The Hydrosphere package Flashcards
What is the hydrosphere, and what does it do?
It’s the earth’s outer layer of water, and it units water in all different states (solid, liquid and gas)
What is the catchment area?
it’s an area of land who’s lakes or rivers empty into.
What 3 types of water go into the catchment area?
- rain
- surface water
- ground water
What’s a water shed? (think of gravity)
it’s when water flows down slopes and goes from higher ground to the lower ground/basin.
What is the issue about having contaminants upstream of the basin.
because it goes downstream and spreads everywhere.
What is a human disturbance on watersheds/ecosystems?
the creation of a reservoir upstream from a hydroelectric power plant.
How are oceans able to regulate the climate?
by standardizing temperature of the earth and because of their ability to absorb heat.
What 3 factors influence water temperature?
- season
- latitude
- depth
Where do oceans have less salt?
the poles.
What lowers the salt concentration near the poles of the earth?
due to global warming the freshwater icecaps are melting.
Where does the salt initially come from?
erosion (salt from rocks)
What are three types of interrelated marine currents?
- surface currents
- deep currents
- thermohaline circulation
What are surface currents?
generated by wind and is horizontal circulation.
What causes deep currents?
differences in temperature and salinity and is also caused by different densities in water.
What are deep currents?
vertical circulation
What is the purpose of thermohaline?
it creates ocean circulation which regulate the temperature and distributes the salts.
What is the cryosphere, and what are they made up of?
it is the layer made up of frozen water on earth, and ice floes and glaciers.
What are ice floes?
sheets of frozen water.
What are glaciers?
compressed snow/ice on land.
What is an iceberg?
broken pieces of glaciers that fell into the water.
What are two energy resources?
- hydraulic energy
2. tidal power plants
What’s hydraulic energy?
energy comes from moving water (mechanical energy becomes electrical energy)
What are the 3 advantages of hydraulic energy?
- no pollutants (once installed)
- renewable
- inexpensive
What are the 4 disadvantages of hydraulic energy?
- floods
- decrease of water downstream
- disrupting habitats
- location dependent
What is tidal power, and what causes it?
tides/marine currents produce electrical energy and are caused by the earth/moon relationship.
Why is the moon’s influence of the earth much greater than the sun?
because the moon is so much close than the earth.
