The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity

Question 1

Name the Main Global Water Stores:

Answer 1

• Oceans
• Cryosphere (Ice Caps, Ice Sheets and Glaciers)
• Ground Water
• Rivers & Lakes
• Atmospheric Moisture
• Soil Moisture
• Biosphere

Question 2

What is the World’s Largest Water Store and how much does it store?

Answer 2

The Ocean and it stores 96.9% of the Globe’s Total Water

Question 3

What is the World’s Smallest Water Store and how much does it store?

Answer 3

Atmospheric Moisture and it stores 0.001% of the Globe’s Total Water

Question 4

What is Residence Time in Global Water Stores?

Answer 4

The average duration water spends in a particular store before being transferred to another store in the form of flows

Question 5

Which Global Water Store has no amount of Fresh Water?

Answer 5

Oceans

Question 6

What Global Water Stores are considered in the Cryosphere?

Answer 6

Ice Caps, Ice Sheets and Glaciers

Question 7

In which Global Water Store is the majority of Freshwater held in and how much?

Answer 7

The Cryosphere (Ice Caps, Ice Sheets and Glaciers) and it holds 69% of the Globe’s Total Freshwater Supply.

Question 8

What is a Water Store?

Answer 8

A place where water is held before being transferred

Question 9

What is the Cryosphere?

Answer 9

The Global Water Volume locked up within a Frozen State

Question 10

How much of the Earth’s total water is Freshwater?

Answer 10

2.5%

Question 11

Is the Hydrological Cycle a Closed or Open System?

Answer 11

The Hydrological Cycle is a closed system because all the water is continually circulated through the stores and there is a constant amount of water in the system. The system does not change because there are no gains or losses to other systems.

Question 12

What is a Drainage Basin?

Answer 12

An area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries contained by the watershed

Question 13

Name the types of Precipitation:

Answer 13

• Orographic
• Frontal
• Convectional

Question 14

Describe the Formation of Orographic Precipitation:

Answer 14

1) Produced when moist air moves over a mountain range.

2) As the air rises and cools, orographic clouds form and serve as the source of precipitation, most of which falls up wind of the mountain ridge.

Question 15

Describe the Formation of Frontal Precipitation:

Answer 15

1) Occurs when a warm front meets a cold front.

2) The heavier cold air sinks to the ground and the warm air rises above it.

3) When the warm air rises, it cools. The cooler air condenses and forms clouds. The clouds bring heavy rain.

Question 16

Describe the Formation of Convectional Rainfall:

Answer 16

1) Occurs when the sun’s energy heats the Earth’s surface and causes water to evaporate changing to water vapour.

2) The warm, moist air then rises, and as it rises, it cools.

3) It then condenses and forms clouds which rain down.

Question 17

Describe Precipitation:

Answer 17

Precipitation is caused by the cooling and condensation of water moisture in the atmosphere, forming clouds that release moisture in the form of rain, snow, hail and sleet

Question 18

Name the factors that impact the Drainage Basin:

Answer 18

1) Type of Precipitation

2) Basin Size and Shape

3) Drainage Density

4) Relief

5) Temperature and Climate

6) Land Use

7) Soil Type