W - 1.5 -> 1.7 Flashcards
1
Q
Confined aquifer:
A
- The water is in porous rock
- It’s surrounded by impermeable rock
- Water can’t flow away, but can’t be replenished either
2
Q
Unconfined aquifer:
A
- The water is in porous rock
- It’s surrounded by permeable rock
- Water can percolate in, and flow away
3
Q
Rocky Mountains:
A
- Colorado river basin flows to the west, into Mexico
- The great plain is to the east, including the Ogallala Aquifer
4
Q
inputs
A
- Mainly rainfall (air temperature cools, air is saturated, condensation occurs around nuclei, clouds form)
- Location of rainfall is determined by the rain shadow features (e.g. mountains), or proximity to the ocean (e.g. cold ocean current and Pacific frontal air masses)
5
Q
Climate:
A
- Amount and timing of rainfall
- Temperature – determines evapotranspiration out
- Freezing conditions – flow is suspended
6
Q
geology:
A
- Porosity / perviousness of rocks – aquifer storage, so water is released steadily
- Impermeability: quick response to rainfall as water flows quickly through after heavy rain
7
Q
soils
A
- Deep soils store water – slow release means a steadier river regime
- Permafrost can inhibit percolation and melting can increase water supply
8
Q
complexity:
A
- large basins have complex regimes and cross climate zones, e.g. Blue Nile / White Nile
- Mountains make for more complexity – e.g. in hot environments, glaciated mountains store water (e.g. Andes)
9
Q
river regimes
A
- river regimes are defined as the annual variation in the discharge (flow) of a river at a particular point.
- Global patterns of precipitation and evapo-transpiration have a bearing on these fluxes of ‘overland channel flow’ (i.e. rivers).
- The global water budget means that rivers can have distinct annual flow rates (regimes) depending on latitude and topography.
- Whilst seasonal climate is usually the most important factor; geology, soil, vegetation cover and human activities also play a key role.
10
Q
The global pattern of water budgets varies with
A
latitude - compare tropical temperate and polar
11
Q
yukon:
A
- Generally has a small change in water budget owing to limited evaporation and precipitation
- River regime is dependent on glacial melt from Llewellyn Glacier in spring
- permafrost covers large area – means largely impermeable
- Spring Thaw – saturated overland flow contributes to rapid rise in river levels (steep spike, which gently declines – still limited evapotranspiration compared to Nile)
12
Q
amazon:
A
- river regime varies between Equatorial with no dry season and heavy convectional rainfall all year.
- Laterite clays and granites mean larger channel flows over whole basin.
13
Q
nile:
A
- Drainage basin is tropical with a distinct drier season
- No rainfall at all in northern margins (Sahara) means negative water balance.
- Ethiopian Highlands (largely impermeable geology) = large amounts of runoff transferred downstream
- Rapid fall owing to large evapo-transpiration rates
14
Q
Global Hydrological System
A
- Closed system on a global scale, but regional drainage basins are open to transfers in and out.
- Freshwater accounts for only 2.5% of total amount, of which only a 1/3 is available for human use and is unevenly distributed – this leads to conflict over this “finite resource”.
15
Q
Stores, Fluxes & Processes
A
- Size and residence times depends on a number of factors which vary spatially and over time.
- Factors include: soil, geology, climate (latitude & altitude), topography, vegetation, and human land use.
- Consider whether they are predominantly an input to a local system (e.g. precipitation) or an output (e.g. evapo-transpiration, channel flow).
16
Q
Water Budgets
A
- The annual balance between inputs and outputs within a system (also can show monthly variations)
- Can vary with latitude (e.g. highly positive around ITCZ, negative at tropic lines)
17
Q
conditions likely to produce flashy hydrographic part 1
A
- small, circular, steep drainage basin
- clay and thin soils
- impermeable rock type
- high drainage density
- thin grass
18
Q
conditions likely to produce flashy hydrographic part 2
A
- urban land use
- high precipitation intensity
- prolonged precipitation
- fast snowmelt
- evapotranspiration low
19
Q
Impacts on Pakistan from 2022 floods
A
- 1/3 submerged, 65% sustained by agriculture
- 1000 deaths and 10-bil damage, food shortages
20
Q
Extreme monsoon rainfall
A
- Monsoon breaks/ dissipates tropical heat, away from equator
- sea breeze that draws wetter maritime Asia from Indian Ocean rises cools and falls as rain
- 5.3% extra rain during monsoon
- Hotter summers mean more unpredictable monsoons as atmosphere can bear more moisture
- every 1 degree GW = 5% more erratic monsoon
21
Q
Heavy and prolonged rainfall:
A
- jet stream meanders more so rain events do not quickly move on
- Sindh province is relatively arid, so received 336% more rain in July
- Ground and steep slopes saturated quick
- Indus River channel filled to capacity and then burst their banks
22
Q
Intense storms and flash flooding
A
- steep slopes increase speed of water flow
- ENSO - La Niña - enhances rain
- Flash floods wash away embankments - flood water spreads further, more quickly, dams are destroyed further increasing river flow
23
Q
And snowmelt
A
- temp rises of 0.42/decade from 1980-2018
- Black pollution particles darken the glacier surface - reduced albedo
- The flow in the Indus River has increased by 3.9 gt per decade
24
Q
CC impact on stores
A
more droughts and floods, increased runoff and reduced infiltration. Groundwater flow uncertain because human abstraction
25
CC impact on flows
reservoir, lake and wetland storage is decreasing as temp rise.
- Little change in soil moisture, precipitation and evaporation cancel each other out.
- Degradation of permafrost.
- Spring melt of snow starting earlier and decreasing temporary store of snow.
26
Factors leading to reduced water supply and higher uncertainty
- increases in annual temps = higher surface water evaporation
- Greater rates of evapotranspiration - desiccation of forest stores
- More frequent cyclone and monsoon events
- Intensity and frequency of brought rises.
- Depleted aquifers leads to problems with groundwater