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geography: water and carbon cycles > unit one: the water cycle > Flashcards

unit one: the water cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

what is the percentage of global water in the stores: a) oceans b) the land c) the atmosphere?

A

a) 97.44%
b) 2.56%
c) 0.0009%

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2
Q

what are the inputs, outputs, flows and stores of the cryosphere?

A
  • inputs = desublimation, precipitation in snow
  • outputs = sublimation, meltwater, debris, evaporation, ablation
  • flows = meltwater streams, glacial flows
  • stores = glaciers, sea ice, permafrost
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3
Q

what are the inputs, outputs, flows and stores within a drainage basin?

A
  • inputs = precipitation
  • outputs = evaporation, transpiration
  • flows = vapour transport, surface runoff, percolation, fluxes
  • stores = ocean, soil, groundwater, atmosphere
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4
Q

what is the difference between an open and closed system and give an example for both?

A
  • open system: the quantity of matter will vary over time e.g. drainage basin
  • closed system: quantity of matter is fixed e.g. global water cycle
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5
Q

what are the main inputs and outputs of the groundwater store?

A
  • inputs = precipitation, percolation
  • outputs = groundwater flow
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6
Q

what are the main inputs and outputs of the rivers and lakes store?

A
  • inputs = precipitation, surface run off
  • outputs = evaporation, river flow, river discharge
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7
Q

what are the main inputs and outputs of the soil store?

A
  • inputs = precipitation, infiltration
  • outputs = root uptake, transpiration
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8
Q

what are the main inputs and outputs of the atmosphere store?

A
  • inputs = evaporation, transpiration
  • outputs = precipitation
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9
Q

what are the main inputs and outputs of the biosphere store?

A
  • input = root uptake
  • output = transpiration
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10
Q

how is fresh water stored in a way that humans can’t access?

A
  • less than 1% of water is fresh water
  • locked up in glaciers and permafrost
  • may mix with saline water = undrinkable
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11
Q

how does the ice albedo feedback mechanism cause rapid changes to the cryospheric water stores?

A
  • albedo is how much it reflects insulation
  • increases the amount of ice melting
  • causes an increase in the amount of areas with open water
  • impact on temperature (positive feedback)
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12
Q

how has ablation on greenland’s ice sheets have affected sea levels?

A
  • an additional 7cm of ocean rise could now be expected by the end of the century by green land
  • has lost 3.8 trillion tonnes of ice since beginning of the study period
  • losing ice due to surface melting and calving of icebergs
  • 7 times faster than in 1990s
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13
Q

by how much has global mean sea level risen since 1880 and due to what?

A
  • 25cm
    1) run-off of melt water from glaciers and ice sheets
    2) thermal expansion of sea water as it warms
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14
Q

what is the formula for water balance?

A

precipitation (p) = stream/river flow (q) + evapotranspiration (e)
- if p > q + e there will be a positive balance
- if p < q + e will be a negative balance

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15
Q

what is soil water surplus?

A
  • excess water available to the system and the soil is saturated
  • precipitation exceeded evapotranspiration for prolonged period
  • excess is not used by plants
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16
Q

what is soil water utilisation?

A
  • reduction of water available within the system
  • evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation
  • plant growth increases transpiration rates
  • increasing temperatures increase evaporation
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17
Q

what is soil water recharge?

A
  • after period of soil water deficiency
  • precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration
  • increase of water in soil
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18
Q

what is field capacity?

A

maximum amount of water that soil can hold before it becomes saturated

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19
Q

what are the different types of precipitation?

A
  • rain
  • snow
  • sleet
  • hail
  • dew
  • fog/mist
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20
Q

how would the drainage basin be affected by a prolonged period of intense rainfall?

A
  • high levels of infiltration
  • soil will become saturated
  • less infiltration will begin to occur
  • surface run-off will increase
  • more water going to rivers and channels
21
Q

how would the drainage basin be affected by a short period of light rain?

A
  • low levels of infiltration
  • more interception
  • more evapotranspiration
22
Q

what is throughflow?

A

horizontal movement of water down-slope, through the soil

23
Q

what is infiltration?

A

movement of water from the ground surface into soil

24
Q

what is throughfall?

A

water dripping off vegetation to the ground surface

25
Q

what is transpiration?

A

water lost from vegetation through the stomata

26
Q

what is the groundwater store?

A

water stored in soil and lone rock below the water table

27
Q

what is interception?

A

water temporarily stored on the surface of vegetation

28
Q

what is surface runoff (overland flow)?

A

the flow of water over the ground surface

29
Q

what is baseflow?

A

water flowing into a river from the ground water store

30
Q

what is the water table?

A

the upper level of the groundwater

31
Q

what is the channel store?

A

water held within a river

32
Q

what is percolation?

A

vertical, downward movement of water through the soil to ground water

33
Q

what is surface storage?

A

water held in puddles, lakes and reservoirs

34
Q

what is channel flow?

A

water flowing within a river

35
Q

what is stem flow?

A

water flowing over leaves, stems and branches

36
Q

how will interception loss vary between a deciduous woodland in winter and summer?

A
  • winter: less interception because trees lose their leaves. colder temperatures = less evaporation
  • summer: more interception because there is more area for interception. cooler = more evaporation
37
Q

what is saturation-excess overland flow?

A

if soil is already saturated and there are no empty pore spaces between soil particles, then any further precipitation will runoff the surface

38
Q

what is infiltration-excess overland flow?

A

on dry soil, when the rate of precipitation is greater than the rate of infiltration (infiltration capacity) = excess water will accumulate on the surface and begin to flow overland

39
Q

how will soil texture affect the rate of infiltration?

A
  • coarse gravel = many large macro pore spaces which means the water will infiltrate and percolate the soil faster
  • sand = many macro pore spaces which are smaller which shows rate of infiltration will still percolate
  • silt and clay = small micro pore spaces, which slows down the rate of infiltration
  • clay rich soils = insufficient to become the high tension forces within tiny micro pores, meaning soil becomes impermeable
40
Q

what factors affect infiltration and though-flow rates?

A
  • gravity
  • amount of soil
  • moisture level (compaction of soil)
  • seasons/weather conditions
  • levels of vegetation
  • amount of precipitation
  • texture of soil
41
Q

what affect will trees have on the flood risk in an area?

A

forests retain excess rainwater and help to moderate run-off pattern, which reduces the damage from flooding

42
Q

what are aquifers and the 2 different types?

A

rocks that are capable of storing and transmitting water
- pervious rocks = water is stored or passes through cracks within the rock e.g. limestone
- porous rocks = water is stored or passes though the pores between rock particles e.g. sand stone and chalk

43
Q

what factors may control the rate of transpiration?

A
  • season (high in summer)
  • density of vegetation (more = increase rate)
  • time of day (increased during the day)
  • typed of plant
44
Q

what factors (natural and human) might affect the pattern of a river regime?

A

natural:
- seasonal changes
- amount of precipitation
- natural disasters
- temperature
- vegetation
- type of soil
- geology
- amount of evaporation
- relief of the land

human:
- building of roads
- man-made dams
- removal of vegetation
- impermeable surfaces
- reservoirs
- irrigation
- transfer schemes

45
Q

what was the hoover dam and why was is constructed?

A
  • 1936
  • to be source of power generation (4 billion kw = 1.3 million people domestically)
  • as flood control
  • for water storage (lake meade - 28.9 million acres, 2 years of slow of the colorado river, largest reservoir in the usa)
  • peak rainfall occurs in august due to intense storms from convectional rainfall
  • storms could lead to flash flooding, due to infiltration-excess overland flow
46
Q

what were the changes in discharge pattern of the colorado river before and after the construction of the hoover dam?

A
  • before = mean monthly flow was reaching highs of 100 cfs and was fluctuating greatly
  • after = mean monthly flow decreased by a lot. still fluctuating but more consistent
47
Q

how do river catchment shapes affect discharge?

A
  • elongated = lower peak discharge as the water at the head of the basin take longer to reach the river mouth than water closer to it
  • circular = less time to reach river as all points are roughly equidistant from river so precipitation reaches river at the same time
48
Q

what is drainage density?

A
  • total length of streams/rivers per unit area of land
  • high drainage density = shorter lag time and fairly steep falling limb
  • water will drain out of them quickly
49
Q

how will a slope gradient of basins affect discharge?

A

steep slopes = high peak discharge and a short lag time as water can travel faster downhill

geography: water and carbon cycles (7 decks)

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