processes driving change in water stores Flashcards
what happens when you supply energy to a substance?
you cause it to change state
what is fusion?
substance changes from a solid to a liquid
what is vapourisation?
substance changes from a liquid to a vapour
what is sublimation?
transfer from a solid state to a gaseous state and visa versa
what is freezing?
liquid to a solid
what are the three types of rainfall?
relief
frontal
convectional
when does evaporation occur?
when energy from the sun hits the surface of the water/land and causes liquid to change to a gas
what do evaporation rates depend on?
amount of solar energy
availability of water
humidity of the air
temp of the air
latent heat and evaporation steps
- molecules heated by sun and become agitated ]
- they begin to try and break bonds
- molecules absorb energy from surroundings to give them the final energy to break the bonds energy is known as latent heat
- as latent heat is taken from the surroundings it cools the surroundings down
what is condensation?
as air cools it is able to hold less water vapour
the dew point is the temperature at which water vapour in the air turns to liquid water
condensation is the direct cause of precipitation it occurs when…
the temp in the air is reduced to dew point
when air rises it cools when it cools it expands
latent heat and condensation
when condensation occurs the opposite happens latent heat is released by molecules as they slow down and join together
formation of clouds … 4 steps:
- atmosphere is full of water vapour and tiny particles called aerosoles
- water vapour and aerosoles constantly bump into each other
- the warmer the air the more water vapour it can hold. clouds form when the air rises becomes saturated and cannot hold any more water
- finally as water droplets group together they become heavy and gravity pulls them down as raindrops
What are the crypspheric processes affecting water stores?
Accumulation
Ablation
Sublimation
What is accumulation?
Inputs into the glacial system due to smowfall
