The Hydrological Cycle - Keywords

Question 1

Watershed

Answer 1

The boundary of a drainage basin.

Question 2

Catchment

Answer 2

The area within the drainage basin

Question 3

Interception

Answer 3

Some precipitation falls on vegetation and other structures before it reaches the soil. It also creates a significant store of water in wooded areas.

Question 4

Vegetation storage

Answer 4

Water taken up by plants.

Question 5

Surface storage

Answer 5

Includes water in puddles (depression storage), ponds and lakes.

Question 6

Groundwater storage

Answer 6

Water stored in the ground, either by soil or rocks.

Question 7

Channel storage

Answer 7

Water held in a river or stream channel.

Question 8

Surface runoff/overland flow

Answer 8

Water flowing over the land (common in arid areas where torrential rain falls on hard baked land).

Question 9

Throughfall

Answer 9

Water dripping from one leaf to another.

Question 10

Stemflow

Answer 10

Water running down a plant stem or tree trunk.

Question 11

Throughflow

Answer 11

Water moving slowly downhill through the soil - faster through “pipes” (cracks in soil).

Question 12

Infiltration

Answer 12

Water soaking into the soil.

Question 13

Percolation

Answer 13

Water seeping down through soil into the water table.

Question 14

Groundwater flow

Answer 14

Water flowing slowly through permeable rock BELOW the water table.

Question 15

Baseflow

Answer 15

Groundwater flow that feeds into river through river banks and beds.

Question 16

Interflow

Answer 16

Water flowing downhill through permeable rock ABOVE the water table.

Question 17

Channel flow/river discharge

Answer 17

Water flowing in the river/stream itself.

Question 18

Evaporation

Answer 18

Water turning into water vapour - liquid to gas

Question 19

Transpiration

Answer 19

Evaporation from plant leaves. Plants take up water through their roots and transport it to their leaves - this is where the water is evaporated.

Question 20

Evapotranspiration

Answer 20

Process of evaporation and transpiration together.

Question 21

Potential evapotranspiration (PET)

Answer 21

Amount of water that could have been lost by evapotranspiration e.g PET is high in a desert because of the arid climate, however there’s not a lot of moisture in the first place.

Question 22

What are the inputs of the drainage basin? 1

Answer 22

Precipitation.

Question 23

What are the storage’s of the drainage basin? 5

Answer 23

Interception.
Vegetation storage.
Surface storage.
Groundwater storage.
Channel storage.

Question 24

What are the flows and processes of the drainage basin? 10

Answer 24

Surface runoff.
Throughfall.
Stemflow.
Throughflow.
Infiltration.
Percolation.
Groundwater flow.
Baseflow.
Interflow.
Channel flow.

Question 25

What are the outputs of the drainage basin? 5

Answer 25

Evaporation.
Transpiration.
Evapotranspiration.
PET.
River discharge/flow.

Question 26

What kind of system is the hydrological cycle?

Answer 26

Closed system - the water is recycled.

Question 27

Precipitation

Answer 27

All the ways moisture comes out of the atmosphere e.g rain, snow, hail, dew and frost.

Question 28

What does the water balance show?

Answer 28

Shows the balance between the inputs (precipitation) and outputs (channel discharge and evapotranspiration).

Question 29

What is a water surplus?

Answer 29

When the precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration.

Once the soil becomes saturated, excess water can’t infiltrate the soil and so there is more surface runoff.

Question 30

What happens to the water balance in drier seasons?

Answer 30

Precipitation is lower than evapotranspiration.
Ground stores are depleted as some water is used, but isn’t replaced by precipitation.
Deficit (shortage) of water occurs.

Question 31

When are the ground stores recharged?

Answer 31

Autumn - in the wetter periods.
When the precipitation exceeds transpiration once again.
Water surplus will be available once again to supply rivers and streams.