Water And Carbon Flashcards
What is an input
Where matter or energy is added to a system
What is it’s called when energy or matter leaves a system
An output
What is a flow?
When matter and energy move into a system
What system receives inputs and transfer outputs?
An open system
What is dynamic equilibrium
Refers to the natural state of balance within the hydrological cycle
What type of system is dynamic equilibrium found in
A closed system
What is positive feedback?
Refers to when a change of events amplifies the impacts of the original event
What refers to the chain of events that nullifies the impacts of the original event?
Negative feedback
What is the water/carbon cycle on a local scale?
Open systems
What are the water/carbon cycles on a global scale?
Closed systems
Example of inputs in a local drainage basin
-precipitation- any water that falls to the surface of the earth from the atmosphere including snow and hail
3 types of rainfall=
Conventional- sun heats oceans which causes warm air to rise and condense at higher altitudes
Relief- warm air is forced upwards by the shape of the land which causes the water to condense at higher altitudes
Frontal- warm air rises over cool air when 2 bodies of air at different temperatures meet, since warm air is less dense and more light it also condenses at higher altitudes and falls as rain
What are examples of outputs
Evapotranspiration- compromised of evaporation and transpiration
Streamflow- water that either leaves through the atmosphere or through streams that drain the basin
Example of flows
-Infiltration
-percolation
-through-flow
-surface runoff
-Groundwater flow
-streamflow
-stemflow
What is infiltration?
Process of water moving above ground and into the soil
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
- if precipitation falls at a greater rate than the infiltration capacity then the soil becomes saturated and causes surface runoff off
What is percolation
Water that moves from the ground/soil into permeable rock or rock fractures (cracks)
-these fractures effect the percolation rate and its permeability
What is Through-flow? And give examples.
-water that moves through the soil and into streams/rivers
-the speed of flow is dependent on the soil
-as clay soils have smaller pore spaces and and high field capacity have a slower flow rate whereas sandy soil drains quickly because it has a lower field capacity and larger pore space which can cause a flood risk but can make the soil more saturated
What is surface run off?
Water which flows above the ground as a result of the soil being saturated.
-this limits water from infiltrating into the soil
-this causes flooding
What is an Open system
Where energy can be transferred into the surrounding environment
There are inputs and outputs of both energy and matter
What is a closed system
Energy is transferred into and beyond the system but matter is not
Matter can only be cycled within stores
Energy does have inputs and outputs from the system
What is an isolated system
It has no interactions with anything outside the system boundary
What includes all water,liquid,solid or gas including saline and fresh water
The hydrosphere
The atmosphere
The layer of gas between the earths surface and the space held in place by gravity
What is the outermost part of the earth. Crust plus the upper part of the mantle
The lithosphere
