Global Hydrological Cycle Flashcards
what are different ways of water storage?
solid - in the form of ice
liquid - in the form of water
gas - in the form of water vapour
what part of earth is the lithosphere?
the solid outer crust and upper mantle.
what part of earth is the hydrosphere?
water on the surface of the planet.
what part of earth is the cryosphere?
frozen areas on the planet.
what part of earth is the atmosphere?
the layer of gases surrounding the planet.
where is water stored in the hydrosphere?
in oceans, seas, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.
where is water stored in the lithosphere?
in rocks, minerals and clay.
where is water stored in the cryosphere?
in glaciers and ice sheets as well as frozen parts of the ocean like the antarctic.
where is water stored in the atmosphere?
in the clouds and all layers of the atmosphere even clear air.
where is the approx % of total water stored?
96.5% in the hydrosphere
0.001% in the atmosphere
1.7% in the cryosphere
1.7% in the lithosphere
what are the main changes of matter?
evaporation - liquid to gas
condensation - gas to liquid
sublimation - solid to gas
how do clouds form?
clouds form when the invisible water vapour in the air condense into visible water droplets or ice crystals.
there are little particles floating around the air called aerosols.
when the air is cooled, some water vapour sticks to the aerosols when they collide (condensation). eventually bigger water droplets form around aerosol particles and then water droplets stick to each other forming clouds.
when the droplets are large enough they fall as precipitation when the cloud cannot hold enough water vapour.
what are the two ways that make clouds saturated?
the amount of water in the air has increased and the air is cooled to its dew point.
what causes precipitation?
surface heating, orographic forcing, frontal, convergence, turbulence.
what is surface heating?
when the ground is heated by the sun, which heats the air causing it to rise.
what is orographic forcing?
when air is forced to rise over a barrier of mountains or hills and it cools as it rises.
what is frontal precipitation?
when a mass of warm air rises up over a mass of cold, dense air over large areas of fronts. as the air is forced up over mountains, the warm less dense air cool and the water vapour condenses into water / raindrops.
what is convergence precipitation?
streams of air flowing from different directions are forced to rise where they flow together or converge.
what turbulence precipitation?
a sudden change in wind speed with height creating turbulent eddies in the air.
when does frontal rain occur?
when two air masses meet.
when does orographic rain occur?
it is produced as a result of clouds from from the shape of the land.
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