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Geography > The water cycle and water insecurity: EQ1 > Flashcards

The water cycle and water insecurity: EQ1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Where is the driest place on Earth?

A

Antarctica and Atacama.

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2
Q

How is dryness measured?

A

It is measured on precipitation levels.

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3
Q

What is the percentage of the world’s fresh water?

A

2.5%

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4
Q

What percentage of the world’s water is available for human use?

A

<1%

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5
Q

How much water is lost through leaky pipes in the UK?

A

15%

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6
Q

How much more rain do the wettest areas of the UK get than the driest?

A

10x

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7
Q

How many people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water?

A

1 billion.

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8
Q

Which country uses the most water per capita?

A

Turkmenistan.

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9
Q

Define what a ‘closed system’ is:

A

A system where nothing leaves or enters it.

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10
Q

What is meant by a residence time?

A

The amount of time a water molecule will stay in one place.

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11
Q

What drives the hydrological cycle, i.e. what makes it work?

A
  1. Solar energy.

2. Gravitational potential energy.

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12
Q

In the water cycle, what does solar energy lead to?

A

It leads to the evaporation of water molecules.

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13
Q

In the water cycle, what does gravitational potential energy mean?

A

It means that water can flow downwards.

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14
Q

Name a solid store of water:

A
  • Glacier.
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15
Q

Name a liquid store of water:

A
  • Rivers (liquid store).
  • Groundwater (liquid store).
  • Lakes (liquid store).
  • Reservoir (liquid store).
  • Vegetation (liquid store).
  • Clouds (liquid store).
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16
Q

Name a gas store of water:

A
  • Water vapour.
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17
Q

Define cryosphere:

A

The frozen water e.g. glaciers.

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18
Q

How much of the world’s water is in the oceans?

A

97%

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19
Q

Out of the three percent of water not in the oceans, how much is: frozen, underground and in lakes and rivers?

A 
70% = frozen. 
29% = underground. 
1% = in rivers and lakes.
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20
Q

What is a rivers drainage basin?

A

The land providing water for a certain river/ the area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries.

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21
Q

What are fossil aquifers an example of?

A

Non-renewable water sources.

22
Q

What 5 factors affects the drainage basin system?

A
  1. Climate
  2. Soils
  3. Vegetation
  4. Geology
  5. Relief
23
Q

Define percolation:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The way that water slowly seeps downwards through permeable soil and rock.
Flow.

24
Q

Define precipitation:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

Any form of water (liquid or solid) falling from the sky.

Input.

25
Q

Define interception:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

When vegetation stops precipitation from reaching the ground.
Some of this will then be evaporated (interception loss) whilst some will eventually drip off leaves (leaf drip) or run down branches and trunks (stemflow) to reach the ground. Rain that reaches the ground through the vegetation is called throughfall.
Flow.

26
Q

Define infiltration:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

When water is absorbed into the soil from the surface.

Flow.

27
Q

Define infiltration capacity:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The maximum rate at which rain can be absorbed into the soil in a given condition, measured as mm/hr.
None.

28
Q

Define surface run-off:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

Water flows over the ground surface.

Flow.

29
Q

Define saturated overland flow:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

When water moves over the surface as a result of being unable to infiltrate because the ground is saturated. This is partly made up of rain that falls directly onto saturated ground and has no option but to run off and also return flow which is when water flowing through the soil from upslope reaches a saturated area and has to come to the surface.
Flow.

30
Q

Define infiltration excess overland flow:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

When water moves over the ground surface as a result of the rainfall being too heavy for all of it to be absorbed into the ground. The ground might not be saturated.
Flow.

31
Q

Define throughflow:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The downslope movement of water through the soil due to gravity.
Flow.

32
Q

Define groundwater flow:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The downslope movement of water through rock due to gravity.

Flow.

33
Q

Define evaporation:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The process whereby water as a liquid or solid turns to water as a gas and is returned to the atmosphere.
Output.

34
Q

Define transpiration:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The biological process whereby water is lost from the stomata of plant leaves and returned to the atmosphere as a gas.
Output.

35
Q

Define evapotranspiration:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The combined processes of evaporation and transpiration that transfer water vapour to the atmosphere.
Output.

36
Q

Define channel flow:

Is it a flow, input or output?

A

The movement of water in rivers and streams.

Output.

37
Q

How do humans affect river basin drainage?

A
  • Deforestation.
  • Changing land use.
  • Abstracting water.
  • Creating new water storage reservoirs.
38
Q

How does changing land use increase flooding in a drainage basin?

A
  • Less capacity to store rainfall.
  • Reduce infiltration because of the impermeable surfaces e.g. tarmac.
  • Construction of roads and buildings leads to less vegetation. Both of these factors increase surface runoff.
  • Less infiltration means the groundwater store is depleted.
  • Because of this flood risk increases.How c
39
Q

How does abstracting water influence a drainage basin?

A

Can disrupt the whole cycle as most rivers are kept flowing through the groundwater sources seeping into the river - the river will start to dry up. This lowers the water table.
- (Land can then subside).
Taking water out of rivers means that less flows.
Groundwater rebound: the opposite of losing water, water rebound up due to a place change of industry.

40
Q

How does deforestation influence a drainage basin?

A
  • Planting trees reduces soil erosion.

- Trees also encourage isolation and interception which reduces the amount of water directly travelling to a reservoir.

41
Q

How can creating new water storage reservoirs influence a drainage basin?

A
  • Dams reduce downstream river flow.
  • Increased evaporation as there is a new surface in the area.
  • Flooding an area of soil and vegetation can also increase infiltration under the reservoirs. That’s why they are built on impermeable places.
42
Q

Where is the wettest place on Earth?

A

The equator.

43
Q

Where is the compulsory case study for a water budget?

A

Southampton, UK.

44
Q

Define soil moisture utilisation:

A

Precipitation is lower than evapotranspiration is the excess water in the soil is used up.

45
Q

Define soil moisture deficiency:

A

Precipitation is lower than evapotranspiration but all the excess water has been used up.

46
Q

Define soil moisture recharge:

A

More precipitation than evapotranspiration but we haven’t got a surplus yet, the ground stores are starting to refill.

47
Q

Define river discharge:

A

The volume of water that passes a given point in a river in a unit of time. It is measured in cumecs.

48
Q

State the characteristics of a flashy hydrograph:

A
  • High peak discharge
  • Short lag time
  • Steep rising limb
49
Q

State the characteristics of a subdued hydrograph:

A
  • Low peak discharge
  • Long lag time
  • Gentle rising limb
50
Q

What three rivers are your compulsory case studies of river discharge levels?

A

1: Yukon.
2: Indus.
3: The Amazon.

Geography (2 decks)

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