Keywords Flashcards
Acquifer
A permeable or porous rock which stores water
Cryosphere
The global water volume locked up within a frozen state (i.e. snow and ice)
desalination plant
The conversion of seawater to freshwater, suitable for human
consumption
convectional precipitation
Solar radiation heats the air above the ground,
causing it to rise, cool & condense forming precipitation (often as thunderstorms)
Desublimation
The change of state of water from gas to solid, without being a
liquid (the opposite process to sublimation)
drainage basin
The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
enso cycles
El Nino Southern Oscillations - naturally occurring phenomena that
involves the movement of warm water in the Equatorial Pacific.
evapotranspiration
The combined total moisture transferred from the Earth to the
atmosphere, through evaporation and transpiration
groundwater flow
Water moving horizontally through permeable or porous rock
due to Gravity
global hydrological cycle
The continuous transfer of water between land,
atmosphere and oceans. The Earth is a closed system
infiltration
The movement of water vertically through the pores in soil
integrated drainage basin management
Establishing a frame of coordinated
efforts between administrations (e.g. local government) and stakeholders (e.g
businesses) to achieve balanced management of a basin (World Bank)
interception
Raindrops are prevented from falling directly onto the ground, instead
hitting the leaves of a tree.
meteorological drought
When long-term precipitation trends are below average
percolation
Water moving vertically from soil into permeable rock
river regime
The pattern of river discharge over a year
runoff
Water flowing over the surface of the ground eg. after precipitation or snowmelt
salinisation
Where salt water contaminates freshwater stores or soils, creating
saline conditions and reducing human use/ consumption.
saltwater encroachment
The movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers or
soils. This may be caused by sea level rise, storm surges or over-extraction
smart irrigation
Providing crops with a water supply less than optimal, to make
crops resistant to water shortages.
storm hydrograph
Variation of river discharge over a short period of time (days)
water budget
The annual balance between inputs and outputs within a system
water scarcity
There are limited renewable water sources (between 500 and 1000
cubic metres per capita per year)
