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geography > earths support systems and lifecycles > Flashcards

earths support systems and lifecycles Flashcards

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1
Q

what is the lithosphere

A

the rocky outer part of the earth

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2
Q

what is the hydrosphere

A

all the water on or close to the Earths surface

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3
Q

what is the cryosphere

A

all the water frozen in glaciers and icecaps

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4
Q

what is the global water cycle

A

the constant recycling of the earths water

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5
Q

what are the main stores of the earths water

A

oceanic water
ice caps and glaciers
groundwater

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6
Q

what is evaporation an example of

A

flows of water between stores

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7
Q

what is surface runoff

A

where water flows on land

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8
Q

what is infiltration

A

when water enters the soils

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9
Q

what is throughflow

A

water moving through soil downhill

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10
Q

name examples of 3 transfers of water between stores

A

throughflow, evaporation transpiration

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11
Q

what is the cryosphere

A

the frozen water part of the hydrosphere

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12
Q

name an example of an input into a glacial system

A

direct snowfall

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13
Q

what is the earths atmosphere mostly made up of

A

nitrogen

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14
Q

what is the atmospheric heat budget

A

balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation from the earth

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15
Q

what is the biosphere

A

the worldwide sum of all living things

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16
Q

why is water so important overall

A

it provides a medium that allows organic molecules to mix and form complex structures

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17
Q

name 3 examples of why water is useful

A
  • crucial for growth and reproduction of living things

plants use water in many processes eg respiration and photosynthesis

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18
Q

how is water important economically

A

helps generate electricity and irrigate crops

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19
Q

is the global water cycle an open or closed system

A

closed

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20
Q

why is the global water cycle a closed system

A

it has no inputs or outputs of matter only energy

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21
Q

are drainage basins open or closed systems

A

open

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22
Q

name 2 inputs into drainage basins

A

sunlight
precipitation

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23
Q

name 2 outputs into drainage basins

A

kinetic and heat energy
evapotranspiration

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24
Q

what is a drainage basin

A

the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

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25
Q

what is a confluence

A

where a river and a tributary join

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26
Q

what is interception storage

A

where vegetation temporarily stops precipitation from reaching the ground

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27
Q

name 3 factors which affect interception rates

A

wind speed

vegetation type

tree species

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28
Q

what is throughfall

A

when intercepted water reaches the ground by flowing down branches or dripping down leaves

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29
Q

what is secondary interception

A

when a lower layer of vegetation intercepts the water that has fallen from a higher level

30
Q

when does infiltration occur

A

when water soaks in to the soul from surface storage due to gravity

31
Q

what does porosity mean

A

how much of a rock has space between grains and joints

32
Q

what does permeability mean

A

measure of the ease which water can move through a rock

33
Q

what kind of rock can water move through easily

A

coarse grained sand

34
Q

when does infiltration excess overland flow occur

A

when precipitation intensity is greater then the maximum rate soil can absorb water

35
Q

when does saturation overland flow occur

A

when the soil has been saturated by earlier rainfall and the water rises back up to the surface

36
Q

why is there an increased risk of overland flow in urban areas

A

there is buildings over the permeable surfaces preventing infiltration

37
Q

name the 2 main types of storage

A

soil moisture storage and vegetation storage

38
Q

what is percolation

A

the continued downward movement of water to the underlying rock beneath the ground

39
Q

what is the water table

A

the upper limit of saturated layer of ground

40
Q

where is water stored in groundwater storage

A

beneath the water table in aquifers

41
Q

what is groundwater leakage

A

when water gets transferred between drainage basins

42
Q

Name 2 short term diurnal factors that affect evaporation

A

Day
- higher temps
-more evaporation

Night
-lower temps
-less evaporation

43
Q

Name 2 short term seasonal factors that affect evaporation

A

Summer
-higher temps
-more evaporation

Winter
-lower temperatures
-less evaporation

44
Q

Name 2 long term climate change factors that affect evaporation

A

Interglacials
-higher temps
-more evaporation

Glacials
-lower temps
-less evaporation

45
Q

How does long and short term factors affecting evaporation differ in certain areas

A

Uk has significant daily and seasonal changes to climate
Amazon rainforest has minimal seasonal differences
Artic tundra has massive seasonal differences

46
Q

Name an example of why carbon is a good economic resource

A

-contained in fossil fuels

47
Q

Carbon contributes to what affect

A

The greenhouse gas affect

48
Q

In the deep slow carbon cycle what occurs

A

Volcanic activity returns carbon subducted millions of ys ago to the atmosphere which is then taken from the atmosphere by precipitation and marine organisms then construct shells

49
Q

What happens to carbon dioxide during glacials

A

It is trapped in the ice reducing levels

50
Q

What happens to co2 levels during interglacials

A

Temps are warmer and there is more co2 in the atmosphere

51
Q

how does being far from the equator affect the water cycle

A

it is cooler so less evaporation and precipitation eg in polar and tundra

larger seasonal differences

lower NPP due to less transpiration

52
Q

how does being close to the equator affect the water cycle

A

warmer so more evaporation and precipitation

smaller seasonal differences in temp

higher NPP

53
Q

how does having a low altitude v high affect the water cycle

A

at low altitudes
-evaporation increases
-transpiration increases
-precipitation increases

54
Q

when do adiabatic temp changes occur

A

in a parcel of air without the addition or subtraction of heat energy

55
Q

what happens as air rises

A

it expands
adiabatic cooling happens and temp of air parcel decreases

56
Q

what happens as air falls

A

it sinks and is compressed
adiabatic warming occurs and temp of air parcel increases

57
Q

what affect does irrigation have on the water cycle

A

diverts waters from rivers back onto land instead of sea

most is lost to evaporation

58
Q

what affect does ploughing have to water cycle

A

act as a drainage channel which accelerates runoff increasing evaporation

59
Q

what affect does deforestation have on the water cycle

A

reduces interception and evapotranspiration

60
Q

what is the difference between extensive and localised deforestation

A

extensive is 50-100% of the catchment and localised is less than 20

61
Q

how has water extraction in kennet impacted the regional water cycle

A
  • rates of extraction have exceeded rates of recharge reducing flows in the river by 10-14%
    -lower flooding levels in kennets floorplan
62
Q

how does the positive atmospheric feedback loop work

A

global temps increase

evaporation increases

atmosphere holds more water vapour

water vapour is a greenhouse gas so temps increased more

63
Q

how does the negative atmospheric feedback loop work

A

global temps increase

evaporation increases

increased cloud cover

more solar radiation is reflected

so global temps fall

64
Q

what kind of rock is the amazon made up of

A

impermeable rock so it has minimal water storage capacity

65
Q

what impacts has deforestation had on the amazon

A

fewer trees extract moisture from soil

less humid as less transpiration

soil is exposed to the sun and will become dry

66
Q

what impacts has deforestation had on the carbon cycle

A

plant and animal respiration drops to zero

photosynthesis ceases

lack of organic matter returned to soil

67
Q

how has legeslation helped the amazon

A

the amazon region of protected areas cover an area twenty times the size of belgium

68
Q

what has brazil promised to do to its degraded areas

A

planning to restoring 120,00km of rainforest by 2030

69
Q

what did oil and gas infrastructure do to permafrost and why

A

melts it

infrastructure diffuses heat into environment
dust on the road creates darker surfaces reducing albido
removal of vegetation which insulates permafrost

70
Q

what has resulted from melting of permafrost in the artic

A

increased runoff
increased river discharge

drainage networks are disrupted by construction and seismic explosions

geography (9 decks)

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