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A level geography > Physical Geography > Flashcards

Physical Geography Flashcards

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1
Q

What Is A Closed System

A

A closed system is one that has no input or output

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2
Q

What Is The Water Balance

A

The water balance is the balance between inputs, outputs, stores and flows

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3
Q

What Is The Symbol Equation For The Water Balance

A

P=E+Q(+-)S

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4
Q

What Is The Word Equation For The Water Balance

A

Precipitation = Evapotranspiration + Discharge (+-) Change to the stores

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5
Q

What Is Discharge Measured In

A

Cumecs
cu/m/ecs
cubic meters per second

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6
Q

What Is A Positive Water Balance

A

When there is more precipitation than evapotranspiration

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7
Q

What Is A Negative Water Balance

A

When there is more evapotranspiration than precipitation

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8
Q

What Is Deficient Water Moisture

A

When there is not enough moisture in the soil

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9
Q

What Is Recharging Water Moisture

A

When soil is gaining more water

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10
Q

What Is Utilisation Of Moisture

A

When water is being lost from the soil due to use or evaporation

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11
Q

What Is A Surplus Of Moisture

A

When there is too much moisture in the soil

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12
Q

What Is Discharge

A

Discharge is the volume of water in a river as it passes a particular point at a particular time

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13
Q

How Do You Measure Discharge

A

Cross sectional area x river’s mean velocity

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14
Q

What Do Flood Hydrographs Do

A

They let us examine the relationship between rainfall and discharge

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15
Q

What Is The Rising Limb On A Flood Hydrograph

A

The rising limb is the peak of the rainfall / discharge

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16
Q

What Is The Lowering Limb On A Flood Hydrograph

A

The process of discharge decreasing

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17
Q

What Is Lag Time

A

The time between when the peak rainfall and peak discharge

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18
Q

What Is Lag Time

A

The time between when the rain stops and the peak discharge

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19
Q

How Does Deforestation Affect Flood Risk

A

Deforestation causes high risk of flooding as there is less storage, reduced interception and evapotranspiration which increases run-off

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20
Q

How Does Agriculture Affect Flood Risk

A

Over grazing of cattle can lead to less vegetation and compact soil, increasing run off.
Drainage systems, ditches, and plough all reduce the risk of flooding

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21
Q

How Can Coastal Influences Affect Flood Risks

A

High seasonal tides affect areas close to the sea. Insufficient planning control allowing high density buildings alone the coast line. Storm surges and tropical cyclones can result in high water levels in rivers and low lying areas

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22
Q

How Does Climatology Affect Flood Risks

A

Sudden increases in temperature can cause snow to melt, and decrease in temperatures cause snow to form permafrost; both can increase flood risks

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23
Q

How Does Urbanisation Affect Flood Risk

A

Highly impermeable surfaces like concrete are everywhere. River straightening can lead to a faster delivery of water downstream

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24
Q

Why Are Dams Created

A

Dams are created to hold water back from as a reservoir or to prevent water from entering downstream too fast

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25
Q

What Are Levy’s

A

Levy’s are added embankments to make the sides of a river higher

26
Q

Define Flash Floods

A

Heavy rainfall falls onto saturated grounds and cannot be absorbed. This causes rapid flooding

27
Q

Water Vapor Statistic

A

Globally, water vapor concentration in the lower atmosphere has increased by 3-4% since 1970

28
Q

Northumberland Flood : Case Study

Key Facts

A
  • 80mm of rainfall in 6 hours
  • The river was geomorphicaly changing, the sides of the river valley were unstable
  • The unstable valley debris caused natural dams in the river
  • When the dam broke it caused a flash flood
29
Q

Convective Storms

A

Sever local storms associated with thunder, lightning, heavy rain, hail, strong winds and sudden changes in temperature. They mostly occur during the warm summer months. They occur when heat provides enough energy to the atmosphere, driving evapotranspiration and convection current which forms the storm.

30
Q

Thinhope Burn : Case Study

Key Facts

A

17th of July 2007 a flash flood in the river valley of Thinhope Burn caused the river levels to rise from 2m to 55m in less than 2 hours. It was a local storm as no other areas flooded, but the river channel (which was only a few meters wide and very stable) could not hold all the water. Peak rainfall was 42mm p/h and a total of 82mm fell in 6 hours

31
Q

Explain Positive Feedback

A

Positive feedback is a change that generates further change. The initial change gets worse and worse because of the knock on effects

32
Q

What Is Another Name For Positive Feedback

A

The Albedo effect

33
Q

Give An Example Of The Albedo Effect

A

The rainforest is dark and absorbs a lot of solar radiation. the solar radiation heat the atmosphere around the forest, the heat then draws in a low pressure system from the Atlantic which creates a rainy climate over the Amazon. if the trees were to be cut down to create pastures, the ground would be light and reflect the radiation which cools the local atmosphere and creates a high pressure system which produces less rain and so there are less trees and the cycle continues

34
Q

What Are The Four Components Of A System

A

Inputs
Outputs
Flows
Stores

35
Q

What Does A Low Albedo Do

A

Absorb a lot of solar radiation

36
Q

Components Of A System Before Deforestation

A

High inputs = high precipitation
High outputs = high evapotranspiration
Flows = channel flow, stem flow, infiltration
Stores = ground water, soil, vegetation, interception

37
Q

Components Of A System After Deforestation

A

Low inputs = less precipitation
Low outputs = Less evapotranspiration
Flows = no flows
Stores = only in river

38
Q

What Is High Drainage Density

A

Lots of rivers going to the same place

39
Q

What Is Water Abstraction

A

Water abstraction the the process of removing water from the ground for use

40
Q

Why Were Ground Water Levels Low After The Industrial Revolution

A

Because we over abstracted the water to use in the industrial revolution

41
Q

What Happens If Ground Water Is Not Abstracted

A

Potentially, the water levels can get to high and cause flooding in underground structures as it did in the London Underground

42
Q

Explain Why Chalk Is A Good Place To Abstract Water

A

Because the acid in the water create ponds of water in the chalk which can be easily abstracted. Chalk is a porous rock

43
Q

Pickering Case Study Facts

A
  • Surrounded by the North Yorkshire Moors
  • Moors store a lot of water and carbon
  • Pickering cannot use hard engineering as it would increase the flood risk downstream
  • Planting forests is a natural flood defense
  • Diverting rivers into flood plains can reduce flood risks
44
Q

Measurements Of Carbon

A

Carbon is measured in petagrams. One petagram is equal to a gigaton. A gigaton is equal to 1 million metric tons

45
Q

What Type Of System Is The Carbon System

A

It is a closed system, no inputs or outputs

46
Q

The Biggest Store Of Carbon Is In The …

A

Lithosphere

47
Q

The Definition Of The Carbon Cycle

A

The carbon cycle is a closed system meaning no inputs or outputs. It has 6 main stores: plants, soil, fossil fuels, oceans, the earths crust and the atmosphere. The 5 ways carbon is placed into stores are; litter fall, rivers, burial to sediment, ocean uptake and photosynthesis

48
Q

What Is Net Carbon Sink

A

More carbon entering than leaving

49
Q

Net Carbon Source

A

Less carbon entering than leaving

50
Q

Flows Of Carbon: What Are Fossil Fuels

A

Energy stored in substances such as oil, gas and coal

51
Q

Flows Of Carbon: Peat

A

Peat is undecayed dead organic matter

52
Q

Flows Of Carbon: Photosynthesis

A

The process of plants turning CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen

53
Q

Flows Of Carbon: Respiration

A

The conversion of oxygen into CO2

54
Q

Flows Of Carbon: Anthropogenic

A

Things to do with humans and people

55
Q

Flows Of Carbon: Oceanic Carbon Pump

A

The release of carbon from the ocean at the equator due to convection current

56
Q

Flows Of Carbon: Volcanic Activity

A

Is the movement of magma in the earths mantel but also the eruption are replenishment of volcanoes

57
Q

What Is The Carbon Budget

A

The carbon budget is a goal to not raise global temperatures above 1.5 degrees above the average temperature before industrial revolution

58
Q

How Can We See The Long Term Carbon Levels / Climate Change

A

We can see long term carbon levels by reviewing ice core data to analyze trapped gasses

59
Q

How Can We See The Medium Term Carbon Levels / Climate Change

A

Pollen extracted from peat bogs and lake bed cores to check carbon levels, as well as tree rings to see the average temp for the year level

60
Q

How Can We See The Short Term Carbon Levels / Climate Change

A

The IPCC, it is virtually certain that humans are to blame for unequivocal global warming

61
Q

What Is Our Best Option To Change Climate Change

A

Mitigation

A level geography (9 decks)

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