Hydrosphere Flashcards
Worldwide distribution of water
Rivers -
mi^3
0.33
% of total
0.0001
Atmospheric moisture
mi^3
3.3
% of total
0.0001
Soil moisture & vadose zone
mi^3
16.3
% of total
0.0005
Saline lakes and Inland Seas
mi^3
26.0
% of total
0.0008
Freshwater lakes
Mi^3
30.0
%of total
0.0009
Groundwater
mi^3
2,075
% of total
1.80
Ice caps and Glaciers
mi^3
317,850
% of total
97.55
Oceans
mi^3
326,000
% of total
100
Steams
is a body of flowing water regradless of size
Rivers
are large streams
Gradient and Slope
is where water flows downhill under the force of gavity
Gradient
the steepness of the vertical drop in the steam of channel (ft/mile)
Cross-sectional area
the cross sectional are of flow - (width x depth) ft^2
Shape
the geometry of the path the steam follows is it straight of curved
Channel Roughness
a measure of the irregularity of the steams bottom ( manning’s roughness coefficient
discharge
the instantaneous volume of water per unit time passing a point in space in the steam ( ft^3/s)
Drainage Basin
is the geographic area that contributes water to a steam. it is defined by topography the surface water divide. it is importment to know the drainage basin for a steam
Hydrograph
a graph that shows stream discharge over time.
sinuosity
a measure of the path taken by the stream channel
Sinuosity ratio vaule
the distance measured along the steam channel betweentwo points divide by the straight line distance the same two points.
Meanders
low gradient streams flow across the land in a series of curves, twist and turns. example lake oxbow
point bars and cut banks
as the water flows into a meander, the force of the mvoing is directed to the outside bank which is recoded and sediment tends to deposit along the inside bank forming a struture
Braided streams
streams that cannot carry all he sediment dumped into them form braided channels. channels are choked with sediment and the water a new channel. this repeated process can form complex multiple channels that dead end and go nowhere
streams deposition
streams deposit thier sediment load when they no longer enough energy to carry the sediment. that usually happens when the velocity of the water decreases. Velocity will decrease if the channel area increases of the gradient becomes flatter or the discharge decreases.
detas
are shaped are triangle are commonly swampy and the main stream channel split into numerous additional channel called distributaries- flatland landform
natural levee
is a deposit that parallels the stream and slopes away from it. tend to be sand to silt sized and somewhat chaotic
overbank deposits
are an alluvial deposits consisting of sediment thaths been deposited on the floodplain of a stream by flood waters that have broken through or overtopped the bank
floods
is technically defined as event when that water leaves the stream channel and flows across the land adjacent to the streams.
flood stage
the elevation at which the stream leaves its channel and flowa across the adjacent flood plain.
Flood plain
the low, flat land adjacent to a stream that is shaped and formed by the stream during floods.
recurrence interval
100 year flood statistcally occurs once every 100 years
100 year flood plain
the portion of the flood plain inundated by the 100 year flood
artifcial levees
these are built to increase the elevation of the stream bank and prevent the water from leaving the channel.
relief channel
these can be natural or artificial and function to provide additional channel area during high stage events to carry floodwaters and prevent the water from overtopping the bank.
dams
create impoundments that can be regulated to provide storage and alleviate high flow events
droughts
natural cycle can be problem when they lst long enought to deplete shallow soil moisture and stress vegetation or significantly decrease the availabilty surface water.
lakes
basically a hole in the ground that fills ith water.
most of them are temporary.
wetland
unique interaction of the hydrosphere and biosphere. areas that are flooded. function as kidneys of the surface water system. water moves slow.
ground water
below the surface of the land in void spaces in the sediments or rocks.
porosity
refers to the void space that is present sediments and many rocks
aquifer
geologic layers that is capable of supplyng water to a well
unconfined aquifer
water table aquifer is directly connected to atmospheric pressure via pore spaces.
confined aquifer
are under pressure and are insulated from the atmospheric pressure by layers of overlying geologic materials such as bedrock.
recharge
aquifers receive water from precipition that infiltrates the ground
