Climate change impacts on the hydrological cycle globally/ locally - WATER CYCLE

Question 1

How could climate change affect the cycle?

Answer 1

1. If the cryosphere melts it causes, water to flood into glaciers and rivers and cause sea levels to rise therefore leading to climate change
2. Precipitation - Can reduce or increase sea levels - patterns change
3. Species migrate and cause less infiltration
4. Some aquifers will not recharge
5. Heatwaves - more evaporation in summer so water builds up in winter

Question 2

Precipitation

Answer 2

• Atmosphere is warmer so greater holding capacity
• Rainfall intensity increase in tropics and high latitude

Question 3

Evaporation and evapotranspiration

Answer 3

• Asia and North America likely to see increases evaporation.
• Transpiration is linked to vegetation

Question 4

Stores and flows

Answer 4

• Grounwater flow could be affected but uncertain due to human abstraction
• Glaciers likely to melt and will cause flood and then drought
• Overall storage likely to decrease
• Permafrost ( permanently froze) likely to melt
• Decrease in the length of snow cover season
• Ocean warming lead to more evaporation
• Ice melts, less abide ( reflectivity), less heat reflected allows the sea to wam up more

Question 5

Potential impacts of melting glaciers in the Himalayas CASE STUDY

Answer 5

• Threatens 2 billion people
• 10 river basins
• Food industry affected
• Electricity shortages
• 1/3 of glaciers will melt by end of the century
• Monsoon patterns changing affects river and agriculture systems
• Affects business in water industries
• Regions affected such as desh, Pakistan etc
• Climate refugees flee due to climate change
• Starvation

Question 6

Factors leading to diminishing water supply and increased uncertainty

Answer 6

• Increase in annual temperature
• Lead to greater evaporation from surface water and reservoir in summer, although spring discharge may increase
• Greater rates of evapotranspiration
• El Niño is leading to increasing unreliable patterns of rainfall
• More frequent cyclone and monsoon events threaten water supplies
• Increased intensity and frequency of droughts as a result of global warming
• decrease in rainfall
• loss of snow and glaciers as a store threatened many communities in mountain areas such as the Himalayas