Definitions Flashcards
Watershed modelling
processing and analysis of raw data to understand and predict spatial and temporal hydrologic changes at some scale
used for policies, decisions, and monitoring
hydrological cycle
interactions an dprocesses of water throughout the environment
includes surface runoff, aquifers, groundwater, infiltration, etc
Blue water
- physical, liquid water
- aquifers and rivers
- pumpable and usable
Green water
Flow: transpiration and evaporation
Storage: soil moisture and water supply in vegetation
Internal
generated inside a catchment
internal renewable
average annual flow of rivers and recharge of aquifers generated within a jurisdiction
external
generated outside of a catchment, whether flowing in or out
renewable
- based on precipitation or snowmelt
- rainfall, snowfall, snowmelt
- 0.4% of world’s water supply
fossil water
- non renewable
- glaciers, ice, permafrost, groundwater feeding rivers
- 99.6% of world water supply
not fed by precipitation or snowmelt
natural
internal and external renewable water
actual
internal and external water resources plus anthropegnic impact
internal water resources + inflow - outflow
return flow
groundwater (or aquifer water) above the river bed that returns to the surface
- allows rivers to flow without precipitation
catchment/watershed
highest elevation that can drain into that catchment/basin
large scale, not political borders
field scale
small scale
groundwater models
concern surface hydrologic processes
groundwater feeding rivers
river fed by high groundwater/aquifer levels and not precipitation or melt
return flow fed
groundwater levels are higher than the base of the river bed so it seeps out into the river
evaporation
water loss directly from soil or body of water
overland process
(evapo)transpiration
water loss from vegetation
overland process
infiltration
saturation of water into the ground
into soil, rivers, lakes, groundwater, plants, etc
overland process
soil-plant-forest interactions
hydrologic interactions between the ground and vegetation
surface runoff, transpiration rate, infiltration rate, etc
lateral/subsurface flow
unsatured zone becomes saturated and water flows below ground
not groundwater or return flow but can feed rivers
overland process
groundwater recharge/percolation
water infiltrates and percolates down into deep or shallow aquifers, refillng them
recharged aquifers can feed a river - return flow
overland process
internal overlap
overlap between groundwater and surface water calculations
auqifers can feed rivers so you shouldn’t include same amount of water twice
dependency ratio
- total renewable resources originating outside the country
- total actual external/total actual * 100 = DR
higher DR=lower security
water scarcity
when an individual does not have access to enough safe and affordable water to meet all their needs
but no actual commonly accepted definition
aquifer
permeable rock/sediment that can contain or transmit groundwater
groundwater
- water held underground in soil, pores, crevices in rock
- saturated zones underground
