ,especially over Asia and North America

Question 2

How does climate change impact stores?

Answer 2

water storage in ice and snow:
-glaciers and ice caps retreating
-amount of snow collecting is decreasing

Ground water storage:
-decreasing as less refilling, abstraction however makes it uncertain

Question 3

How does climate change impact flows?

Answer 3

surface runoff:
-more floods and droughts
-increased and less infiltration

stream flow:
-uneven precipitation makes river regimes unpredictable

soil moisture:
-some areas decreasing and increasing
-contrasting

water management:
-higher evapotranspiration and lower precipitation means less refilling

Question 4

How does ENSO cycles lead to uncertainty in the hydrological cycle?

Answer 4

• increase in temperature and evaporation/evapotranspiration in areas of high pressure
• less predictable
• increases intensity
• loss of snow impacts communities
• so significant as its the biggest climate system found
• more frequent change hydrological cycle entirely