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A level Geography > Water > Flashcards

Water Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the cryosphere

A

water in the form of ice

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2
Q

How much of the worlds water is in oceans/is saline

A

96.5%

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3
Q

How many people do not have access to freshwater

A

1/10

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4
Q

How much freshwater do we have access to

A

2.5%

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5
Q

Name the three freshwater stores and why we can/can’t use them

A

glaciers - dont want to melt
groundwater - not always renewable source and have to be careful of salt water intrusion
other - can use but only makes up 1.2%

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6
Q

What 4 things make up a system

A

inputs, outputs, flows and stores

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7
Q

Is the global water system open or closed

A

closed as we cannot create or destroy water

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8
Q

Are localised systems open or closed

A

open as there are outputs out of the system

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9
Q

What is the global water budget

A

annual balance of water fluxes and the size of the stores

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10
Q

What are residence times

A

how long water spends in one store

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11
Q

Name the three types of rain

A

frontal, relief and convectional

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12
Q

Describe frontal rain

A

when a cold and warm air mass meet and forces hotter air up

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13
Q

Describe relief rain

A

steep relief causes air to rise

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14
Q

Describe convectional rain

A

sun heats air and causes it to rise

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15
Q

Where is most of the worlds rainfall created

A

the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

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16
Q

What is an albedo

A

the reflectivity of the ground

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17
Q

What is the pressure and rainfall like in the ITCZ

A

low pressure with lots of convectional rainfall which creates monsoons

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18
Q

Which regions drive the global hydrological cycle and why

A

the polar regions through circulation of water and transfer of heat

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19
Q

What is thermohaline circulation

A

movement of water around the world

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20
Q

How does water move around the planet

A

cold water sinks in the polar regions due to being colder and more saline therefore denser, which drags warm water from the tropics

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21
Q

What are fossil water reserves

A

reserves of water that have not been recharged or extracted for a long time

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22
Q

How are these reserves more accessible and is this a good thing

A

due to new technology, which is not good as it is becoming a non-renewable source

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23
Q

What is a drainage density

A

total length of all streams and rivers divided by the total area of drainage basin

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24
Q

What are the three pathways of rainfall

A

infiltration, overland flow, evaporation

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25
Q

What do water budgets show

A

the balance between the inputs and outputs of a river over a year

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26
Q

What do they allow us to compare

A

the natural water supply and human demand

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27
Q

What are water balance estimations used for

A

used to assess current status and trends in water resource availability

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28
Q

What is soil moisture surplus

A

when soil is saturated and excess water cannot infiltrate

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29
Q

What is soil moisture utilisation

A

when evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation

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30
Q

What is soil moisture deficit

A

when eventually all water stored is used up

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31
Q

What is soil moisture recharge

A

when precipitation is greater than evapotranspiration so pores in soil are refilled

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32
Q

What are river regimes

A

seasonal patterns of rivers as they respond to precipitation

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33
Q

What is a simple regime

A

regimes for shorter rivers that only go through one climatic zone

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34
Q

What is a complex regime

A

where larger rivers cross multiple different reliefs and climatic zones

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35
Q

What do regimes reflect changes in

A

precipitation
temp
evapotranspiration
land use

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36
Q

What are the two types of storm hydrographs

A

flashy and subdued

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37
Q

Explain flashy hydrographs

A

short lag time

urbanised area so little infiltration

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38
Q

Explain subdued hydrographs

A

vegetated area so more infiltration

longer lag time

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39
Q

What does cuMEC’s stand for

A

cubic metres per second

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40
Q

What is base flow

A

the portion of the discharge of a stream contributed by groundwater flow

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41
Q

Name the three players in the hydro cycle

A

planners, environmental agency and local councils

42
Q

Explain why local councils need to know about the hydro cycle

A

to check they have flood management in place

43
Q

Define drought

A

a slow onset hazard that involves an extended period of reduced rainfall

44
Q

What percentage of the world is exposed to drought

A

38%

45
Q

What are the four types of drought

A

meteorological
agricultural
hydrological
socio-economic

46
Q

Explain meteorological drought

A

lower precip than normal in a specific region

47
Q

Explain agricultural drought

A

soil does not have enough moisture for crops

48
Q

Explain hydrological drought

A

when water supplies such as rivers and groundwater are deficient

49
Q

Explain socio-economic drought

A

when demand for water exceeds availability due to low supply or overuse

50
Q

What is flash flood

A

floods that come with no warning, caused by heavy rainfall and poor drainage

51
Q

Name 3 other causes of flooding

A

snow melt
river flooding
lake/reservoir release

52
Q

Which river used to rely solely on snowmelt

A

South Platte river, Colorado

53
Q

What can snow melt flooding trigger

A

landslides and debris flow

54
Q

What is a monsoon

A

seasonal changes in prevailing winds that cause distinct wet and dry seasons particularly in areas close to oceans

55
Q

When is monsoon season in India

A

April to September

56
Q

Name 2 times there were many deaths in Indian monsoon season

A

5000 in 2014

Indus burst banks 2010, 2000 dead

57
Q

What did the Indian government do that caused political unrest in terms of flood management

A

used dynamite to destroy dykes

this destroyed large farming areas and displaced many families

58
Q

Which country accused India of not controlling surges

A

Pakistan

59
Q

What does India need more of

A

HEP plants

60
Q

Name 6 reasons why humans make flooding worse

A 
deforestation
urbanisation
intensive crop growing
climate change
mismanagement of rivers
using hard engineering
61
Q

How does intensive farming increase flood risks

A

drier soils, change in water movement eg irrigation

62
Q

What is permafrost

A

permanently frozen soil at high altitudes

63
Q

How does ice’s high albedo create a positive feedback loop

A

melts because of high temps, meaning less reflection and more increased temps

64
Q

What 5 things does loss of sea ice lead to

A 
altered migration paths
increased flooding in low lying areas
loss in reflexivity
permafrost melting
dynamic glacial thinning
65
Q

Why is altering migration paths bad

A

as the inuits lose their income through hunting

66
Q

Why is melting permafrost bad

A

releases carbon and causes house to collapse

67
Q

Why is modelling climate change trends hard

A

because climate dynamics are only partially understood and global records are very incomplete

68
Q

Which two companies look at climate change

A

IPCC and LWEC

69
Q

Name 4 futures and uncertainties that climate change is bringing with drought

A
  • greater projected increase in drought exposure from el nino and la nina on equator and south africa
  • diminishing snow pack in western usa leading to drought through decreased soil moisture
  • annual losses of drought in usa projected to be $9 billion
  • more snow falling as rain leading to demands outweighing supply as it will evaporate quicker
70
Q

Name 4 futures and uncertainties that climate change is bringing with flooding

A
  • moisture holding capacity of atmosphere is increasing at a rate of 7% per degrees celsius of warming
  • sea levels to rise by 4 inches by 2030, and flooding may be increased up to 25x in tropics
  • 50 year floods could strike twice as frequently
  • climate change increased 2015 uk’s winter devastating flood risk by 40%
71
Q

Which 4 other factors should decision makers consider when making plans

A

water uses
water resources
pressures
life and livelihood

72
Q

What do high water prices deter

A

unnecessary consumption of water

73
Q

Give an example of when water consumption was decreased

A

Denmark, water price from 2 euros to 7

decrease of 56 litres per day per person

74
Q

What do a lot of developing coutries do with thier water companies

A

privatise them to make money which usually increases the pricing

75
Q

Which 5 factors does water poverty index look at

A 
resources - how readily available
access 
capacity - managed for affordability 
use 
environment - sustainability
76
Q

What is the water availability gap

A

gap between demand and supply

predicted to be 40% globally by 2030

77
Q

Where is there little to no water scarcity

A

Europe, North and South America

78
Q

Where is there physical water scarcity

A

Middle East approaching that

79
Q

Where is there economic water scarcity

A

Middle fo Africa and North India

80
Q

What are 3 factors affecting price of water

A

privatisation
change in weather causing drought
covering costs of desalination

81
Q

What are 3 positives of privatisation of water

A

Creates more opportunities to improve the systems by upgrading pipelines
Can provide clean and safe water
Manage supply better to help meet demand

82
Q

What are 3 negatives of privatisation of water

A

Prices are dramatically increased
Companies don’t have the public interest at heart, more about profit
Cause conflict as many cannot afford the water

83
Q

Name 3 ways we can manage water supply through hard engineering

A

mega dams
desalination
water transfers

84
Q

Name and explain a water transfer scheme

A

Three Gorges Dam, China
Hai basin holds half population, 2/3 farming land but only 20% of water
overuse made levels drop 300m since 1970
high pollution on drinking water
25 billion m3 of fresh water from Yangtze costing $62 billion

85
Q

What are some issues with this transfer

A

social displacement
complaints that it is mismanagement that is the issue and not shortage so better management would be more efficient
harsh effects on eco systems
expensive to build and maintain

86
Q

What are the 3 ways we can manage water supply

A

hard engineering
intergrated river basin management
sustainable management

87
Q

What is a intergrated river basin management

A

when all stakeholders are involved in management and planning that is balanced

88
Q

What are soem challenges for intergrated river basin management

A

cultural and political barriers
inadequate funding
working across international boundaries

89
Q

What are the key elements to a successful intergrated river basin management

A

a long term vision agreed by all stakeholders
strategic decision making at local levels
effective timing
active participation from all stakeholders

90
Q

What river has an intergrated river basin management on it

A

Colorado river

91
Q

Explain the colorado river scheme

A

7 states made agreement in 2007 to divide up shortages
reduced usage in California by 20%, everyone gets a proportion
2012 agreement with mexico that it can use some water from lake mead
in return, states can buy water conserved by improving mexicos canals

92
Q

What are two ways we can sustainably manage water supplies

A

smart irrigation

rainwater harvesting

93
Q

Who are using smart irrigation

A

Australia Wide Open Agriculture
use only 10% of water required
roofs that open and close to control evaporation
water is sourced from runoff

94
Q

What is smart irrigation

A

giving plants less water than they need to induce stress

save 25% of water and not affect yield at certain growing times

95
Q

Where are they harvesting rainwater

A

Uganda
tanks are easy to install on roofs of homes, schools and communities
girls no longer have to spend time collecting water

96
Q

Why is the pedal powered water pump good for African countires

A

reduces suffering caused by heavy loads
improves hygiene and health
more time for economic activities and education
improves morale and personal dignity

97
Q

What is sustainable water management

A

schemes working with local people to develop soft engineering projects that work with natural processes to restore water supplies

98
Q

Where is using sustainable management

A

Singapore
abundant rainfall but limited land for collection and storage
water scarcity due to high evaporation rate
PUB have invested in technology for water management

99
Q

What have PUB invested in

A

local catchment water, imported water, recycled water (NEWater) and desalinated water

100
Q

Where does Singapore import water from

A

Malaysia

101
Q

What is local catchment water

A

collecting rainwater through drains, canals, rivers

102
Q

What percentage of Singapores water demand can be made up from the 4 NEWater plants

A

30%, wants to go to 55%

A level Geography (8 decks)

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