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Physical Geography > The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity > Flashcards

The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity Flashcards

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1
Q

Is the global hydrological cycle an open or closed system?

A

Closed System

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2
Q

Define ‘closed system’ in relation to the hydrological cycle

A

The same amount of total water is always present within the global hydrological cycle as no water can enter or escape

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3
Q

What is a ‘store’ in relation to the hydrological cycle

A

Where water is kept or found

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4
Q

What is an input and output in relation to the hydrological cycle

A

An input is the movement of water into one store to another

An output is the movement of water out of one store to another

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5
Q

What is a flow in relation to the hydrological cycle

A

The total movement of water from one store to another

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6
Q

What is another word you could use instead of ‘flow’

A

flux

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7
Q

What are the two main types of energy that have an effect on the movement of water in the hydrological cycle, and give two examples of how each one has an impact

A

Solar Energy - Drives wind direction and evaporation

Gravitational Potential Energy - Drives precipitation and rivers to flow downhill

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8
Q

What are the main six water stores ranked by how much water is in each

A
  1. Oceans
  2. Cryosphere (Frozen Water)
  3. Groundwater
  4. Surface Water (Rivers/Lakes)
  5. Atmosphere
  6. Biosphere (Plants and Animals)
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9
Q

What % of total water on Earth is in the following:

  1. Oceans
  2. Cryosphere (Frozen Water)
  3. Groundwater
  4. Surface Water (Rivers/Lakes)
  5. Atmosphere
  6. Biosphere (Plants and Animals)
A
  1. Oceans - 96.9%
  2. Cryosphere (Frozen Water) - 1.9%
  3. Groundwater - 1.1%
  4. Surface Water - 0.01%
  5. Atmosphere - 0.001%
  6. Biosphere - 0.0001%
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10
Q

Define non-renewable water stores and give two examples

A

Water stores that cannot be replaced in a short period of time/at all

  • Fossil Water
  • Ablation (Melted Ice)
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11
Q

What is the ‘Global Water Budget’

A

The sum of all the water in the water stores and water fluxes

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12
Q

Why may water availability vary throughout the year

A
  • Dry season in the climate
  • Increased transpiration/evaporation
  • Soil moisture rates
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13
Q

What are the three main categories for where water can be stored and how does water move between each?

A

Atmosphere, Ocean, Land

Atmosphere -> Ocean via Precipitation
Atmosphere -> Land via Precipitation
Land -> Atmosphere via Evapotranspiration
Land -> Oceans via Surface Flow
Ocean -> Atmosphere via Evaporation

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14
Q

What is the main input in the hydrological cycle

A

Precipitation

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15
Q

What are the three types of precipitation and describe them

A

Orographic Precipitation (aka Relief Rainfall) - when humid air is forced to rise over mountains until they’re high enough to cool condense and form rainclouds

Frontal Precipitation - when humid air is forced to rise in a low pressure system until its high enough to cool and condense and form rainclouds

Convectional Precipitation - when the ground and lower atmosphere is heated by solar energy which causes rising thermals of air which cools and condenses to form rainclouds

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16
Q

What is the ‘Rain Shadow Effect’

A

Orographic rainfall causes clouds to rain on the side of the mountain facing the wind, which causes the other side of the mountain to remain dry

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17
Q

Give 7 examples of flows and describe them

A
  • Interception: Vegetation such as trees intercepts rain before reaching the ground
  • Infiltration: Downwards movement of water through air pockets in soil until the capacity is reached and soil becomes saturated
  • Throughflow: The movement of the water through the soil towards a river, lake or sea
  • Surface Runoff: Rainfall onto the ground so intensely that there is no time for infiltration
  • Saturated overland flow: If soil is already fully saturated with water, no more rain can infiltrate so it runs off the surface
  • Percolation: Downwards movement of water through permeable rocks
  • Groundwater Flow: Downwards/sideways movement of water in rock layers under the influence of gravity or rock structure
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18
Q

What are the main three outputs in the hydrological cycle and describe them

A
  • Evaporation: Change in state of water from liquid to gas when heated by the sun
  • Transpiration: Movement of water from the soil into the roots, up the xylem to the surface of the leaves, where it is evaporated
  • Channel Flow: Surface Runoff moves water to the lowest point in a landscape, where water builds up over time leading to the creation of rivers
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19
Q

Give two examples of a factor that could affect the rate of each of the following:

  • Evaporation
  • Transpiration
  • Channel Flow
A

Evaporation: Temperature, Wind

Transpiration: Soil Moisture, Leaf Growth

Channel Flow: Rainfall, Snow Melt

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20
Q

How can changes to climate affect inputs, flows and outputs in the hydrological cycle

A

Inputs: Amount of precipitation via seasonal patterns and temperature differences

Flows: When there is more rain there is more surface runoff

Outputs: Evaporation and transpiration occurs more when it is hotter

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21
Q

How can changes to vegetation affect inputs, flows and outputs in the hydrological cycle

A

Inputs: High transpiration rates increases local rainfall

Flows: Large forests intercept a lot of rain which slows infiltration, throughflow and surface runoff

Outputs: Lots of trees will increase evapotranspiration and reduce channel flow

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22
Q

How can changes to relief affect inputs, flows and outputs in the hydrological cycle

A

Inputs: Orographic rainfall created by high ground

Flows: Steeper slopes increase the rate of runoff and throughflow but reduces infiltration

Outputs: Slopes increase rates of channel flow

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23
Q

How can changes to soil affect flows and outputs in the hydrological cycle

A

Flows: Soil with more space allows more water to infiltrate which increases throughflow and infiltration but reduces saturated overland flow

Outputs: Some soils like clay soils reduce infiltration and therefore increases runoff and evaporation from the ground

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24
Q

How can changes to geology affect flows and outputs in the hydrological cycle

A

Flows: Permeable rocks allow more percolation and increases groundwater flow as a result

Outputs: Impermeable rocks prevent percolation which can lead to soil becoming saturated created less infiltration and more saturated overland flow

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25
Q

Name 4 human actions that affect the hydrological cycle and how do they affect it

A
  • Deforestation: Reduces interception and evapotranspiration, which can lead to droughts, and it can increase runoff
  • Changes in land use: The change from natural vegetation to urbanised impermeable surfaces like roads or pavement increases runoff and channel flow
  • Reservoir Creation: Forces a river to be dammed which reduces channel flow and discharge downstream but increases evaporation there
  • Abstracting Water: Taking water for human use often consumes water faster than it is replaced
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26
Q

What is the water budget equation

A

P = Q + E ± S

P = Precipitation
Q = Channel Discharge
E = Evapotranspiration
S = Change in storage

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27
Q

Describe how the water budget equation can be used to find if the water balance is positive or negative

A

If P > Q + E, that means S is a positive number, so the amount of water in storage is higher leading to a positive water balance

If P < Q + E, that means S is a negative number, so the amount of water in storage is lower leading to a negative water balance

28
Q

Why is it most important for soil moisture to be high in spring and summer specifically

A

That is when plants and crops grow which is important for both ecosystems and farmers

29
Q

What is a ‘River Regime’?

A

The pattern of flow in a river over the course of a year, and how its discharge changes throughout the seasons

30
Q

How can a River Regime be visualised?

A

A graph with discharge on one coordinate and the months on the other

31
Q

What are the 4 main factors that can affect a river regime

A
  • Seasonal Rainfall Patterns
  • Seasonal Temperature Patterns
  • Geology/Soil Type
  • Human Alterations eg Dams
32
Q

What is a Storm Hydrograph?

A

A graph that shows how the discharge of a river changes in response to a specific rainfall event

33
Q

What are the following in relation to a Storm Hydrograph?

  • Base Flow
  • Rising Limb
  • Falling Limb
  • Lag Time
A

Base Flow: The regular discharge in a river, before and after the effects of the rainfall event

Rising Limb: The increase in discharge of the river as a result of the rainfall event, until the peak discharge

Falling Limb: After the peak discharge is reached where the discharge begins to return back to its base flow

Lag Time: The amount of time between the peak rainfall and peak discharge

34
Q

What % of land and population is affected by drought

A

Land - 10%
Drought - 18%

35
Q

3 natural reasons for meteorological drought (lack of rain compared to normal)

A
  • Anticyclonic Periods (like cyclones but the areas are high pressure which forces calm, dry weather)
  • El Nino Cycles
  • Climate Change disrupting seasonal norms
36
Q

3 human reasons for hydrological drought (lack of available water compared to normal)

A
  • Overabstraction of surface water/groundwater faster than the supply is replenished
  • Deforestation (less trees reduces interception, absorption and therefore evapotranspiration)
  • Anthropogenic climate change affecting precipitation
37
Q

What is an example of a region badly affected by drought

A

The Sahel

38
Q

Give 2 reasons for drought specific to the Sahel

A
  • Higher sea temperatures reduces moist Atlantic air moving out of the Sahel, reducing rainfall
  • Overuse of land from population pressures has led to desertification of land
39
Q

Give 3 reasons why trees suffer from droughts

A
  • They may die from an inability to photosynthesise without water
  • Droughts weakening trees makes them more susceptible to pests and diseases
  • Droughts increase the risk of wildfires
40
Q

Give 3 impacts of drought on humans

A

Any 3 of:

  • It dehydrates people which can force them to relocate permanently to find water
  • It can lead to crop failure and famine
  • It increases the risk of wildfires
  • Lack of water could lead to livestock dying which takes away revenue for millions of people

and any other valid ones

41
Q

5 meteorological causes of floods

A
  • Tropical Cyclones
  • Heavy Rainfall
  • Prolonged Rainfall
  • Monsoon Rainfall
  • Snowmelt
42
Q

Why are areas which are arid or recently experiencing drought more susceptible to floods

A

The ground is ‘baked’ after prolonged periods of no rianfall which reduces its ability to allow infilitration to take place

43
Q

How does human land use affect flood risk

A
  • Deforestation increases risk of flood
  • Urbanisation increases risk of flood
  • Floodplain zoning reduces risk of impact
  • Hard engineering rivers like channel straightening or artificial levees often reduces flood risk upstream but increases flood risk upstream
44
Q

Give two environmental impacts of flooding

A
  • Soil becomes waterlogged which reduces the biomass in the short tem but in the long term provides more nutrient rich sediments
  • Can allow pollutants and unwanted sediments into rivers and lakes which damages aquatic ecosystems
  • Reduces plant and animal life in rivers
45
Q

How does climate change affect the following water stores:

  • Snow
  • Glaciers
  • Lakes/Reservoirs
  • Permafrost
  • Soil Moisture
A

-Snow: The amount of snow surviving from one winter to the next is decreasing every year

-Glacier Mass: Most glaciers are retreating due to increased temperatures, even in Antarctica

  • Lakes/Reservoirs: Permafrost is melting which makes the ground muddy killing flora above it
  • Soil Moisture has increased in some places and decreased in others, but overall more soil moisture has been lost due to more evaporation due to higher temperatures
46
Q

How does climate change affect the following fluxes of water

  • Evaporation
  • Precipitation
  • Runoff
  • Transpiration
A
  • Evaporation: Increased a lot over but oceans and land, removing water from ground and increasing air moisture
  • Precipitation: More moisture in atmosphere means there is more potential for intense and heavy rainfall but also makes rainfall patterns more variable
  • Runoff: Increased rainfall in some areas will lead to more runoff into streams which can increase downstream flood risk
  • Transpiration: More moisture in atmosphere reduces the rate at which transpiration can occur as the water gradient between plant and air is less steep
47
Q

What is El Nino

A

Usually in the Pacific, trade winds blow from East to West, transporting the warm surface water from the East Pacific to East Asia and Australia, so these areas are usually warm and tropical. This means cold waters rises to fill the gap where the water has blown away in areas like Ecuador and Chile, making the areas drier.

In El Nino events, the trade winds moving the warm water either weaken or reverse, which keeps the hot water in the East Pacific, reversing the climate temporarily so places like Australia are dry and the East Pacific is wetter.

El Nino events can often cause water insecurity in unprepared or underdeveloped countries who rely on the water

48
Q

What is La Nina

A

Usually in the Pacific, trade winds blow from East to West, transporting the warm surface water from the East Pacific to East Asia and Australia, so these areas are usually warm and tropical. This means cold waters rises to fill the gap where the water has blown away in areas like Ecuador and Chile, making the areas drier.

in La Nina events, the Eastern Pacific becomes cooler than normal. This causes the trade winds to blow harder than normal, keeping the Western Pacific warm but keeping the Eastern Pacific dry and colder than normal

La Nina events can often cause water insecurity in unprepared or underdeveloped countries who rely on the water

49
Q

What is the difference between water insecurity, water stress, water scarcity and absolute water scarcity

A

Water Insecurity - When people do not have enough quality water to sustain livelihoods, human wellbeing and socioeconomic development

Water Stress - annual water resources are between 1000-1700 metres cubed per person (enough for supply restrictions)

Water Scarcity - annual water resources are between 500-1000 metres cubed per person (some people go without water and reserves will have to be overused)

Absolute Water Scarcity - annual water resources are under 500 metres cubed per person (uh oh)

50
Q

Which countries tend to suffer the most from water insecurity

A

Small Countries (Less supply)
Arid Countries (Less supply)
High Populations (More demand)
Developed Countries (more demand)

51
Q

What are the 4 main causes of rising global water demand

A
  • Increasing Population to consume water
  • Economic Development (industry, business)
  • Increase in Farming
  • Better Living Standards (more domestic use)
52
Q

Two physical reasons for water insecurity

A
  • Climate of an area
  • Salt water encroachment (seawater contaminating freshwater rivers with salt making it less useful)
53
Q

three human reasons for water insecurity

A
  • Overabstraction from surface and groundwater
  • Contamination with chemicals or pollutants
  • Anthropogenic climate change (sea level rises increases salt water encroachment and temperature allows bacterial growth in water)
54
Q

By 2030, __% of the world may experience a water deficit

A

40%

55
Q

What is the difference between physical water scarcity and economic water scarcity

A

Physical Water Scarcity - The lack of available clean freshwater (groundwater and surface water)

Economic Water Scarcity - The financial or technological inability to extract water leading to limited water access

56
Q

5 uses of water

A

any from (and any other valid answers)

  • Farming
  • Drinking
  • Sanitation
  • Industry
  • Energy
57
Q

Why are there international tensions over water resources

A

When major rivers cross borders disputes often arise about who gets to extract how much water

58
Q

There are an estimated __% of the world’s population that rely on transboundary water supplies. In over __% of these transboundary water supplies, there is no agreement on how to divide the water.

A

There are an estimated 40% of the world’s population that rely on transboundary water supplies. In over 50% of these transboundary water supplies, there is no agreement on how to divide the water.

59
Q

3 soft strategies to conserve or obtain water

A
  • Restoring the natural hydrological cycle by preserving or recreating forests and permeable floodplains to ensure water is in the trees, soil and river
  • Smart irrigation which involves giving crops slightly less water than they need to grow (rain will reach the threshold)
  • Recycling grey water to use for non drinking or sanitation processes, such as flushing toilets
60
Q

3 hard strategies to conserve or obtain water

A
  • Water transfer schemes to move water from one drainage basin to another which needs it more
  • Dams
  • Desalination plants
61
Q

What is grey water

A

Water that has already been used by humans

62
Q

Name 5 stakeholders in water resources

A
  • Manufacturers
  • Farmers
  • Citizens
  • Governments
  • Energy Companies
63
Q

Which UN convention produces rules for equitable and reasonable use of water without harming neighbouring countries

A

2014 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses

64
Q

Which agreement was made outlined principles and obligations for different countries’ uses of the Nile River (and how many countries)

A

(10 countries) 1999 Nile River Basin Framework

65
Q

What is the European initiative consisting of 9 water management principles to allow European countries to receive their fair share of water in a sustainable and environmental way

A

2007 Berlin Water Framework Directive and Hydropower

66
Q

Since the 1960s, __ international water treaties have been signed but there have been __ violent disputes

A

Since the 1960s, 150 international water treaties have been signed but there have been 37 violent disputes

67
Q

amazon rainforest water cycle
nile conflict
big dry drought australia
china south to north wtp
sahel drought

A

Physical Geography (2 decks)

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