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Geography - Water and Carbon Cycles > Systems and the water cycle > Flashcards

Systems and the water cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a system?

A

A simple diagram showing the different components of a concept and the relationship between them.

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2
Q

What are the examples of Inputs?

A

Precipitation
Leaf fall during the autumn
Seeds carried by wind and birds

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3
Q

What are the examples of Stores?

A

Water
Soil
Plants

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4
Q

What are the examples of Outputs?

A

Water soaking through soil and rocks
Evaporation
Seed dispersal

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5
Q

What are the examples of Flows?

A

Photosynthesis
Infiltration
Transpiration

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6
Q

What is the first process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Evaporation - water at the surface turns into water vapour.

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7
Q

What is the second process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Condensation - water vapour changes into water droplets.

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8
Q

What is the third process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Sublimation - contributes to the water vapour in the air by ice directly converting to vapour.

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9
Q

What is the fourth process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Precipitation - water droplets combine to make bigger droplets, and the air cannot hold any more water.

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10
Q

What is the fifth process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Transpiration - rain is absorbed by soil, where the plants convert the water into water vapour.

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11
Q

What is the sixth process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Runoff - rain will run along the surface of the Earth into the hydrosphere.

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12
Q

What is the seventh and last process in the Water Cycle system?

A

Infiltration - water is absorbed by plants and moves deep into soil increasing the level of ground water table.

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13
Q

How do clouds form?

A

Cooling air containing water vapour causes vapour molecules in the air to slow down.
Molecules cannot maintain vapour form.
They cluster to form droplets.
They condense onto a particle (condensation nuclei).
Droplets form clouds.

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14
Q

What is relief rainfall?

A

Warm air containing water vapour moves away from the ocean towards the mountains.
As the vapour moves away from its heat source and cools against the windward side of the mountains, it condenses to form water droplets.
The drops form around specs of dust where is it visible as clouds.
When the droplets form large enough, they fall as rain.
It leaves a dry state on the other side of the mountain.

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15
Q

What is frontal rainfall?

A

Warm air mass and cold air mass meet.
Warm air is lighter and rises over the heavier cold air.
The warm air cools as it rises, then condenses, forming water droplets.
The drops form around specs of dust forming clouds.
When the droplets form large enough, rainfall will occur on the boundary between the warm and cold air mass.

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16
Q

What is convectional rainfall?

A

The sun warms the ground.
As the ground warms up, it causes any water present of the surface to evaporate into vapour.
As it rises, it cools and condenses forming water droplets.
The drops form around specs of dust forming clouds.
When the droplets form large enough, rainfall will occur.

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17
Q

How long does water remain in shallow groundwater?

A

100-200 years

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18
Q

How long does water remain in deep groundwater?

A

10,000 years

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19
Q

How long does water remain in rivers?

A

2-6 months

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20
Q

How long does water remain in soil water?

A

1-2 months

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21
Q

How long does water remain in lakes?

A

50-100 years

22
Q

How long does water remain as seasonal snow cover?

A

2-6 months

23
Q

How does water remain in glaciers?

A

20-100 years

24
Q

What are the processes responsible for changing the magnitude of water stores over time and space?

A

Precipitation - water from atmosphere to ground
Evaporation - water from liquid to gaseous state
Condensation - water from gaseous to liquid state
Sublimation - water from solid to gaseous state
Interception - water intercepted and stored on leaves
Overland flow - water over the land surface
Infiltration - water on the ground into soil
Throughflow - water flowing through soil
Percolation - water soaking into rocks
Groundwater flow - water very slowly through rocks

25
Q

How do seasonal changes affect the water cycle?

A

Wet seasons - precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration- water surplus
Groundwater stores are full and more surface runoff- higher discharge levels in rivers
Dry seasons precipitation is lower than evapotranspiration - groundwater stores are depleted, water used by humans and plants is not replaced - water deficit.

26
Q

How do storms affect the water cycle?

A

Air temp rise - increase in evaporation and the amount of water vapour in air - intense rainstorms, less infiltration more surface runoff and flooding
Water vapour condense into rainfall it releases heat energy and drives a stronger intensity storm

27
Q

How does urbanisation affect the water cycle?

A

If the slopes is developed for housing, impermeable surfaces will reduce infiltration. Trees will probably be cut down as well. Water will flow quickly through pipes to nearby channels.

28
Q

How does land-use change impact stores?

A

Urbanisation replaces vegetation which allows water to absorb and intercept.

29
Q

How does land-use change impact transfers?

A

Deforestation is the removal of trees, leading to surface runoff and soil erosion. But also, the reduction of interception and infiltration.

30
Q

How does water abstraction impact stores?

A

Stores will have a higher capacity due to the decreased amount of water.

31
Q

How does water abstraction impact transfers?

A

Water abstraction means less volume of water in a particular place, therefore overland flow and through flow will decrease.

32
Q

How does irrigation impact stores?

A

A river is a store, therefore by taking water from a river, you are reducing that store.

33
Q

How does irrigation impact transfers?

A

It removes water from its natural source causing runoff where it is used.

34
Q

How does land drainage impact transfers?

A

Through the construction of deep drains and a network of ditches, water will be transferred quicker.

35
Q

How does localised deforestation affect the water cycle?

A

Evapotranspiration is lower - minimal vegetation cover
Less interception - reduced canopy
Overland flow and through flow increase - lack of vegetation to slow down these processes
Increase in river discharge and risk of localised flooding

36
Q

What is a case study regarding water abstraction?

A

Water abstraction from the London Basin

37
Q

What happened in the 19th century regrading water abstraction from the London Basin?

A

Water was abstracted from wells and boreholes

38
Q

Why did the chalk-basal sands aquifer become exploited in the London Basin?

A

As a result of increased industrialisation and the associated development of groundwater stores

39
Q

What were groundwater levels at the peak of water abstraction beneath central London?

A

88m below sea level, creating a large depression in the water table

40
Q

Why did groundwater levels start to recover from the mid 1960s onwards beneath central London?

A

Heavy industry started to decrease, economic activity turned more to service industries and commerce

41
Q

By how much are groundwater levels recovering by each year in the 1990s central London?

A

3m/year

42
Q

What has the rising groundwater levels posed a threat to in central London?

A

Rising groundwater to structures in the London Basin: London Underground and building implementations

43
Q

What did the posed threat of rising groundwater in central London lead to the implementation of?

A

The General Aquifer Research, Development and Investigation team

44
Q

What do the general aquifer research, development and investigation team do?

A

Control water levels

45
Q

What are the four vital cycles connecting the Earths subsystems?

A

The water cycle
The carbon cycle
The oxygen cycle
The nitrogen cycle

46
Q

What is an isolated system?

A

No interactions with anything outside the system boundary - no input or output or energy or matter

47
Q

What is a closed system?

A

There is a transfer of energy into and beyond the system but not transfer of matter

48
Q

What is an open system?

A

Both energy and matter transfer freely into and out of the system

49
Q

What is a subsystem?

A

A component of a larger system

50
Q

Explain the concept of dynamic equilibrium in relation to the water cycle?

A

Dynamic equilibrium is the natural state of balance within the hydrological cycle.
It is easily upset by extreme events such as storms or droughts.
Human activity also affects it, eg by modifying the drainage basin
Such events and processes cause sudden changes in the
state of the system and interfere with dynamic equilibrium as is the case with flooding

Geography - Water and Carbon Cycles (9 decks)

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