Intro to Hydrologic Cycle Flashcards
The Spheres
atmosphere, energy spheres, biosphere, terrasphere, hydrosphere
Amount of Water on Earth
300 million mi^3
Water on Earth
held in various places and processes; always moving
Water Balance
water is evenly distributed
Precipitation
primary input for hydrologic cycle
Precipitation Formation
water condenses into droplets in atmosphere and falls when they’re big enough
Precipitation Types
rain, snow, ice, hail, fog drip
Intensity
rate at which precipitation falls
Sublimation
solid (frozen) to atmosphere (gas); no liquid state
Precipitation Assumption
uniformly distributed over an area
Interception
precipitation being impeded by the vegetation of an area or leafy matter; distributed as runoff or evaporates
Infiltration
soil absorbing precipitation
Measuring Infiltration
nearly impossible to measure directly; can infer this
Percolation Rate
depends on what kind of soil
Percolation
downward movement of water through the soil profile, once infiltration has occured
Percolating Water
moves as a saturated front under the influence of gravity, or as an unsaturated flow mostly due to capillary forces
Evaporation
movement of water from liquid to vapor state (transport to atmosphere); requires energy
When Evaporation Occurs
any wet surface or body of water, or from within soil, leafy matter, and living leaves and plants
Transpiration
process of water moving from the soil via the plant’s internal moisture supply system; evaporative process
How Transpiration Occurs
water moves through stomates (openings in leaves; allow passage of oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases)
Hydrologic Budget
1yr amount; additions and subtractions (inputs & outputs)
Evapotranspiration
evaporation and transpiration; process of water is transferring from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants; large component in hydrologic budget
Streamflow
supplied by channels, depression, soil bank, and groundwater; the result of surface runoff, subsurface flow, storm flow, base flow, etc.
Storage
occurs at several locations in the hydrologic cycle and varies in both space and time; spatially and temporally; changes over time; L^3/T
How Water can be Stored
unsaturated/saturated portion of soil, on the soil surface (snow, puddles, ponds, lakes, wetlands), and rivers and streams
Inflow & Outflow of Stored Water
tells how much water comes in and out of a system; depth increase or decrease?
Outflow
[S(end) - S (begin)] + Input
Residence Time
how long an average particle of water resides in a tank/system; important for flood control of dams; volume/flow
Effects of Storage
as flow recedes, flow at end of interval is a function of flow at the beginning of interval
