Global distribution and size of major stores of water Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the major stores of water?

A

sea ice, ice shelves, glaciers/ice sheets, snowfall, permafrost

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2
Q

What are the 4 major systems?

A

Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, Cryosphere, Atmosphere

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3
Q

What is the hydrosphere?

A

All of earth’s water including surface water, groundwater, snow and ice and water in the atmosphere.

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4
Q

What is the Lithosphere?

A

Water stored in rocks, soil.

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5
Q

What is the Cryosphere?

A

Frozen states: permafrost, snow and ice

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6
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

Water stored as vapour

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7
Q

Why is the Cryosphere important?

A
  • West America - 3/4 of water comes from snow melt
  • 1/5 of the lands surface is permafrost
  • Greenland’s ice sheet = 10% of earth’s ice
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8
Q

What percentage of water is saline?

A
  • saline water (oceans) 96.5%

- other saline water (salt water lakes) 0.9%

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9
Q

What percentage of water is found in rivers and lakes?

A

0.006%

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10
Q

Why is groundwater more important than glaciers, icecaps etc.?

A

it is found everywhere whereas glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets are in specific places.

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11
Q

What is an aquifer?

A

an underground layer of permeable rock which groundwater can be extracted from

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12
Q

Why are aquifers important?

A

30% of all fresh water is stored in rocks buried deep beneath the surface and are crucial for sustaining civilizations

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13
Q

Where are aquifers found?

A

arid regions of Africa, Middle East and Australia.

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14
Q

What can happen to aquifers?

A

Salt water intrusion can occur. this is where sea water has infiltrated into rocks often due to over abstraction.

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