Water And Carbon

Question 1

What is an input

Answer 1

Where matter or energy is added to a system

Question 2

What is it’s called when energy or matter leaves a system

Answer 2

An output

Question 3

What is a flow?

Answer 3

When matter and energy move into a system

Question 4

What system receives inputs and transfer outputs?

Answer 4

An open system

Question 5

What is dynamic equilibrium

Answer 5

Refers to the natural state of balance within the hydrological cycle

Question 6

What type of system is dynamic equilibrium found in

Answer 6

A closed system

Question 7

What is positive feedback?

Answer 7

Refers to when a change of events amplifies the impacts of the original event

Question 8

What refers to the chain of events that nullifies the impacts of the original event?

Answer 8

Negative feedback

Question 9

What is the water/carbon cycle on a local scale?

Answer 9

Open systems

Question 10

What are the water/carbon cycles on a global scale?

Answer 10

Closed systems

Question 11

Example of inputs in a local drainage basin

Answer 11

-precipitation- any water that falls to the surface of the earth from the atmosphere including snow and hail

Question 12

3 types of rainfall=

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What are examples of outputs

Answer 13

Evapotranspiration- compromised of evaporation and transpiration
Streamflow- water that either leaves through the atmosphere or through streams that drain the basin

Question 14

Example of flows

Answer 14

-Infiltration
-percolation
-through-flow
-surface runoff
-Groundwater flow
-streamflow
-stemflow

Question 15

What is infiltration?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What is percolation

Answer 16

Water that moves from the ground/soil into permeable rock or rock fractures (cracks)
-these fractures effect the percolation rate and its permeability

Question 17

What is Through-flow? And give examples.

Answer 17

-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

Question 18

What is surface run off?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What is an Open system

Answer 19

Where energy can be transferred into the surrounding environment
There are inputs and outputs of both energy and matter

Question 20

What is a closed system

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What is an isolated system

Answer 21

It has no interactions with anything outside the system boundary

Question 22

What includes all water,liquid,solid or gas including saline and fresh water

Answer 22

The hydrosphere

Question 23

The atmosphere

Answer 23

The layer of gas between the earths surface and the space held in place by gravity

Question 24

What is the outermost part of the earth. Crust plus the upper part of the mantle

Answer 24

The lithosphere

Question 25

The biosphere

Answer 25

The part of earth where living things are found e.g plants, birds, fungi and insects

Question 26

Which sub system is where it’s cold enough for water to freeze E.g glacial landscape

Answer 26

The Cryosphere

Question 27

What is a cascading system?

Answer 27

This is formed when sub systems pass energy and matter along the chain from one to another this causes them to become interlinked

Question 28

Largest stores of water

Answer 28

97% oceans
68% glaciers and ice caps
69% ground ice and permafrost
30.1% ground water
2.5% freshwater

Question 29

Rates of evaporation when high

Answer 29

-higher rates of solar energy as heat energy is needed to break bonds between water molecules
-higher temps as warm air hold more moisture
-A large supply of water
-dry air if evaporation exceeds condensation, the air becomes saturated and can’t hold more water.