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geography > The Water Cycle > Flashcards

The Water Cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

what type of system is the hydrological cycle

A

closed

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2
Q

What is a closed system

A

system where only energy can be exchanged but not matter

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3
Q

What is the hydrological cycle

A

circulation of water around the earth

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4
Q

Name the 2 sources that power the global hydrological cycle

A

Solar energy: in the form of heat

Gravitational potential energy: causes rivers to flow downhill and precipitation to fall to the ground.

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5
Q

What are stores

A

reservoirs where water is held.

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6
Q

Name the 4 main stores

A

the oceans (largest by far)

glaciers and ice sheets (cryosphere, second largest)

surface runoff- land-based stores, including rivers, lakes, groundwater and the moisture held in soils and vegetation.

the atmosphere
Of the freshwater stores:
The cryosphere is the largest, holding 69% of global freshwater
Groundwater holds 30%
Less than 1% is stored in the biosphere (vegetation and soil moisture)

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7
Q

What are flows

A

transfers of water from one store to another.

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8
Q

What are fluxes

A

rates of flow between stores -> greatest fluxes occur over the oceans.

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9
Q

What does the global water budget do

A

limits water available for human use

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10
Q

What is the main input of the hydrological cycle

A

precipitation

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11
Q

Name 5 characteryics that effect the drainage cycle

A

Form: rain, snow or hail. Clearly, with snow, entry of water into the drainage system will be delayed.

Amount: this will affect the amount of water in the drainage basin and the fluxes within it.

Intensity: the greater the intensity, the greater the likelihood of flooding.

Seasonality: this is likely to result in the drainage basin system operating at different flow levels at different times of the year.

Distribution: this is significant in very large drainage basins, such as the Nile and the Ganges, where tributaries start in different climate zones.

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12
Q

Name the 7 different flows important in transferring the precipitation that has fallen on land

A

-interception
-Infiltration

-percolation; deep tranfer of water into permeable rocks

-throughflow; lateral transfer of water downslope through soil

-groundwater flow; v slow transfer of percolated water through porous rocks

-surface runoff; when water accumulates in soil until water table reaches surface, forcing further rainwater to run off surface

-river or channel flow

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13
Q

What is interception

A

retention of water by plants and soils -> evaporated/ absorbed by the vegetation.

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14
Q

What is infiltration

A

the process by which water soaks into, or is absorbed by, the soil.

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15
Q

What is percolation

A

a deeper transfer of water into permeable rocks.

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16
Q

What is throughflow

A

lateral transfer of water downslope through the soil

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17
Q

What is groundwater flow

A

very slow transfer of percolated water through pervious (permeable) or porous rocks.

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18
Q

What is surface runoff

A

movement of water that is unconfined by a channel across the surface of the ground. A.k.a. overland flow.

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19
Q

What is river/ channel flow

A

takes over as soon as the water enters a river or stream; the flow is confined within a channel.

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20
Q

Name the 3 output processes

A

-evaporation
-transpiration
-discharge

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21
Q

What is evaporation

A

when moisture is lost -> atmosphere from water surfaces, soil and rock.

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22
Q

What is transpiration

A

biological process -> water is lost from plants through minute pores and transferred to the atmosphere.

23
Q

What is discharge

A

the volume of water passing a given point over a set of time

24
Q

What is a drainage basin

A

area of land drained by a river and its tributaries with a boundary (wtaershed)

-area of land where when water falls on it -> flows into river

25
Q

What is the watershed

A

boundary of a drainage basin

26
Q

What kind of system is the drainage basin

A

open

27
Q

Name 5 factors that affect the drainage basin system

A

-climate
-soils
-geology
-relief
-vegetation

28
Q

How does climate affect drainage basin

A

-impacts on the inputs and outputs

-influences type & amount of precipitation overall & amount of evaporation

29
Q

How do soils affect the drainage basin

A

affect relative importance of different flows within system ( most important is surface runoff)

Soils determine the amount of infiltration and throughflow, the type of vegetation

30
Q

How does geology affect drainage basin

A

affects relative importance of different flows within the system ( most important is surface runoff)

Geology can impact on subsurface processes such as percolation and groundwater flow (and, therefore, on aquifers)

Indirectly, geology affects soil formation.

31
Q

How does relief affect the drainage basin

A

affects the relative importance of different flows within system ( the most important is surface runoff)

Relief can impact on the amount of precipitation.

Slopes can affect the amount of runoff.

32
Q

How does vegetation affect drainage basins

A

Largely affects relative importance of the different flows within the system (most important is surface runoff)

presence/ absence of vegetation has impact on amount of interception, infiltration and occurrence of overland flow, as well as on transpiration rates.

33
Q

How do humans disrupt the drainage basin

A

deforestation- no vegetation -> no interception -> rain strikes soil directly -> soil compaction

-rain doesn’t soak into soil -> stays on surface -> surface runoff -> erosion

changing land use -> urban areas -> infiltration reduces -> larger surface run off -> less evapotranspiration

creating new water storage reservoirs - interrupt natural flows of water -> delays flows -> ^ evaporation

34
Q

what is the hydrological cycle driven by

A

it is driven by solar energy and gravitational potential energy.
1) solar energy- has water and turns from a liquid to a gas, rises into the atmosphere and cools and condenses to form clouds

2)gravitational potential- earth’s gravity pull is converted into kinetic energy and accelerates water through the cycle (falling as precipitation, flowing across the land, infiltrating and percolating)

35
Q

Name the inputs to the drainage system

A

precipitation patterns and types:
- orographic
- frontal
- convectional

vary in a number of different ways. by form (rain, snow, hail), amount, intensity, seasonality, distribution

36
Q

what are the outputs in the drainage basin?

A

evaporation- moisture lost into atmosphere from water surfaces, soil and rock

transpiration- biological process -> water is lost from plants through minute pores and transferred into the atmosphere

discharge (channel flow)- into another, larger drainage basin, a rivulet, lake or the sea, the amount depends on the amount of precipitation falling directly into the channel

37
Q

what type of system is a drainage basin?

A

it is an open system. it has inputs and outputs.

38
Q

Name the stores in the drainage basin

A

Soil Water - Water stored in the soil which is utilised by plants - Mid-term

Groundwater - Water that is stored in the pore spaces of rock - Long-term

River Channel - Water that is stored in a river - Short-term

Interception - Water intercepted by plants on their branches and leaves before reaching the
ground - Short-term

Surface Storage - Water stored in puddles, ponds, lakes etc. - Variable

39
Q

what is orographic precipitation

A

orographic uplift -> uplift of an air mass, because of orographic obstruction, -> cooling of air mass

if enough cooling occurs -> condensation occurs -> orographic precipitation, in mountains, hills

40
Q

what is frontal precipitation

A

caused when warm air meets cold air & forces warm air to rise -> cool -> condense -> forming clouds -> rain

41
Q

what is convectional precipitation?

A

caused when moisture evaporates & rises when heated by the sun in warm areas -> cools -> condenses -> forms cloud -> rains

42
Q

What does the global water budget take account for

A

all the water that is held in stores and flows of the global hydrological cycle.

43
Q

What is fossil water

A

Ancient, deep groundwater made from pluvial (wetter) periods in the geological past

44
Q

What is the water budget

A

-oceans lose more water from evaporation than precipitation

-surface runoff makes up difference -> balancing it out

-if balance was disturbed -> oceans would recieve more water - continents would dry

-water budget is this balance

45
Q

water:
-how much water in oceans
-freshwater?
-ice caps and glaciers?
-groundwtaer?
-surface water?
-lakes?
-soil moisture?
-atmsopheric water vapour?
-rivers?
-accessible water in plants

A

-97.5% oceans
-2.5% freshwater
69% in ice caps and glaciers
30% in groundwater
1% as easily accessible surface water
52% in lakes
38% as soil moisture
8% as atmospheric water vapour
1% in rivers
1% as accessible water in plants

46
Q

Why are drainage basins referred to as an open system

A

-as they lose more than they receive

-lose water by:
-evaporation, evapotranspiration to atmosphere

-surface runoff to the sea

-percolation into groundwater stores

47
Q

What is an aquifer

A

underground reservoir

48
Q

Q
what is the cryosphere and biosphere?

A

cryosphere- the ice system (ice sheets and glaciers)

biosphere- the living system (plants and animals)

49
Q

what is a residence time

A

how long water stays in a particular store

-larger the store, the longer the residence time

50
Q

Name the 3 conditions needed for precipitation to form

A

-air cooled to saturation point

-consensation nuclei

-temperature below dew point

51
Q

What is blue water

A

freshwater stored in rivers, streams, lakes -> visible part of hydrological cycle

52
Q

What is green water

A

freshwater stored in the soil and vegetation -> invisible part of hydrological cycle

53
Q

Name 2 reasons why water budgets are useful

A

-can be used to monitor amount of water held in stores

-base flow provides info on the usually avaliable water

54
Q

Name 3 ways humans have accelerated the process of desertification

A

-overpopulation

-environmental degradation resulting from overgrazing

-deforestation

geography (55 decks)

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