Exam 1 Flashcards
What powers the movement of water in the hydrologic system
the sun
what does the water cycle describe
-the fluxes of water between the various reservoirs of the hydrosphere
What is a watershed
- the natural boundary of the drainage basin
- the total area above a given point on a watercourse that contributes water to its flow
Two types of overland flow
- Horton/Infiltration excess overland flow (precip rate > absorption rate)
- Dunne/Saturation Excess overland flow (soil is already saturated and water isn’t absorbed) - pore space is filled here
Gaining streams
- as we move downstream, water is being gained
- effulent stream
Losing stream
- stream looses water, water table is below
- Influent stream
Endorheic stream
-stream that has no outlets and dries out before it reaches the ocean
Confining layer
-sediment layer with Ksat much lower than its surroundings
Top 5 states in wetland losses
- California
- Ohio
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Missouri
Arsenic
- takes 5-15 years to show signs of exposure
- a toxin and a carcinogen
long-term health effects of exposure to arsenic
- skin lesions
- skin cancer
- neurological effects
- bladder/kidney/lung cancer
Area of streambed where groundwater and surface water mix
-hyporheic zone
Some strategies for better water management
- more surface water use in wet years and ground water use in dry years
- reuse and recycle water on a regular basis
3 indicators used for wetland delineation
- vegetation
- soil
- hydrological properties
Why does the east coast have more wetlands
- east coast has more clay soils which are poorly drained
- also topography
Possible causes of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh GW
- oxidation of arsenical pyrite
- release of arsenic from the degradation of fertilizers and pesticides
MCL
-maximum contaminant level
Why is the arial sea sinking
-decades-old water diversion for irrigation and droughts
Why can’t Bangladesh use SW instead of GW
-SW became contaminated from inadequate sewage systems and industrial wastes
Urbanization results in:
- a flashier hydrology
- lag time describes flashes
How is UV light used in hydrology
-it kills bacteria in drinking water
Stefan-Boltzmann law
-used to describe relation between temperature and energy flux
Weins law
- describes the wavelength at which radiation of a surface will be greatest
- uses degrees Kelvin
Most important greenhouse gases
- Carbon dioxide (33%)
- Water vapor (65% of absorption)
- methane
- nitrous oxide
- ozone
- chlorinated flurorcarbons
Avg temp of Earths surface with and without GHG
17 celsius with
(-18) without
Greenhouse effect
-some of the energy emitted by the EArth is recycled and re-emitted to the earth
Formation of precipitation
1) cooling of air to approx the dew-poiint temp
2) Condensation of nuclei to form cloud droplets or ice crystals
3) growth of droplets or crystal into raindrops/snow/hail
4) Importation of water vapor to sustain process
3 methods of uplift/precipitation
1) Convection
2) convergence
3) orography
Uplift due to convergence
- there is frontal convergence or cyclonic convergence
- characteristic of mid latitudes and occurs at boundaries between air masses of contrasting temp and or humidity
Uplift due to convection
-occurs as a result of adiabatic cooling associated with parcels of air that rise because they are less dense than the air surrounding them
Uplift due to orography
-occurs when air flowing horizontally encounters a physical barrier and acquires a vertical component to flow over it
Type of precipitation gauges
- straight-sided cylinder (volume)
- weighing recording gauge (volume, intensity, duration)
- tipping becket gauge
- optical precip gauge
CFU
- colony farming unit per 100mL
- measures bacteria concentration
Load is calculated by
- mass per unit time
- load is an export rate
DOM
DOC
DON
- dissolved organic matter
- dissolved organic carbon
- dissolved organic nitrogen
- DON and DOC give C to N ratio and tests quality of soil
DOC is always _____ with stream flow
- increasing
- organic carbon is mobilized during high peak flows
MPN
- most probable number
- measures bacterial concentration
infiltration
-movement of water from soil surface into soil
Redistribution
-subsequent movement of infiltrated water in the unsaturated zone
capillary rise
-upward movement in soil pores due to surface tension
-recharge
-movement of percolating water from the unsaturated zone to the subjacent saturated zone
interflow
-lateral flow + root uptake
percolation
-general term for downward glow in the unsaturated zone
A horizon
- often called topsoil
- low in clay and soluble minerals, rich in humus from decaying plant and animal remains
- zone of most biological activity
B horizon
- zone of accumulation, may develop a yellow/red color
- in arid zones a white zone of calcium carbonate may accumulate
C horizon
- weather parent material from which A and B horizons have developed
- may be bedrock or unconsolidated material
Vadose zone
-are of soil that is unsaturated above the water table
Hygroscopic water
-water stuck in small pores, not accesable
Field capacity/detention
-amount of water left in soil after it has drained for 24 hours
LArger pore size means
-greater infiltration capacity but lower water holding
wilting point
-point at which a plant can no longer absorb moisture from the soil
K (hydraulic connectivity)
- rate at which water moves through the soil under a potential energy gradient
- varies as a function of grain size and degree of saturation
- as this increases, water will move faster
Darcy’s law
-calculates the velocity that water moves through soil
hydrostatic condition
-no flow
