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Geography A Level Keywords > The Water Cycle > Flashcards

The Water Cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

Blue water

A

Water stored in rivers, lakes and groundwater in liquid form. The visible part of the hydrological cycle

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2
Q

Green water

A

Water stored in soil and vegetation. The invisible part of the hydrological cycle

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3
Q

Precipitation

A

The movement of water in any form from the atmosphere to the ground

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4
Q

Evaporation

A

The change in state of water from a liquid to a gas

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5
Q

Residence time

A

The average times a water molecule will spend in a reservoir or store

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6
Q

Fossil water

A

Ancient, deep groundwater from former pluvial (wetter) periods

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7
Q

Transpiration

A

The diffusion of water from vegetation into the atmosphere, involving a change in state from gas to liquid

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8
Q

Groundwater flow

A

The slow transfer of percolated water underground through pervious or porous rock

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9
Q

Catchment

A

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

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10
Q

Watershed

A

The highland which divided and separates water flowing into different rivers e.g. Tyne and Wear

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11
Q

Condensation

A

The change in state from a gas to a liquid, such as when water vapour changes into water droplets

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12
Q

Dew point

A

The temperature at which dew forms; it is a measure of atmospheric moisture

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13
Q

Convectional rainfall

A

Often associated with intense thunderstorms, which occur widely in areas with ground heating such as the Tropics and continental interiors

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14
Q

Cyclonic rainfall

A

A period of sustained, moderately intensive rain; it is associated with the passage of depressions

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15
Q

Orographic rainfall

A

Concentrated on the windward slopes and summits of mountains

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16
Q

Interception loss

A

Water which is retained by plant surfaces and later evaporated or absorbed by the vegetation and transpired. When the rain is light, for example, drizzle, or of short duration, much of the water will reach the ground and will be recycled by this process
E.g. standing under and tree and won’t get wet because of this

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17
Q

Throughfall

A

Period where rainfall persists or is relatively intense, and the water drops from the leaves, twigs, needles etc.

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18
Q

Stem flow

A

When water trickles along twigs and branches then down the trunk

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19
Q

Infiltration

A

The movement of water from the ground suface into the soil

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20
Q

Infiltration capacity

A

The maximum rate at which rain can be absorbed by soil

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21
Q

Surface run-off

A

The movement of water that is unconfined by a channel across the surface of the ground. Also known as overland flow

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22
Q

Throughflow

A

The lateral transfer of water down slope through the soil via natural pipes and percolines

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23
Q

Percolines

A

Lines of concentrated water flow between soil horizons to the river channel

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24
Q

Percolation

A

The transfer of water from the surface of the rock into the bedrock beneath

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25
Q

Saturated overland flow

A

The upward movement of the water table into the evaporation zone

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26
Q

Albedo

A

A measure of the proportion of the incoming solar radiation that is reflected by the surface back into the atmosphere and space

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27
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

The combined effect of evaporation and transpiration

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28
Q

Channel flow

A

The flow of water in streams or rivers

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29
Q

Channel storage

A

The storage of water in streams or rivers

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30
Q

Potential evapotranspiration (PEVT)

A

The water loss that would occur if there was an unlimited supply of water in the soil for use by vegetation

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31
Q

Deforestation

A

The cutting down and removal of all or most trees in a forested area

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32
Q

Afforestation

A

The planting of trees in an area that has not be forested in recent times

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33
Q

River regime

A

The annual variation in discharge or flow of a river at a particular point or gauging station, usually measured in cumecs

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34
Q

Rising limb

A

The part of a storm hydrograph in which the discharge starts to rise

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35
Q

Peak discharge

A

The time when the river reaches its highest flow

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36
Q

Lag time

A

The time interval between peak rainfall and peak discharge

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37
Q

Falling or recessional limb

A

The part of a storm hydrograph in which the discharge starts to decrease

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38
Q

Base flow

A

The normal, day-to-day discharge of the river

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39
Q

Meteorological drought

A

Shortfalls in precipitation as a result of short term variability within the long term average overall, many semi-arid places e.g. the Sahel
Recent years have shown a downward trend in rainfall totals and the duration and predictability of the rainy season

40
Q

Agricultural Drought

A

MD leads to a lack of soil moisture and soil water availability, knock on effect on plant growth and reduces biomass

41
Q

Hydrological drought

A

Reduced stream flow and groundwater levels, decrease because of reduced inputs from precipitation and continued high rates of evaporation
Results in reduced storage in lakes and reservoirs often with marked salinisation and decreased water quality

42
Q

Famine drought

A

A humanitarian crisis with widespread shortages as agricultural systems fail and food supplies are short. Leads to economic, social and environmental impacts

43
Q

Teleconnection

A

Refers to climate anomalies which relate to each other at large distances

44
Q

Desertification

A

Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting in various factors, including climatic variations and human activity

45
Q

Wetland

A

An area of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt

46
Q

Groundwater flooding

A

Flooding that occurs as the ground has become saturated from prolonged heavy rainfall

47
Q

Surface water flooding

A

Intense rainfall has insufficient time to infiltrate soil so flows overland

48
Q

Flash flooding

A

A flood with an exceptionally short lag time - often minutes or hours

49
Q

Urbanisation

A

The increase in the number of people living in towns and cities compared to the number of people living in the countryside

50
Q

Jökulhlaup

A

A type of glacial outburst flood that occurs when the dam containing a glacial lake fails

51
Q

Eutrophication

A

Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to run-off from farming land, which causes dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from a lack of oxygen

52
Q

Morbidity

A

A state of ill health

53
Q

Players

A

Individuals, groups or organisations with an involvement or interest in a particular issue

54
Q

Fracking

A

Hydraulic fracking or oil/gas well simulation is a new technique in which rock is fractured by pressurised liquid

55
Q

Virtual water

A

The hidden flow of water when food or other commodities are traded

56
Q

Green revolution

A

The use of high yield varieties (HYVs) of crops along with the use of agrochemicals and irrigation to increase yields and improve food supplies; begun in the 1960s

57
Q

Structural adjustment programmes

A

Neo-liberal policies promoted by the WB and IMF to help developing countries to overcome their debt problems, These are now superseded by poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) as for many countries SAPs resulted in unacceptable hardship and little progress with solutions to debts

58
Q

NIMBYism

A

‘not in my backyard’ - people protesting about developments which they see as detrimental to their own neighbourhood

59
Q

Top down

A

Large scale capital intensive development schemes, usually government run

60
Q

Bottom up

A

Small scale development schemes, usually ran by local groups

61
Q

Grey water

A

Refers to waste bath, sink or washing water. It can be recycled, resulting in savings in water usage

62
Q

Hydroponics

A

The method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions without soil

63
Q

Intergrated water resource management (IWRM)

A

The process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land-related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital eco-systems

64
Q

Factors controlling how precipitation reacts on reaching the land surface
Basin wide factors

A 
Relief
Geology
Climate
Land use
Vegetation 
Drainage density
65
Q

Over-abstraction

A

Abstracting too much water from groundwater can lead to rivers drying up during low rainfall

66
Q

Inputs to the hydro cycle

A

Precipitation

67
Q

Outputs of the hydro cycle

A

Evaporation, transpiration and stream flow

68
Q

Drainage basin stores

A 
A 'black box', unknown due to a number of factors 
Throughput controlled by:
Relief
Geology
Water quantity 
Available energy
69
Q

The Inter-tropical Convergence Zone

A

The biggest flux, transporting water from oceans to land
Steep angle of the sun at the Tropics intensifies radiation so there is higher evaporation
Vapour is transferred towards the ITCZ
Where air rises and cools due to convectional current, and form clouds

70
Q

Antecedent moisture

A

Water from one storm that has not been drained away before more rain arrives

71
Q

Aquifer

A

An underground reservoir most commonly formed in rocks such as chalk and sandstone

72
Q

Closed system

A

Where there are no inputs or outputs of matter from an external source - i.e. where inputs and outputs are outbalanced

73
Q

Complex river regimes

A

Where larger rivers cross several different relief and climatic zones and therefore experience the effects of different seasonal climatic events. Human factors can also contribute e.g. damming rivers for energy or irrigation

74
Q

Cryosphere

A

The frozen part of the Earth’s hydrological system

75
Q

Discharge

A

The volume of water passing a certain point in the channel over a certain amount of time

76
Q

Drainage density

A

Describes whether a river has many or few tributaries. Dense drainage networks have many tributaries and carry water more effectively

77
Q

El Niño

A

A situation occurring every 3-8 years where the pressure systems and weather patterns are reversed

78
Q

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

A

The change in air pressure between a normal year and an El Niño year

79
Q

Flux

A

The movement of water between stores

80
Q

Gravitational Potential Energy

A

The ways in which water accelerates under gravity, thus transporting it to rivers and eventually to the sea

81
Q

Jet stream

A

A band of fast-moving air which determines the direction of weather systems and their speed of movement

82
Q

La Niña

A

When the normal pressure systems and weather patterns intensify and low pressure over the western Pacific becomes lower, and high pressure over the eastern Pacific becomes higher
An exaggeration of normal

83
Q

Leeching

A

Loss of nutrients from the soil through infiltration

84
Q

Mega-drought

A

A period of unusually low rainfall, lasting for decades or longer

85
Q

Negative feedback

A

When a change tends to reinforce a system, leading to stability

86
Q

Rain shadow effect

A

When orographic rainfall has occurred over an upland area, the area on the lee side of the hills will receive less rain because the air descends, warms and becomes drier

87
Q

Storm hydrographs

A

A graph showing how a river responds to a particular storm

It displays both rainfall and discharge

88
Q

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)

A

Techniques such as permeable pavements and infiltration basins which reduce surface runoff produced from rainfall

89
Q

Thermohaline circulation

A

The flow of warm and cold water that circulates around the world’s oceans

90
Q

Throughput

A

The quantity of water that flows through a system or store

91
Q

Water budget

A

The difference between inputs and outputs in a given area

92
Q

Water insecurity

A

The state where present and future supplies of water cannot be guaranteed, caused by water scarcity and water stress

93
Q

Water poverty index (WPI)

A

Measures how far a community or country meets all the criteria for; the availability of water resources, access to water, handling capacity, use of water and the ability to sustain nature and ecosystems

94
Q

Water scarcity

A

There is less than 1000m3 of water available per person per year. An inbalance between demand and supply of water, classified as physical scarcity (insufficient water to meet demands) or economic scarcity (people can’t afford water even when it’s available)

95
Q

Water stress

A

There is less than 1700m3 of water available per person per year. If a country’s water consumption exceeds 10% of its renewable fresh water supply, including difficulties in obtaining new quantities of water, as well as poor water quality restricting usage

96
Q

World Water Gap

A

The idea that in many parts of the world there is not enough water to meet the demand whereas wealthy countries are consuming greater and greater quantities of water

97
Q

Walker cell

A

The circulation of air whereby upper atmospheric air moves eastward and surface air moves west across the pacific, causes the trade winds which control El Niño/La Niña

Geography A Level Keywords (8 decks)

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