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Geography Topic 5 - Water > EQ1- What Are Processes Operating In The Hydrological Cycle From Global To Local Scale > Flashcards

EQ1- What Are Processes Operating In The Hydrological Cycle From Global To Local Scale Flashcards

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1
Q

Define a closed system

A

When there is a transfer of energy between the system and its surrounding. There are no external inputs/outputs, any inputs come from within the system

The earths water is a closed system

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2
Q

Define flows (fluxes)

A

Measurements of the rate of flow between stores

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3
Q

Define Processes

A

Physical mechanisms such as evaporation that drive the flows pf water between the stores

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4
Q

Define Stores

A

Reservoirs where water is held e.g. oceans

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5
Q

Define Blue water

A

Water that is stored in rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater in liquid forms

Visible

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6
Q

Define green water

A

Water stored in the soil and vegetation

Invisible

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7
Q

What are the 4 different stores

A

Oceans
Cryosphere (ice and snow)
Terrestrial (where living things are)
Atmosphere

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8
Q

Describe the water store and residence time of oceans

A

96.9 % of worlds water store

3600 years of residence time

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9
Q

Describe the water store and residence time for the cryosphere

A

1.9% of water store
15,000 year residence time

(Precipitation falls as snow)

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10
Q

Describe the water store and residence time of terrestrial

A

1.1101 % of water store (made up of ground, surface, biosphere and soil)

1 week to 10,000 year residence time

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11
Q

Describe the water store and residence time of the atmosphere

A

0.01% of water store

10 days residence time

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12
Q

Describe the water cycle

flow

A

Precipitation
(Can lead to) Surface run off/Infiltration/percolation/groundwater flow
(Leads to) Evapotranspiration [through living things]/Evaporation/Cryospheric process [evaporation or sublimation]
(Leads to) Vapour transport (in clouds)

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13
Q

Define the cryosphere

A

Areas of the earth where water is frozen into snow/ice

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14
Q

Define residence time

A

The amount of time a water molecule will spend in a reservoir or store

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15
Q

What is fossil water

A

Deep groundwater from former pluvial (wetter) periods

Water is inaccessible

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16
Q

Define Precipitation

What is it

A

All the ways moisture comes out the atmosphere

Input

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17
Q

Define interception

What is it

A

Is when some precipitation lands on vegetation or other structures, before it reaches the soil. It is a temporary store because the water evaporates quickly

Store

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18
Q

Define surface storage

What is it

A

Includes water stored in puddles, ponds and lakes

Store

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19
Q

Define groundwater storage

What is it

A

Water stored in the ground, either in the soil or in rocks

Store

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20
Q

Define the water table

A

The top surface of the zone of saturation - the zone of soil or rock where all the pores in it are filled with water.

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21
Q

Define Aquifers

A

Porous rock that holds water

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22
Q

Define channel storage

What is it

A

Water held in a river or stream channel

Store

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23
Q

Define surface run off

What is it

A

Water flowing over land. It can be when it cannot infiltrate through the ground

Transfers

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24
Q

Define Throughfall

What is it

A

Water dripping from one leaf to another.
Also is water moving slowly downhill through soil.

Transfer

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25
Q

Define stemflow

What is it

A

Water running down a plant stem or tree

Transfers

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26
Q

Define Infiltration

What is it

A

Water soaking into the soil. Influenced by soil type, structure and how much water has already infiltrated the soil.

Transfers

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27
Q

Define Percolation

What is it

A

Water seeping down through soil into the water table

Transfer

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28
Q

Define Groundwater flow

A

Water flowing slowly below the water table and through the permeable rock

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29
Q

Define Channel flow

What is it

A

The water flowing in the river or stream. Also called the rivers discharge

Transfer

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30
Q

Define evaporation

What is it

A

Water turning into water vapour

Output

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31
Q

Define transpiration

A

Evaporation from plant leaves, it takes water through the roots to the leaves.

Output

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32
Q

How does solar energy and GPE drive the global hydrological cycle

A

Solar energy causes evaporation and transpiration

GPE keeps the water moving through the system

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33
Q

What is the global water budget

A

The annual balance of water fluxes and the size of the water stores

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34
Q

What does non renewable water mean

A

Means some water stores are non replenishable

Climate change is causing water in the cryosphere to melt and be lost

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35
Q

Why can we only access a small amount of the earths water

A

The majority of our water is salinated, meaning it cannot be used.

Water stored in aquifers, soil moisture and glaciers are unavailable with the technology we currently have

36
Q

What are the main impacts on the drainage basin : inputs

A

Amount of precipitation (impacts discharge)
Type of precipitation (rain,snow or hail)
Seasonality(seasonal patterns)
Intensity of precipitation
Variability (secular long term, periodic seasonal or stochastic random
Distribution of precipitation within a basin

37
Q

What are the main impacts on the drainage basin : outputs

A

Evapotranspiration

Channel flow

38
Q

How does evapotranspiration impact the drainage basin

4 factors

A

Temperature - increase of temperature (solar energy) increases evaporation rate
Wind - reduces the relative humidity and prevents saturation of air so evaporation increases
Vegetation cover - transpiration will increase with increased vegetation cover
Soil moisture content- determines the amount of water available for transpiration

39
Q

How does channel flow effect the drainage basin

A

Dependent on the amount of precipitation falling directly into the channel and other transfers. Intense rainfall and increases in transfers increases the channel flow

40
Q

What are the three inputs into the drainage basin

A

Convection rainfall
Frontal (cyclonic) rainfall
Orographic (relief) rainfall

41
Q

Describe how convection rainfall works

A

Happens in warmer areas where it heats the air above it.
The heated air rises and condensates and cool air rushes in to replace the warmer air.
This forms cumulonimbus clouds

42
Q

Describe frontal (cyclonic) rainfall

A

There are warm fronts and cold fronts
Warm air is forced to rise when undercut by colder air
It expands, cools and condensates forming cumulonimbus clouds

43
Q

Describe how orographic (relief) rainfall works

A

Happens in mountainous areas where warm air is forced to rise over it.
Air cools and condensates, rain occurs and is more intense of high land
In flatter land a rain shadow forms where there is no rain

44
Q

What are the factors which effect flows in the drainage basin: stores and transfers

A

Infiltration
Interception
Surface run off
Percolation and groundwater flow

45
Q

How does Infiltration rates effect the drainage basin

A

Precipitation directly infiltrates into the ground
Dry soil or frozen soil means infiltration cannot happen
Previous wet conditions means soil may be over saturated so infiltration does not occur

46
Q

How does interception effect the drainage basin

A

More solar energy means water is quickly evaporated
Different types of precipitation like snow may be too heavy for some trees, only coniferous tress could deal with intense snowfall
Intense rainfall may mean some crops are not strong enough to intercept precipitation.

47
Q

How does surface run off effect flows in the drainage basin

A

Intense torrential storms cause infiltration rates to exceed so more surface run off
High surface run off rates can cause high channel storage and high soil erosion and sediment erosion

48
Q

How does percolation and groundwater flow effect flows in the drainage basin

A

Different types of rock can effect percolation - impermeable rock means no percolation, permeable rock has more pore spaces so percolation can happen
A steeper gradient allows groundwater flow to increase

49
Q

What are the human disruptions that effect the inputs in the drainage basin

Explain it and give an example

A

Cloud seeding- Is when water is heated to force it to rise and condensate, it changes the amount/type of precipitation

An example is in China where they used cloud seeding to create rain to clear the air pollution

50
Q

What are the human disruptions that effect the output in the drainage basin

Give an example of it and explain it

A

Dam construction - Increase the surface water stores and evaporation and reduce downstream river discharge

The Lake Vassar in Egypt had huge evaporation losses due to the Aswan Dam

51
Q

Name the human disruptions which effect the stores/transfers of the drainage basin

A 
Deforestation
Afforestation 
Urbanisation
Groundwater Abstraction 
Arable and pastoral farming
52
Q

Explain Arable and pastoral farming and how it effects the drainage basin

A

Causes an increase in surface run off as there is no interception and reduces infiltration as soil quality is poor

53
Q 
Explain :
i. Deforestation 
ii. Urbanisation
iii. Afforestation 
As how these human disruptions effect the drainage basin
A

Deforestation - Causes an increase in surface run off and a decrease in interception, water infiltrates quicker
Afforestation - causes a decrease in surface run off as there is more interception, increases transpiration
Urbanisation- Increases surface run off and storage as water cannot infiltrate through impermeable surfaces, seen in London

54
Q

Explain Groundwater Abstraction and how it can effect the drainage basin

Give an example

A

Caused by groundwater being extracted from aquifers faster than its replaced, causing reduced groundwater flow

Seen in China for industrial processes

55
Q

Define water budget

A

Reflects the natural annual balance between inputs and outputs in a given river area

56
Q

What is the formula for precipitation

A

Precipitation (p) =Channel discharge (Q) + Evapotranspiration
+- channel in store

57
Q

What is field capacity

A

The normal amount of water that can be held in the soil

58
Q

What is potential evapotranspiration

A

Is the amount of water that could be lost by evapotranspiration if there was sufficient moisture available

59
Q

What is actual evapotranspiration

A

The amount of water that is lost through transpiration and evaporation to the atmosphere

60
Q

What is soil moisture surplus

What is the relationship between precipitation and evapotranspiration

A

Occurs when the soil moisture store is full and there is excess water available for plants, runoff and recharge

Evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation

61
Q

What is soil moisture utilisation

What is the relationship between precipitation and evapotranspiration

A

Occurs when moisture from the soil stores is being used by vegetation/humans

Precipitation is less than Evapotranspiration

62
Q

What is soil moisture recharge

What is the relationship between precipitation and evapotranspiration

A

Occurs when moisture from precipitation infiltrates and percolates in the stores to repay the soil moisture utilisation/deficit

Precipitation is greater than evapotranspiration

63
Q

What is soil moisture deficit

What is the relationship between precipitation and evapotranspiration

A

There is not enough water left in the soil to match potential.

Evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation for a prolonged period of time

64
Q

What do water budget graphs provide

A

A direct comparison of natural water supply and demand and the impact it has on soil water availability

65
Q

How could less rain in the winter effect the water budget graph

A

Mean soil has not reached full full field capacity
Less soil moisture surplus
Soil moisture deficit may be earlier than normal

66
Q

How could cooler weather in the summer effect the water budget graph

A

Less actual evapotranspiration
Less soil utilisation
Take longer to reach soil moisture deficit

67
Q

How would the water budget graph for the UK look

A

General constant level of precipitation with a slight dip in the summer months
Big build up of evapotranspiration and reaches maximum in July
There is a soil moisture surplus between October - March
Soil moisture surplus May - August

68
Q

How would the water budget graph look for Alaska (polar climate)

A

High build up of precipitation until July and August
High evapotranspiration in July
Soil moisture surplus from september - march
Soil moisture deficit from April- August

69
Q

How would the water budget look for Egypt (warm climate)

A

High soil moisture deficit all year round
Low precipitation levels
High evapotranspiration levels

70
Q

What challenges do humans face in the UK’s water budget

A

Soil moisture deficit in Summer months

71
Q

What challenges do humans face with Alaska’s water budget

A

No evapotranspiration from october to april meaning it can be hard for vegetation to survive

72
Q

What challenges do humans face for Cairo’s water budget

A

High soil moisture deficit and low soil moisture recharge

73
Q

Define River Regimes

A

Indicate the annual variation of the discharge of a river at a particular point and is measured in cumecs

74
Q

Explain the factors which effect the nature of a rivers regime (7)

A

The size of a river
Amount, pattern and intensity of precipitation
Temperature
The geology and soils (porosity and permeability)
Amount of vegetation cover
Human activities
Climate

75
Q

What is a simple river regime

A

Where a river experiences a period of seasonally high discharge followed by low discharge.

An example are rivers within temperate climates, which rise in mountainous regions where summer snowmelt occurs.

76
Q

What is a complex river regime

A

These are where large rivers cross several different relief and climate zones, and therefore experience the effects of different seasonal climatic events.

E,g, The Mississippi River

77
Q

What is a storm hydrograph

What do there shape depend on

A

A graph showing variation in discharge of water at a given point over a short period of time , normally an individual storm

77
Q

What do storm hydrographs shape depend on

A

Storm hydrographs shape depends on physical factors of the drainage basin (size, shape, drainage density, rock type, soil, relief and vegetation) as well as human factors (land use and urbanisation)

77
Q

How does land use effect the hydrological cycle and hydrograph

A

Decrease in evapotranspiration because there is less vegetation in urban areas. This decreases the lag time.

Increase in surface run off due to no infiltration and percolation in urban areas with impermeable concrete. This increases peak discharge and storm flow.

Decrease in infiltration and percolation which causes a decrease in lag time and high peak discharge

78
Q

What is a sustainable drainage system

Give examples

A

Prevents surface water flooding as flow rates are decreased and water storage capacity is increased

Examples:
Permeable pavements (gaps to allow infiltration)
Wetlands (retention areas like wetland bogs)
Soak away (disperses surface water into the ground)
Detention basins (delay storm run off)

79
Q

What is base flow

A

When a river flows normally

80
Q

What is rising limb

A

Increase in discharge in response to surface run off and through flow , until peak discharge is reached

81
Q

What is peak discharge

A

The maximum discharge by a river in response to a rainfall event

82
Q

What is bankfull discharge

A

When a rivers water level reaches full capacity

83
Q

What is falling limb

A

The decline in discharge that occurs after peak discharge

84
Q

What is lag time

A

The difference in time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

85
Q

What is the approach segment

A

Shows the discharge of a river before the storm

Geography Topic 5 - Water (3 decks)

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