Systems in Water and Carbon Flashcards
What is the main input into a water system?
Precipitation - Any water that falls to the Earth from the atmosphere including rain, snow and hail.
What are the three types of rainfall?
Convectional - Due to heating by the sun, warm air rises, condenses at higher altitudes and falls as rain.
Relief - Warm air is forced upward by a barrier such as mountains, causing it to condense at higher altitudes and fall as rain
Frontal - Warm air rises over cool air when two bodies of air at different temperatures meet, because the warm air is less dense and therefore lighter. It condenses at higher altitudes and falls as rain.
What are the two main outputs in a water system?
Evapotranspiration and Streamflow
What is Evapotranspiration?
Compromised of both Evaporation and Transpiration. Evaporation occurs when water is heated by the sun, causing it to become a gas and rise into the atmosphere. Transpiration occurs in plants when they respire through their leaves, releasing water they absorb through their roots, which then evaporates due to heating by the sun.
What is streamflow?
All water that enters a drainage basin will either leave through the atmosphere or through streams which drain the basin. These may flow as tributaries into other rivers or directly into lakes and oceans.
What are the seven flows in a water system?
Infiltration, Percolation, Throughflow, Surface Runoff, Groundwater Flow, Streamflow and Stemflow.
What is infiltration?
The process of water moving from above ground into the soil
What is Percolation?
Water moves from the ground or soil into porous rock or rock fractures.
What is Throughflow?
Water moves through the soil and into streams or rives with the speed of the flow being dependant on the type of soils.
What is Surface Run off?
Water flows above ground, as sheetflow (lots of water flowing over a large area), or in rills (small channels similar to streams, that are unlikely to carry water during periods when there is not any rainfall).
What is Groundwater flow?
Water moves through the rocks which ensures that there is water in rivers, even after long periods of dry weather.
What is Streamflow?
Water that moves through established channels
What is stemflow?
Flow of water that has been intercepted by plants or trees, down a stem, leaf, branch or other part of a plant.
What are some examples of stores in a water system?
Soil Water, Groundwater, River Channel, Interception and Surface Storage
What is Soil Water?
Water stored in the soil which is utilised by plants - Mid-Term
