The Hydrological Cycle Flashcards
Property: Density
Why is it important?
Prevents freezing in lakes and produces seasonal stratification
Property: Melting and boiling points
Water can exist as a liquid on the earth’s surface.
Property: Heat Capacity
Moderates temperature by preventing extremes
Property: Heat of vaporisation
Moderates temperature extremes
Property: surface tension
High surface tension (how much molecules stick together) regulates drop formation
Property: Absorbtion of radiation
Allows photosynthesis to happen
Property: Solvent properties
Can dissolve into substances in the hydrological cycle and in biological systems.
How much water is stored in Oceans?
95%
How many 10^6 km^3 of ocean is there?
1400 10^6 km^3
How much water is stored in ice caps and glaciers?
almost 3%
How much water is stored in the atmosphere?
0.001%
How much is stored in rivers and lakes?
0.0091%
On average, how long does water vapour stay in the atmosphere? - fluxes
11 days
On average, how long does water stay in the ocean?
37,000 years
What is a flux?
Exchange of water between different reservoirs
What does the hydrological cycle refer to?
The storage/ movement of water between the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, the biosphere and the atmosphere.
Which factors impact runoff?
precipitation + evapotranspiration
How to light and heavy isotopes behave?
- lighter isotopes evaporate
- heavier isotopes condense
Why does it rain more along the equator?
Rising air = area of low pressure = more rainfall
How do you estimate ice volume and sea level?
Through 16O/18O ratios.
- Basically by looking at the ratio of each type of oxygen isotope
