Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Physcial Geography > Term glossary water and carbon > Flashcards

Term glossary water and carbon Flashcards

1
Q

What is Acidification?

A

The gradual reduction of pH of the oceans, due to dissolving carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is Afforestation?

A

Planting trees and vegetation in the aim of increasing forest cover.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is an Anticyclone?

A

A system of high pressure, causing high temperatures and unseasonably high evaporation rates.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is an Aquifer?

A

A permeable or porous rock which stores water.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is Biofuel?

A

Burning crops and vegetation for electricity and heat.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)?

A

The capture of carbon dioxide emissions directly from the factory, pumped into disused mines rather than being released into the atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are Carbon Fluxes?

A

The movement of carbon between stores.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does Carbon Neutral mean?

A

A process that has no net addition of carbon dioxide to the environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are Carbon Stores?

A

Places where carbon accumulates for a period of time such as rocks and plant matter.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is Channel Flow?

A

Water flowing in a rivulet, stream or river.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are Choke Points?

A

Points in the logistics of energy and fuel that are prone to restriction.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is Combustion?

A

The process of burning a substance, in the presence of oxygen, to release energy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is Convectional Precipitation?

A

Solar radiation heats the air above the ground, causing it to rise, cool & condense forming precipitation (often as thunderstorms).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the Cryosphere?

A

The global water volume locked up within a frozen state (i.e. snow and ice).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is Decomposition?

A

The break down of matter, often by a decomposer which releases carbon dioxide through their own respiration.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is a Depression?

A

A system of low pressure, with fronts of precipitation where low and high pressure air masses meet.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is a Desalination Plant?

A

The conversion of seawater to freshwater, suitable for human consumption.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is a Desalination Plant?

A

The conversion of seawater to freshwater, suitable for human consumption.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is Desublimation?

A

The change of state of water from gas to solid, without being a liquid (the opposite process to sublimation).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is a Drainage Basin?

A

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is Drainage Density?

A

The total length of all rivers & streams divided by the area of the drainage basin.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is a Drought?

A

An extended period of deficient rainfall relative to the statistical average for the region (UN).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is Economic Water Scarcity?

A

When water resources are available but insufficient economic wealth limits access to it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is Energy Mix?

A

The composition of a country’s energy sources.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is Energy Security?

A

The ownership and full control of a country’s energy source, production and transportation.

26
Q

What is an Energy Pathway?

A

The movement of energy from its extraction or source, through pipes, freight logistics or cabling.

27
Q

Who are Energy Players?

A

Key companies and individuals who own, distribute and sell energy and energy sources.

28
Q

What is the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

A

The build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, reducing the amount of solar radiation reflected into space.

29
Q

What are ENSO Cycles?

A

El Niño Southern Oscillations - naturally occurring phenomena that involves the movement of warm water in the Equatorial Pacific.

30
Q

What is Evapotranspiration?

A

The combined total moisture transferred from the Earth to the atmosphere, through evaporation and transpiration.

31
Q

What is Frontal Precipitation?

A

Where air masses of different temperatures meet at a front, one mass will be forced over another, causing precipitation beneath the front.

32
Q

What is the Global Hydrological Cycle?

A

The continuous transfer of water between land, atmosphere and oceans. The Earth is a closed system.

33
Q

What is photosynthesis?

A

The process of converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. All plants and some organisms rely on this process to survive.

34
Q

What is physical water scarcity?

A

A physical lack of available freshwater which cannot meet demand.

35
Q

What are phytoplankton?

A

Small organisms that rely on photosynthesis to survive, so intake carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

36
Q

What is primary energy?

A

The initial source of energy, as it is naturally found. This could be natural ores, water, crops or radioactive material.

37
Q

What is relief precipitation?

A

Precipitation caused when air masses are forced to rise over high land, determined by the relief/morphology of the land.

38
Q

What does renewable mean in terms of energy?

A

Primary energy that can be re-used to produce electricity or has a short lifetime, therefore any used can be replaced quickly.

Examples include hydroelectric, biomass, and solar.

39
Q

What is respiration?

A

The process of converting glucose and oxygen into carbon dioxide and energy. Some organisms rely on respiration to survive.

40
Q

What is river regime?

A

The pattern of river discharge over a year.

41
Q

What is runoff?

A

Water flowing over the surface of the ground, e.g., after precipitation or snowmelt.

42
Q

What is salinisation?

A

Where salt water contaminates freshwater stores or soils, creating saline conditions and reducing human use/consumption.

43
Q

What is saltwater encroachment?

A

The movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers or soils. This may be caused by sea level rise, storm surges or over-extraction.

44
Q

What is secondary energy?

A

The product of primary energy, mostly electricity.

45
Q

What is sequestration?

A

The transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to stores elsewhere - living biosphere, inorganic rocks, etc.

46
Q

What is smart irrigation?

A

Providing crops with a water supply less than optimal, to make crops resistant to water shortages.

47
Q

What is a Storm Hydrograph?

A

Variation of river discharge over a short period of time (days).

48
Q

What is Sublimation?

A

The change of state of water from solid to a gas, without being a liquid.

49
Q

What is Thermohaline Circulation?

A

The movement of volumes of seawater from cold deep water to warm water surface water.

50
Q

What is Throughflow?

A

Water moving horizontally through the soil, due to gravity.

51
Q

What is a Tipping Point?

A

A critical threshold where any changes to a system after the tipping point are irreversible.

52
Q

What is Transpiration?

A

The process through which water evaporates through the stomata in plants’ leaves.

53
Q

What is Urbanisation?

A

The growth of populations in towns and cities.

54
Q

What is a Water Budget?

A

The annual balance between inputs and outputs within a system.

55
Q

What is Water Conservation?

A

Strategies to reduce water usage and demand.

56
Q

What is Water Recycling?

A

The treatment and purification of waste water, to increase supply.

57
Q

What is Water Scarcity?

A

There are limited renewable water sources (between 500 and 1000 cubic metres per capita per year).

58
Q

What is Water Security?

A

The ability to protect and access a sustainable source to adequately meet demand.

59
Q

What is a Water Sharing Treaty?

A

International agreements for transboundary sources.

60
Q

What is Water Transfer?

A

Hard engineering projects, such as pipelines or aqueducts, that divert water between basins to meet demand.

61
Q

What is a Watershed?

A

The boundary between neighbouring drainage basins.

Physcial Geography (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions