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WATER AND CARBON Flashcards

1
Q

What are systems composed of?

A

flows, stores, inputs, outputs and boundaries

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2
Q

What is an open system?

A

When systems receive inputs and output both energy and matter with other systems

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3
Q

What is a closed system?

A

When only energy is transferred through the system

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4
Q

What is dynamic equilibrium

A

When inputs equal outputs despite changing conditions

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5
Q

What is positive feedback

A

When a chain of events amplifies the impacts of the original event

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6
Q

What is negative feedback

A

When a chain of events nullifies the impacts of the initial event, leading to dynamic equilibrium

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7
Q

What are the inputs into the drainage basin?

A

Precipitation

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8
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Any water that falls to the surface of the Earth from the atmosphere including rain, snow and hail.

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9
Q

What are the three types of rainfall and their meanings?

A

Convectional - due to the heat of the Sun, warm air rises, condenses at higher altitudes and falls as fain

Relief - warm air is forced upward by a barrier like mountains, causing it to condense at higher altitudes and fall as rain

Frontal - warm air rises over cool air when two bodies of air meet. As the warm air is less dense, it rises and condenses, falling as rain

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10
Q

What are the outputs from the drainage basin?

A

Evapotranspiration and streamflow

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11
Q

What is evapotranspiration?

A

Made of both evaporation and transpiration. Evaporation is when water is heated by the sun, rising as gas into the atmosphere.
Transpiration is when plants respire through their leaves, releasing water they absorbed from their roots, which then evaporates due to heat of the sun.

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12
Q

What are the flows in the drainage basin?

A

Infiltration
Percolation
Overland flow
Throughflow
Stemflow
Groundwater flow
Streamflow

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13
Q

What is infiltration?

A

The process of water moving above ground into the soil. The infiltration capacity refers to how quickly infiltration occurs. Grass crops and tree roots create passages for water to flow through from the surface into the soil, therefore increasing the infiltration capacity. If precipitation falls at a greater rate than the infiltration capacity then overland flow will occur.

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14
Q

What is percolation

A

Water moves from the soil into porous rock or rock fractures. The percolation rate is dependent on the fractures that may be present in the rock and the permeability of the rock. It is a slow process.

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15
Q

What is throughflow?

A

Water moves through the soil and into streams or rivers. Speed of the flow is dependent on the type of soil. Sandy soils drain much faster, whereas clay soils do not.

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16
Q

What is overland flow/ surface run off?

A

Water flows over the land, as sheetflow (lots of water flowing over a large area) or rills (small channels similar to streams)

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17
Q

What is groundwater flow?

A

Water moves through the rock. This ensures there is water in the rivers, even after long dry periods.

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18
Q

What is streamflow?

A

Water that moves through established channels

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19
Q

What is stemflow?

A

Flow of water that has been intercepted by plants or trees, down a stem, leaf, branch or other part of a plant.

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20
Q

What are the stores in the drainage basin?

A

Soil water
ground water
river channel
interception
Surface storage.

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21
Q

What is interception

A

The store of water by plants on their branches and leaves before reaching the ground

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22
Q

What is the water table?

A

The upper level at which the pore spaces and fractures in the ground become saturated.

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23
Q

What is the water balance formula?

A

precipitation = total runoff + evapotranspiration +/- change in storage

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24
Q

What is the soil water budget?

A

This shows the annual balance between inputs and outputs in the water cycle and their impact on soil water storage.

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25
What is field capacity?
the maximum possible level of storage of water in the soil. Once the field capacity is reached, any rainfall after this will not infiltrate the soil and is likely to cause flooding.
26
What is the water budget dependent on?
type, depth, permeability of the soil and bedrock
27
What happens to the soil water budget in Autumn?
In autumn there is a greater input from precipitation than there is an output from evapotranspiration. This is because deciduous trees lose their leaves and the cooler temperatures mean plants photosynthesise less. This means soil moisture levels increase and a water surplus occurs.
28
What happens to the soil water budget in Winter?
Potential evapotranspiration from plants reaches a minimum due to the colder temperatures and the precipitation continues to refill the soil water stores. Infiltration and percolation will also refill the water table.
29
What happens to the soil water budget in Spring?
Around February and March, plants start to grow again and potential evapotranspiration increases as temperatures get higher and plants start photosynthesising more. There is still a water surplus in this time
30
What happens to the soil water budget in Summer?
The hotter weather leads to utilisation of soil water as evapotranspiration peaks and rainfall is at a minimum. The output from evapotranspiration is greater than the input from precipitation so the soil water stores are depleting. A water deficit may occur if there is a long hot summer and spring, a lack of winter rainfall, or a drought the year before.
31
How much of global water is stored in oceans?
97%
32
How much of global water is stored as freshwater?
2.5%
33
What is the makeup of Freshwater
69% glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets 30% groundwater 1% surface and other freshwater (permafrost, lakes, swamps, marshes, rivers and living organisms)
34
How can water be stored?
Hydrosphere - any liquid water Lithosphere- water in the crust and upper mantle Cryosphere - any frozen water Atmosphere - water vapour
35
How can water be stored?
Hydrosphere - any liquid water Lithosphere - water stored in the crust and upper mantle Cryosphere - water stored as ice Atmosphere - water vapour
36
What are aquifers
underground water stores
37
How long do glaciers store water
20-100 years
38
how long do lakes store water?
50-100 years
39
how long do seasonal snow cover and rivers both store water?
2-6 months
40
how long does soil store water
1-2 months
41
What is the ITCZ?
The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. It is an area of low pressure where rainfall is very high. It moved during the seasons as the suns position changes.
42
What are the seasonal changes affecting the water cycle?
Less precipitation and more evapotranspiration in summer Reduced flows in winter as more water is frozen Reduced interception in winter as deciduous trees lose their leaves
43
How do storm events affect the water cycle?
They cause sudden increases in rainfall, leading to flooding and replenishment of some water stores. Unlikely to cause long-term change
44
How do droughts affect the water cycle?
They cause major stores to be depleted and the activity of flows acting within the water cycle to decrease. They may become long term due to climate change
45
What is el nino?
It occurs every 2-7 years and causes warm temperatures in a predictable way. It is likely climate change will make el ninos more common.
46
What is la nina?
It occurs every 2-7 years and causes cooler temperatures in a predictable way.
47
How are cryospheric processes affecting the water cycle?
Currently, almost all of the world’s glaciers are shrinking, causing sea levels to rise. If all the world’s glaciers and icecaps were to melt, sea levels would rise by around 60 metres
48
What are human impacts on the water cycle?
farming practices, water abstraction and land use change
49
How do farming practices affect the water cycle?
Ploughing breaks up the surface, increasing infiltration. Arable farming (crops) can increase interception and evapotranspiration. Pastoral (animal) farming compacts soil, reducing infiltration and increasing runoff. Irrigation removes water from local rivers, decreasing their flow.
50
How does land use change impact the water cycle?
Deforestation (e.g. for farming) reduces interception, evapotranspiration but infiltration increases. Construction reduces infiltration and evapotranspiration, but increases runoff.
51
How does water abstraction affect the water cycle?
This reduces the amount of water stored in surface stores like lakes Water abstraction increases in dry seasons. Human abstraction from aquifers as an output to meet water demands is often greater than inputs to the aquifer, leading to a decline in global long term water stores
52
Key components of the flood hydrograph
Discharge, rising limb, falling limb, lag time, baseflow, stormflow, bankfull discharge
53
What is discharge
The volume of water passing through a cross section of the river at any one point in time, measured in cubic metres per second. It is made up of the baseflow and the stormflow
54
What is the rising limb?
The line on the graph that represents the discharge increasing
55
What is the falling limb?
The line on the graph that represents the discharge decreasing.
56
What is the lag time?
The time between peak rainfall and peak discharge
57
What is baseflow
The level of groundwater flow
58
What is stormflow
Comprised of overland flow and throughflow
59
What is bank full discharge
The maximum capacity of the river. If discharge exceeds this then the river will burst its banks and be in flood.
60
What is a flashy hydrograph?
Short lag time and high peak discharge, most likely to occur during a storm event with favourable drainage basin characteristics.
61
What is a subdued hydrograph
Long lag time and low peak discharge
62
What is antecedent rainfall
Rainfall that occurs before the studied rainfall event. This can then saturate the ground leading to more surface runoff.
62
What is antecedent rainfall
Rainfall that occurs before the studied rainfall event. This can then saturate the ground leading to more surface runoff.

WATER AND CARBON (1 decks)

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