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The Water Cycle Flashcards

1
Q

This is the major input to a watershed and is a factor in the types of soils and vegetation that occur in a watershed

A

Precipitation

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2
Q

Precipitation occurs when these two events happen

A

When the atmosphere becomes saturated and the water/ice particles become large enough to fall to the Earth

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3
Q

This happens when a substance goes from gas to liquid

A

Condensation

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4
Q

This happens when a substance goes from solid to gas

A

Sublimation

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5
Q

Generally, precipitation occurs because of the movement of these, when they cool and become saturated

A

Air masses

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6
Q

What are the three mechanisms of air mass movement that cause precipitation?

A
  1. Frontal systems; 2. Orographic uplift; 3. Convectional lifting
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7
Q

This happens when two air fronts of differing temperatures meet, causing condensation and precipitation

A

Frontal lifting

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8
Q

This happens when an air mass rises over a geographic formation, cools, then precipitates

A

Orographic lifting

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9
Q

This happens when air is warmed by the sun, rises, condenses, and precipitates

A

Convective lifting

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10
Q

What are three ways to measure precipitation?

A
  1. Automated weather stations; 2. Radar; 3. Manual methods
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11
Q

Before this method of measuring precipitation, there was a large amount of error

A

Radar

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12
Q

Before radar, precipitation measurement error was based on this nature of precipitation

A

Spatial nature

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13
Q

What are three problems with using radar to measure precipitation?

A
  1. Determining the type of precipitation; 2. Measuring amounts of precipitation; 3. Precipitation coverage
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14
Q

What can mitigate the problems of measuring precipitation with radar?

A

Increasing the number of stations

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15
Q

Information about precipitation from these events is often the most valuable for watershed management

A

Extreme events

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16
Q

Knowing the likelihood of extreme events is valuable for these purposes

A

Planning purposes

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17
Q

What is a 100 year flood event?

A

1 in 100 chance of a flood in a particular year

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18
Q

This is the portion of precipitation that does not reach the ground

A

Interception

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19
Q

What are three things that can intercept precipitation?

A

Vegetation, natural features, constructed features

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20
Q

Does interception contribute to runoff?

A

No

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21
Q

Interception returns to the atmosphere via these two processes

A

Evaporation or sublimation

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22
Q

During the initial stages of a precipitation event, these are filled

A

Interception storage sites

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23
Q

After the initial stages of a precipitation event, subsequent precipitation displaces the precipitation in the interception storage sites and causes it to flow downward into what two different forms?

A

Throughfall and stemflow

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24
Q

This is the process of precipitation passing through the plant canopy

A

Throughfall

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25
This is the process that directs precipitation down plant branches and stems
Stemflow
26
Because of stemflow, this area receives additional moisture
Ground area around plant's stem
27
What are five factors that control precipitation interception?
1. Leaf shape/texture; 2. Time of year; 3. Vegetation density; 4. Age of plant community; 5. Amount of precipitation
28
What is the formula for net precipitation?
Total precipitation - interception = net precipitation
29
What are two results of decreasing interception and therefore increasing net precipitation?
Increased runoff and increased infiltration
30
Changing this changes interception
Vegetation type/structure
31
What are five examples of activities that decrease interception?
Farming, fires, grazing, logging, vegetation loss
32
Interception of this type of precipitation is a significant factor in net precipitation or spring runoff and the forest hydrological cycle
Snow
33
These sites are highly variable in regard to precipitation interception
Urban sites
34
These can intercept precipitation at urban sites such as parking lots
Impervious surfaces
35
Are interception sites often present in urban areas?
No
36
This is the loss of water from a surface resulting from a change in the state of water from liquid to vapor
Evaporation
37
This is the diffusion of water vapor from a plant to the atmosphere
Transpiration
38
This is the combined effect of both evaporation and transpiration
Evapotranspiration
39
Why are evaporation and transpiration combined into one value
It is virtually impossible to measure the effects of each separately in watershed management
40
Can evapotranspiration dominate the eventual fate of net precipitation in many areas?
Yes
41
For most of the U.S., which contributes more to evapotranspiration: transpiration or evaporation?
Transpiration
42
What are eight factors that affect evapotranspiration?
1. Net solar radiation; 2. Wind speed; 3. Soil moisture; 4. Reflective land-surface characteristics; 5. Surface area of water; 6. Density/type of vegetation; 7. Root depth; 8. Season of year
43
What is the primary source of energy for evapotranspiration?
Net solar radiation
44
Is net solar radiation uniform across the U.S.?
No
45
What are two characteristics of areas that have the highest rates of evapotranspiration?
High precipitation and high solar radiation
46
Do areas in the western U.S. have high evapotranspiration?
No
47
What region of the U.S. has the highest rates of evapotranspiration?
Southeast
48
Forest management practices influence the amount of evapotranspiration by reducing this
Plant biomass
49
Will changing the type of vegetation influence the amount of water available for evapotranspiration?
Yes
50
These are plants that reduce certain hydrological functions, such as streamflow
Phreatophytes
51
What are four examples of phreatophytes?
Salt cedar, cottonwood, desert trees, alfalfa
52
Does bare soil allow for evaporation only?
Yes
53
Is soil evaporation a slower process than transpiration?
Yes
54
To what depth can evaporation deplete soil water?
0.4 m
55
This process puts more water into the landscape, allowing for increased evapotranspiration
Irrigation
56
Flood irrigation causes water loss from evapotranspiration through this type of vegetation
Non-target vegetation
57
This is a theoretical measurement of the amount of evapotranspiration that would take place if plants and the soil surface were never short of water
Potential evapotranspiration
58
This is the process by which water enters the soil surface
Infiltration
59
What are two processes by which water moves into the soil surface?
Capillary action (matrix potential gradient) and gravity
60
Water moves through either of these two features of the soil
Micropores or macropores
61
Micropores are associated with this aspect of soil
Soil texture
62
What is the dominant force in water movement through macropores?
Capillary action
63
What are four examples of macropores in soil?
1. Worm holes; 2. Cracks; 3. Decayed roots; 4. Spaces between soil aggregates/particles
64
What is the dominant force in water movement through macropores?
Gravity
65
This is the amount of water that moves into the soil surface over time
Infiltration rate
66
What are three factors important to infiltration rate?
1. Ease of entry into the soil surface; 2. Storage capacity within the soil; 3. Transmission rate through soil
67
This acts as a storage component and as a protective cover maintaining open soil pores
Plant litter
68
Plant litter prevents this from happening to soil aggregates
Destabilization
69
Plant litter prevents these particles from moving and filling pores
Clay particles
70
Areas without plant litter support fewer of these
Macropore-creating organisms
71
After how long a period of precipitation do infiltration rates decline?
1 to 2 hours
72
What are three reasons why infiltration rates slow after 1 to 2 hours of precipitation?
1. Gravity-fed capacity fills to a stabilized rate; 2. Pore spaces fill up and become blocked; 3. Soil particles swell
73
This is the maximum rate that water infiltrates into the soil
Infiltration capacity
74
This occurs when precipitation exceeds the infiltration capacity
Runoff
75
What is the formula for runoff rate?
Rainfall rate - Infiltration capacity = Runoff rate
76
What are two ways runoff can begin?
As small depressions retaining water or as water moving over the surface
77
What are 10 factors that control soil infiltration?
1. Antecedent soil water content; 2. Frost; 3. Surface roughness; 4. Slope; 5. Soil compaction; 6. Impervious subsurface layers; 7. Surface sealing; 8. Hydrophobic conditions; 9. Organic content; 10. Soil and water temperatures
78
Water that enters the soil will do this through the soil via gravity and capillary action
Percolate
79
This is the downward movement of water through the soil
Percolation
80
Once there is no further infiltration and the water moving by gravity has drained, a soil is said to be at this state
Field capacity
81
What holds the water in the soil when it is at field capacity?
Capillary action/matric potential gradient
82
Does the amount of water held at field capacity differ for various soils?
Yes
83
What are the three basic types of runoff?
1. Overland (Hortonian) flow; 2. Subsurface flow; 3. Saturated overland flow
84
This type of runoff occurs across the soil surface once depressions are filled, and/or when precipitation exceeds infiltration capacity
Overland/Hortonian flow
85
This type of runoff occurs as a shallow sheet of water or a series of rivulets/rills as it flows down hill
Overland/Hortonian flow
86
Does overland/Hortonian flow decrease in depth and velocity as it flows downhill?
No
87
Is some overland/Hortonian flow trapped as depression storage?
Yes
88
Does overland/Hortonian flow occur anywhere infiltration is decreased?
Yes
89
Do impermeable surfaces have low overland/Hortonian flow?
No
90
What are three examples of surfaces that have high overland/Hortonian flow?
Rocks, compacted soil, urban areas
91
Do non-vegetated surfaces have overland/Hortonian flow?
Yes
92
This type of runoff is the water that flows through the soil and arrives at a discharge area, stream, or other water body, in a short enough period of time as thought to be the result of the recent precipitation event
Subsurface flow/interflow
93
What are the three mechanisms responsible for subsurface flow/interflow?
Hydraulic pressure, gravity and differences in soils
94
The interplay of these five ground characteristics influences subsurface flow/interflow
1. Matric potential; 2. Pore space; 3. Macropores; 4. Pipes; 5. Rock fractures
95
Subsurface flow/interflow can join with ground water or continue through the soil until it reaches one of these
Outlets
96
Often, a subsurface flow/interflow can meet one of these and flow along it until it reaches an outlet
Impervious layer/aquitard
97
When subsurface flow/interflow reaches the ground water, it often raises this so that water from the ground water flows at a higher rate into an outlet
Water table
98
Can subsurface flow/interflow reappear at the surface and flow overland to a stream or water body?
Yes
99
This type of runoff includes ground water or subsurface flow that is now flowing over the surface and the direct precipitation that falls in with the flowing ground water
Saturated overland flow
100
Where litter and vegetation densely cover the ground and soils have high infiltration capability, little to no this is measurable or thought to occur
Overland flow
101
From what do sources does runoff come in densely vegetated areas?
Saturated overland flow near the stream and rapid subsurface flow
102
? variable source area concept
103

Limnology (12 decks)

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