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Geography > Physcial - Carbon/water cycles > Flashcards

Physcial - Carbon/water cycles Flashcards

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1
Q

Flows/transfers

A

Form of linkage store/component and another that involves movement or energy or mass.

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2
Q

Input

A

Addition of matter/energy into a system.

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3
Q

Store/component

A

Part of a system where energy/ mass is stored then transferred.

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4
Q

Output

A

Subtraction of matter/energy out of a system.

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5
Q

System

A

A set of interrelated components working together towards some kind of process.

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6
Q

Biosphere

A

Aànything from the atmosphere to the magma.

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7
Q

Atmosphere

A

Surrounds the earth and has many sub-layers.

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8
Q

Hydrosphere

A

Underwater and anything that happens under there.

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9
Q

Lithosphere

A

Anything underground/made of rock.

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10
Q

Positive feedback

A

Where the effects of an action are boosted by its subsequent knock-on effects.

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11
Q

Negative feedback

A

Where the effects of an action are nullified by its subsequent knock-on effects.

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12
Q

Dynamic

A

In constant change, activity or process.

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13
Q

Equilibrium

A

A state in which opposing forces or influences should be balanced.

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14
Q

Dynamic equilibrium

A

Balance between inputs and outputs: stores stay the same.

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15
Q

Open system

A

Where matter and energy are moved around a system.

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16
Q

Closed System

A

Where only energy are moved around a system.

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17
Q

The carbon cycle

A

An example of a system, where carbon is moved around the earth.

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18
Q

Elements

A

All elements are based on carbon 12

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19
Q

Cyrosphere

A

Areas of ice around the earth.

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20
Q

Terrestrial water

A

Consists of groundwater, soil moisture, lakes, wetlands, rivers.

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21
Q

How much water vapour is found in the atmosphere?

A

12,900km3(cubed)

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22
Q

What percent of all water is atmospheric?

A

0.4%

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23
Q

What percentage of all earths water is from the ocean?

A

The largest - 97%

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24
Q

What percent of all earths water is fresh water?

A

3% with only 1% of this being easily accessible surface fresh water.

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25
Q

Why does the sea contain dissolved salts?

A

This allows it to stay as liquid water below 0 degrees Celsius.

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26
Q

What are the 5 locations of cryospheric water?

A

Sea ice, ice caps, permafrost, alpine glaciers, ice sheets.

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27
Q

What are ice shelves?

A

Platforms of ice that form where ice sheets or glaciers move into oceans. Exists mainly in Antarctica, Greenland and arctic).

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28
Q

What are ice bergs?

A

Chunks of ice that break off glaciers or ice shelves and drift into oceans.

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29
Q

What are ice sheets?

A

Mass of glacial land ice extending more than 50,000km2. 2 major ice sheets cover Greenland and Antarctica.

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30
Q

What are ice caps?

A

Thick layers of ice in land that are smaller than 50,000km2. Usually found in mountainous areas, dome shaped and flow outwards cover everything in their path.

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31
Q

How are ice sheets formed?

A

Snow falls in winter and doesn’t melt over summer. Thousands of years, layers pile up into thick masses of ice growing denser as weight of new snow and ice layers compress old layers. They are constantly in motion slowly falling downhill under own weight.

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32
Q

What are alpine glaciers?

A

Thick masses of ice found in deep valleys or upland hollows.

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33
Q

What are permafrost?

A

Soil, rock, ice or organic material that remains at or below 0 degrees Celsius for at least 2 years. It varies from <1m to >1500m

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34
Q

What are subsea permafrost?

A

Occurs at 0 degrees Celsius over large areas of arctic continental shelf formed when sea level was lower.

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35
Q

What are the 4 classes of terrestrial water?

A

Surface water, groundwater, soil water, biological water.

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36
Q

What is surface water?

A

Free flowing water of rivers, ponds and lakes.

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37
Q

What is a wetland?

A

An area of marsh, fen, peatland or water. Natural or artificial. Permanent or temporary. With water that is static or flowing where there is dominance by vegetation - water covers soil. They are found on every continent expect Antarctica.

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38
Q

What is groundwater?

A

Water that collects underground in pores of rocks. It eventually flows to the surface. The amount is reduced rapidly from extraction for use in irrigating agricultural land in dry areas.

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39
Q

What is soil water?

A

Water held together with air in unsaturated upper weathered layers of earth.

40
Q

What is biological water?

A

Water stored in all biomass. It varies around the globe depending on vegetation type e.g. dense forest store more than deserts.

41
Q

How are clouds formed?

A

Air is lower layers of atmosphere become saturated due to either the cooling of air or an increase in water vapour. Cloud droplets then grow and fall as rainwater.

42
Q

What is the Quaternary glaciation?

A

Most recent glacial period which started 2.58 mil years ago.

43
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

An area that supplies a river with its supply of water. Includes water found below water table as well as soil water and any surface flow. They are separated from one another by high land called water shed.

44
Q

Drainage basin

A

Area that supplies river with water. The input is precipitation.

45
Q

What is stem flow?

A

Water that flows straight down the tree trunks.

46
Q

What is soil storage?

A

The amount of water stored in soil. Soil consists of large particles with pores between them that get filled with water or air. E.g. there are more pores in clay soil than in sand.

47
Q

What is vegetation store?

A

When plants remove water from soil and store it in their structure.

48
Q

Throughflow

A

Movement of water down slope through soil until reaching a water channel. It is slower than overland flow. It is more rapid when there is a lot of vegetation.

49
Q

Transpiration

A

Loss of water from vegetation through pores on their surface.

50
Q

Water balance

A

Balance between inputs and outputs in a drainage basin.

51
Q

Overland flow

A

Tendency of water to flow horizontally across land surfaces when rainfall has exceeded infiltration capacity of the soil and all surface stores are full to overflowing.

52
Q

Percolation

A

Downward movement of water within the rock under the soil surface. Rates vary depending on rock type.

53
Q

Run off

A

All water that enters river channel and flows out of drainage basin.

54
Q

Bankfull

A

Maximum discharge that a channel is capable of carrying without flooding.

55
Q

Base flow

A

Represents normal day to day discharge of river and is the consequence of slow moving soil throughflow and ground water seeping into river channel.

56
Q

Discharge

A

Amount of water in river flowing past a particular point expressed as m3(cubed)S-1 (cumecs).

57
Q

Lag time

A

Time between peak rainfall and peak discharge.

58
Q

Peak discharge

A

Point on flood hydrograph when river discharge is at its greatest.

59
Q

Storm flow

A

Discharge resulting from storm precipitation involving both overland flow, through flow and ground water flow.

60
Q

Storm hydrograph

A

A graph of discharge of a river over time period when the normal flow of the river is affected by a storm event.

61
Q

‘Flashy’ hydrograph

A

Short lag time, high peak discharge, steep rising/falling limbs.

62
Q

Physical factors that determine hydrograph shape:

A
  1. Shape (e.g. circular means more flashy)
  2. Slope gradient (e.g. steep side are flashy)
  3. Drainage density (e.g. high = lots of streams are more flashy)
  4. Saturation of soil (e.g. already saturated increase over land flow and makes it more flashy).
  5. Rock/soil type (e.g. impermeable increases overland = flashy)
  6. vegetation cover (e.g. sparse vegetation more flashy)
  7. Precipitation amount (e.g. high intensity over short period is more flashy).
  8. Size of basin (e.g large catch more rain).
63
Q

Anthropogenic CO2

A

Carbon dioxide generated by human activity

64
Q

Biosphere

A

Total sum of all living matter

65
Q

Carbon sequestration

A

Capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or capturing human CO2 from large scale stationary sources lie power plants before it is released to the atmosphere. Once captured the CO2 gas is put into long term storage.

66
Q

Carbon sink

A

A store of carbon tat absorbs more carbon than it releases .

67
Q

Greenhouse gas

A

Gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation therefore trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere.

68
Q

Lithosphere

A

Crust and uppermost mantle tat constitutes the hard and rigid outer outer layer of the earth.

69
Q

Weathering

A

Breakdown of rocks in situ by a combination of weather, plants and animals.

70
Q

How much of the amazon basin has been deforested?

A

20%

71
Q

What happens to rate of evapotranspiration after deforestation?

A

It decreases as there is minimal vegetation on the ground the catch the precipitation, this therefore leads to increased over land flow and through flow.

72
Q

How many different compounds of carbon are there today ?

A

10 million plus

73
Q

Give examples of carbon compounds…

A

Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Methane (CaCO2)
Hydrocarbons
Bio-molecules (produce in living things)

74
Q

What are all the stores of carbon?

A

Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Lithosphere
Atmosphere

75
Q

What are the main stores in terrestrial biosphere?

A 
Living vegetation 
Plant litter
Soil humus 
Peat 
Animals
76
Q

What percent of the atmosphere is carbon ?

A

0.04 %

77
Q

Where is atmospheric carbon measured?

A

Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) on Hawaii since 1958.

78
Q

What is a carbon sink?

A

When more carbon enters a store than leaves

79
Q

What is a carbon source ?

A

When more carbon leaves the store than enters.

80
Q

What is the euphotic zone in the ocean ?

A

The sunlit surface waters.

81
Q

What does a decomposer do?

A

Breaks down cells and tissue in dead organisms from large bio molecules into smaller molecules and individual atoms.

82
Q

What is vertical deep mixing ?

A

Warm water in oceanic surface currents are carried out from warm topics to cold polar regions. Water is cooled and becomes dense enough to sink below surface layer (sometimes as deep as the ocean bed). Cold water returns to the surface and warms it losing CO2 to the atmosphere. This therefor e ensures CO2 is constantly being exchanged between ocean and atmosphere.

83
Q

What is combustion ?

A

When organic material (e.g fossil fuels or vegetation) is burned in presence of oxygen to give of CO2, water and energy.

84
Q

How much surface land is burned yearly?

A

3 to 4 million km2 realseinf more than a billion tonnes of CO2 to atmosphere.

85
Q

What happens when sulphur dioxide is converted to sulphuric acid?

A

It forms fine droplets in the atmosphere and increases reflection of radiation from the sun back to space. Therefore cooling earths lower atmosphere (this is a negative feedback loop).

86
Q

In 2011 what % of CO2 emissions from farming practices came from livestock?

A

39%

87
Q

What is ‘slash and burn’ agriculture?

A

When farmer clear forest land by cutting down trees and burning them.

88
Q

What does FAO stand for?

A

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.

89
Q

What are the different types of carbon sequestration?

A

Geological sequestration: (CO2 captured at source then injected in liquid form underground stores).
Terrestrial/biological sequestration: (plants capture CO2 from atmosphere, store in stems and roots and soil to maximise carbon store for long term benefits).

90
Q

What are the 2 causes of sea level rise ?

A

Melting of terrestrial ice and thermal expansion.

91
Q

Enhanced greenhouse effect

A

Impact on climate from additional heat retained sure to increases CO2 and other greenhouse gases humans release into atmosphere since industrial revolution.

92
Q

Geo-sequestration

A

Technology of capturing greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and pumping them into underground reservoirs.

93
Q

Radiative forcing

A

Difference between incoming solar energy absorbed by earth and energy radiated back to space.

94
Q

Soil organic carbon (SOC)

A

Organic constituents in soil: tissues from dead plants/animals, products produced as these decompose and soil microbial biomass.

95
Q

How can carbon stores be improved in grasslands?

A
  1. Avoidance of overstocking of animals
  2. Adding manures/fertilisers
  3. Revegetation
  4. Irrigation and water management
96
Q

How can carbon stores be improved in crop lands?

A
  1. Mulching adds organic matter + prevents carbon loses.
  2. Reduced or no tillage avoid accelerated decomposition and depletion of soil carbon.
  3. Use of animal manure increase plant productivity.
  4. Rotations of cash crops increase biomass returned to soil.
  5. Improved crop variations increase productivity.
97
Q

How can carbon stores be improved in forested lands and tree crops?

A
  1. Protection of existing forest
  2. Reforesting degraded land and increasing tree density
  3. Trees grown as renewable sources of energy.

Geography (6 decks)

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