SCI 01 Water Resources Flashcards
What is the Hydrosphere Composition?
How much does it take of the different subsystems
–71%
–Constituents of minerals
-Sphere
Geosphere
–Water Vapor
-Sphere
Atmosphere
–Fundamental components of living organisms
-Sphere
Biosphere
-Places where water resides for varying amount of time
Reservoirs
-Processes that allow water to move between each reservoirs and subsystems
Pathways
How much of these sum up to waterbodies
(Body of Water) Evaporation –
(Plants) Transpiration –
(Ice) Sublimation –
(Body of Water) Evaporation – 80%
(Plants) Transpiration – 10%
(Ice) Sublimation – 10%
-Flow of water from aboveground into the subsurface
Infiltration
Distribution of Earth’s Water?
Oceans –
Glaciers and Permafrost –
Groundwater –
Surface Water –
Oceans – 97.5%
Glaciers and Permafrost – 1.74%
Groundwater – 0.75%
Surface Water – 0.01%
How long until evaporating?
Oceans and Ice Sheets –
Groundwater –
Streams and Rivers –
Atmosphere –
Organisms –
Oceans and Ice Sheets – Thousands of Years
Groundwater – Tens-hundreds of Years
Streams and Rivers – Few Weeks
Atmosphere – Few Days
Organisms – Few Hours
-Kind of water that comprises of
-Ocean
Saltwater
-Kind of water that comprises of
-Glaciers and Icesheets
-Permafrost
Freshwater
-Kind of water that comprises of
-Streams, Tributaries, Watershed Lakes, Pods
-Wetlands: Marsh, Swamp, Estuary
-Floods: Flashfloods, Costal, Fluvial, Pluvial Groundwater
-Aquifiers, Artesian Well Springs
Surface Waters
-Temperature profile of the ocean
-Temperature decreases with depth
Thermocline
-Because the Earth rotates on its axis,
-Circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere
-and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Surface Ocean Currents: Wind/Coriolis Effect
-Is a band of clouds that encircles the Earth near the equator.
-It’s formed when the northeast trade winds from the Northern Hemisphere and the southeast trade winds from the Southern Hemisphere meet.
Intertropical Convergence Zone
Component of general oceanic circulation controlled by horizontal differences in temperature and salinity.
Density/Thermohaline Circulation
What composes the changes found in oceans
Density, Temperature, Salinity
-Permanent body of ice from recrystallization of snow
Glaciers
-Glacial land ice extending up to 50,000km2
Ice Sheets
-A soil, or rock that is frozen for more than two consecutive years
Permafrost
-Moving body of surface water that flows downslope toward sea level due to gravity
Stream
-Clearly defined passageway where particles and dissolved substances are transported
-Leads to ocean
Channel
-Stream with a considerable volume and well-defined channel
River
-Smaller streams flowing into large river or lake
Tributaries
-Streams that lose water downstream and dry up
-Water flows underground and contributes to groundwater
Influent (Losing)
-Streams that are fed by the groundwater
Effluent (Gaining)
-Land area in which the water flow into a particular stream
Drainage Basin/Watershed
-Line that separates individual drainage basin
Drainage Divide
-Structure built across a stream or river to hold water back
Dams
-Land areas where water covers the surface for significant periods
-Two kinds: Marsh and Swamp
Wetlands
-A shallow wetland around lakes, streams and oceans where grasses and reeds are dominant vegetation
Marsh
-A wetland with lush trees and vegetation
-Found in low-lying areas beside slow-moving rivers
-Oxygen in water is low
Swamp
-A partly enclosed coastal body of water
-Where freshwater from stream meets the saltwater from the sea
Estuaries/Estuary
-A natural event wherein an area that is usually dry is submerged under water
Floods
-A rapid thaw or heavy rains cause rivers to inundate their floodplains, often affecting large areas
Fluvial/Riverine Flood
-Intense rainfall makes water rise quickly and flow at a high speed for a short amount of time
-Often carrying away heavy objects
Flashfloods
-Severe storms, strong winds and high tides cause large waves that break down defences and flood coastal areas
Coastal (Tidal) Floods
-Periods of heavy rain overwhelm drainage systems and concreted surfaces
-Preventing water from draining away
Surface (Pluvial) Water Flood
-The rate of water movement through interconnected pores within soil or rock
Permeable
-Is the percent of open spaces or voids within a volume of soil or rock
Porous/Porosity
-An underground boundary between the soil surface and the area
-Where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in rock
-Water pressure and atmospheric pressure are equal at this boundary
Water Table
-The area of an unconfined aquifer above the water table
-Where the pore spaces among soil particles and rock formations are filled with air
Zone of Aeration
-Is the portion of underground soil where all gaps are completely filled with water.
Zone of Saturation
-Is the place where water is able to seep into the ground and refill an aquifer because no confining layer is present
Recharge Area/Zone
-An area in which subsurface water, including water in the unsaturated and saturated zones,
-Is discharged at the land surface
Discharge Area/Zone
