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THE WATER CYCLE AND WATER INSECURITY > EQ1: What are the processes operating within the hydrological cycle from global to local scale? > Flashcards

EQ1: What are the processes operating within the hydrological cycle from global to local scale? Flashcards

1
Q

What is essential to life on Earth?

A

Water

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2
Q

What kind of resource is water?

A

A scarce resource.

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3
Q

What does failure to carefully manage water promise?

A

Water insecurity.

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4
Q

The global hydrological cycle is…

A

of enormous importance to life on Earth.

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5
Q

The drainage basin is an open…

A

subsystem within the global hydrological cycle.

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6
Q

Water budgets and river systems are strongly influenced by the…

A

hydrological cycle.

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7
Q

The complex hydrological system adjusts and changes as a result of what?

A

Physical and human factors.

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8
Q

What is a system?

A

Any set of interrelated components that are connected together to form a working whole, characterised by inputs, stores, processes (or flows) and outputs.

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9
Q

What are the two types of system?

A

• a closed system
• an open system

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10
Q

When does a closed system occur?

A

When there is transfer of energy but not matter between the system and its surroundings (the inputs come from within the system).

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11
Q

What does an open system receive?

A

Inputs from and transfers outputs of energy and matter to other systems.

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12
Q

Why is a hydrological cycle a closed system?

A

Because all the water is continually circulated through the stores and there is a constant amount of water in the system. The system does not change because there are no gains from or losses to other systems.

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13
Q

What is the global circulation of water driven by?

A

Solar energy and gravitational potential energy.

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14
Q

How does solar energy drive the cycle?

A

Global circulation of water is heated by the sun, water on the Earth’s surface evaporates into the atmosphere, while water is also drawn from the soil by plants and evaporated from leaves and stems by the process of evapotranspiration.

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15
Q

What happens when humid air rises?

A

Condensation occurs at the cooler temperatures, forming clouds, and this eventually leads to precipitation and water is returned back to the land and oceans on the Earth’s surface.

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16
Q

On land, what is gravitational potential energy converted to?

A

Kinetic energy as the water moves through the system by plant interception, or over land as surface runoff. Water also flows through the soil by processes of infiltration and throughflow.

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17
Q

What happens when water flows through soil by the processes of infiltration or throughflow?

A

Here it may be stored as soil moisture, or if the bedrock is permeable or porous, will percolate into the rock where it’s stored as groundwater. Some of this water will return to the oceans via streams and rivers

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18
Q

As the global hydrological system is a closed system of interlinked processes, what does this mean for the amount of global water?

A

It is finite and constant.

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19
Q

What does gravitational potential energy do in the hydrological cycle?

A

Causes rivers to flow downhill and precipitation to fall to the ground. Keeps water moving through the system in a sequence of inputs, outputs, stores and flows.

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20
Q

Define 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

Water heated by the sun turns to gas and rises. The conversion of water to vapour.

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21
Q

Define 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗼𝗳𝗳

A

Water that runs across the land into rivers/lakes/oceans.

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22
Q

Define 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

Water taken up by plants and transpired onto the leaf surface.

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23
Q

Define 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

A

Water contained within the soil and underlying rocks, and derived mainly from the percolation of rainwater and meltwater.

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24
Q

Define 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

Rain, sleet, snow etc. Moisture in any form.

Water that fall from clouds

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25
Q

Define 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

Temporary storage, as water is captured by plants, buildings, and hard surfaces before reaching the soil.

e.g trees and plants catch the precipitation and slows surface runoff.

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26
Q

Define 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

Water entering the topsoil. Water moves from the surface into the soil and rock below.

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27
Q

Define 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

Water vapour turns back into a liquid and forms clouds

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28
Q

Does the total amount of water in the world change?

A

NO. Doesn’t change.

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29
Q

What happens when more evaporation occurs as the climate warms?

A
  1. Increases moisture levels in the air
  2. Therefore greater condensation and precipitation.
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30
Q

What are stores?

A

“Reservoirs” where water is held - all the elements of the hydrological cycle where water remains for a period of time. There are four main stores.

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31
Q

What are the four main water stores?

A
  1. Oceans
  2. Glaciers and ice sheets (cryosphere)
  3. Surface runoff (in this context, an umbrella term for a number of land based stores such as rivers, lakes, groundwater and the moisture held in soils and vegetation)
  4. The atmosphere
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32
Q

Define 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝘅𝗲𝘀

A

The movement of water between the stores over the course of a year.

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33
Q

Define 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀

A

The transfers of water from one store to another. There are four main flows.

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34
Q

What are the four main flows?

A
  1. Precipitation (an input)
  2. Evaporation
  3. Transpiration
  4. Vapour transport
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35
Q

What are fluxes?

A

The rates of flow between stores.

36
Q

Where do the greatest fluxes occur?

A

Over the oceans.

37
Q

What is the largest water store?

A

The ocean.

38
Q

What is the second largest water store?

A

The cryosphere.

39
Q

Out of freshwater stores, what is the largest?

A

The cryosphere (glaciers), accounting for 69% of global freshwater.

40
Q

What is the second largest freshwater store?

A

Groundwater, 30% of global freshwater.

41
Q

Less than 1% of freshwater is stored where?

A

In the biosphere (vegetation and soil moisture).

42
Q

In the system of inputs, outputs, stores and flows, what is the 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁 into this system?

A

Precipitation

43
Q

In the system of inputs, outputs, stores and flows, what are the 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 in this system?

A

Evapotranspiration, runoff

44
Q

In the system of inputs, outputs, stores and flows, what are the 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 in this system?

A

• interception storage
• surface storage
• soil moisture storage
• groundwater storage
• channel storage

45
Q

In the system of inputs, outputs, stores and flows, what are the 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 in this system?

A

• throughfall
• stemflow
• surface runoff
• infiltration
• throughflow
• percolation
• groundwater flow
• interception

46
Q

Where is most water on the planet stored?

A

In the oceans. Oceans hold about 97.5% of water.

47
Q

About ____ of the Earth’s surface is water-covered.

A

71%

48
Q

What’s the problem with glaciers being the largest freshwater store?

A

They’re predicted to melt, so could be a problem.

49
Q

Is there more water stored in the soil or in the atmosphere/rivers?

A

More water stored in the soil!

50
Q

What are flows also referred to as?

A

Transfers.

51
Q

Define 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲

A

Ant moisture taken up by vegetation and held within plants.

52
Q

Define 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲

A

Any surface water in lakes, ponds, puddles.

53
Q

Define 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲

A

Water held within permeable rocks (also known as an aquifer)

54
Q

Define 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲

A

Water held in rivers and streams.

55
Q

Define 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

A

Also known as inter-flow; water seeping laterally through soil below the surface, but above the water table.

56
Q

Define 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

A

The downward seepage of water through rock under gravity, especially on permeable rocks e.g sandstone and chalk.

57
Q

Define 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

A

Water flowing down plant stems or drainpipes.

58
Q

Define 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 (groundwater flow)

A

Slow-moving water that seeps into a river channel.

59
Q

Define 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

A

The volume of water contained within a river channel (also called discharge and runoff)

60
Q

Define 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗼𝗳𝗳

A

Flow over the surface during an intense storm, or when the ground in frozen, saturated or on impermeable clay.

61
Q

Define 𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲

A

The volume of water passing a certain point in the channel over a certain amount of time.

62
Q

What is 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?

A

The amount of rainfall that enters lakes, rivers and groundwater.

63
Q

What is 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?

A

The amount of rainfall that is either intercepted by the vegetation, or enters the soil and is picked up by plants and evapotranspired back into the atmosphere.

64
Q

What is the largest flux?

A

Ocean evaporation, 413 thousand km³

65
Q

What is residence time?

A

The average length of time that water remains in each store within the hydrological cycle.

66
Q

What is fossil water?

A

Untapped ancient stores of freshwater. These are often non-renewable stores.

67
Q

What is the cryosphere store?

A

Water stored in glaciers and ice sheets.

68
Q

What are two stores with the longest residence time?

A

• groundwater (up to 10,000 years)
• oceans and seas (4000 years)

69
Q

What’s a non-renewable water store?

A

One that is not naturally recharging and is finite (limited in size) and can be used up

70
Q

What is the store with the shortest residence time?

A

Biospheric water (1 week)

71
Q

Pros and cons of groundwater?

A

Reasonably accessible but difficult to obtain.

72
Q

What is the 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁?

A

The balance of water between the stores in the hydrological cycle.

73
Q

How could water be considered a renewable resource?

A

The constant circulation, albeit at variable speeds, means that water is generally considered a renewable resource, replenished naturally.

74
Q

What type of water is an exception to being renewable?

A

Fossil water, water that has been contained in an undisturbed space, usually groundwater in an aquifer, for millennia or longer. In arid regions e.g Sahara, the fossil water in these aquifers may be extracted for human purposes (agriculture, industry), but there is little to no significant recharge, effectively making this type of groundwater a non-renewable resource.

75
Q

What percentage of freshwater is locked up in glaciers and ice sheets?

A

70%. Only 1% of all freshwater is “easily accessible surface freshwater”.

76
Q

Do oceans lose more water through evaporation or gain more water from precipitation?

A

Lose more water through evaporation.

77
Q

Do landmasses lose more water through evaporation or gain more water from precipitation?

A

Gain more from precipitation.

78
Q

What makes up the difference between the processes from oceans and landmasses?

A

Surface runoff - known as the balance.

79
Q

What happens if this balance (oceans losing more water through evaporation rather than gaining more from precipitation) is disturbed?

A

The oceans would receive more water and the continents would be dry. The global water budget ensures this doesn’t happen.

80
Q

Does water reside in oceans for shorter or longer periods?

A

Longer periods.

81
Q

What is a 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻?

A

An area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries, and separated from neighbouring drainage basins by a ridge of high land called a watershed or divide.

It includes water found in the water table and surface runoff.

82
Q

Is a drainage basin an open or closed system?

A

An open system. It’s a subsystem within the global hydrological cycle linked to other systems by inputs and outputs and involves a number of linked processes and stores.

83
Q

Define 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱

A

The boundary of a drainage basin, a high ridge of land marking the edge of a drainage basin.

84
Q

Can drainage basins vary in size?

A

Yes, from that of a small local stream up to a huge river like the Amazon.

85
Q

What is the 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲?

A

The boundary between the unsaturated zone and the saturated zone underground

86
Q

What’s a 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

A

Occurs when two or more flowing bodies of water join together to form a single channel.

THE WATER CYCLE AND WATER INSECURITY (4 decks)

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