water and carbon Flashcards
What is a system?
set of interrelated components working together towards the same process
What is an isolated system?
These systems have no interaction with anything outside the system boundary. There is no input or output of energy or matter. These systems are rare in nature.
What is a closed system?
These systems have transfers of energy both into and beyond the system boundary but not transfer of matter.
E.g. The Carbon Cycle
What is an open system?
These systems are where matter and energy can be transferred from the system across the boundary into the surrounding environment.
E.g. The Drainage Basin
What is throughflow?
movement of water through subsoil
What is infiltration?
downard movement of water from surface to soil
What is percolation?
downward movement of water within rock under soil surface
What is an example of positive feedback?
-temp. rises
-ice cover melts
-less ice coverage reduces albedo effect
-more energy absorbed
What is an example of negative feedback?
-Large amounts of CO2 emitted
-CO2 in atmosphere increases
-Extra CO2 causes plants to increase growth
-Plants remove and store more CO2 from atmosphere
-Amount of CO2 in atmosphere reduced
What is dynamic equilibrium?
When both inputs and outputs are balanced
What are the earth’s 4 major subsystems?
The Atmosphere
The Lithosphere
The Hydrosphere
The Biosphere
What are key points about the atmosphere?
It is a mixture of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) and other gases such
as carbon dioxide (1%)
The atmosphere is always in constant interaction with the
hydrosphere, giving rise to the planets weather conditions
What are key points about the lithosphere?
outermost part of the earth - It includes the crust and the upper parts of the mantle
surface is uneven due to landforms such as mountains and deep valleys
The crust is made of loose soil and rocks whereas the mantle is made of dense rock made up of nickel and iron in the form of silicate rocks
What are key points about the hydrosphere?
The hydrosphere includes all water on earth. It can be in liquid, solid
or gas form and can be saline or fresh
It stretches into the lithosphere and atmosphere. Most of the water in the atmosphere is in a gaseous form and falls as precipitation.
97% of earth’s water is saline (oceans carry most) while lakes and
rivers carry freshwater
What are key points about the biosphere?
Part of the Earth’s system where all living things are found e.g.
plants, animals, birds, fungi
The Biosphere interacts with the physical aspects of the earth
including the hydrosphere, lithosphere and the atmosphere
What is a drainage basin?
an area that supplies a river with its water
What is the soil water budget?
shows the annual balance between inputs and outputs in water cycle and impact on soil water availability
What are the 4 stages of the soli water budget?
-recharge
-surplus
-utilisation
-deficit
What is a river regime?
annual variation or discharge of a river
What factors effect river regimes?
-geology
-precipitation
-rainfall
-vegetation cover
-land use
What are the inputs / outputs/ stores/ flows of the water cycle
precipitation
evapotranspiration and runoff
interception, surface, soil water, groundwater, channel storage stemflow, infiltration overland flow, channel flow
What are the 2 types of hydrographs and their properties ?
flashy - short lag time and high peak discharge
flat - long lag time and low peak discharge
Describe the features of a flood hydrograph
discharge- volume of water passing through a point in the river
Rising limb - discharge increasing
Falling limb - discharge decreasing
Lag time - The time taken between peak rainfall and peak discharge
Baseflow - level of groundwater flow
stormflow - overland flow and through flow
What is lag time?
The time taken between peak rainfall and peak discharge
What is water abstarction?
the process of taking water from any source either temporarily or permanentley for human use
What is an aquifer?
layer of rock that is porous to store groundwater and permeable enough to let it flow through
How does deforestation affect the water cycle?
prevents a store of water and reduces evapotranspiration
How can natural factors affect the water cycle?
can increase the amount of precipitation so therefore the amount of channel flow and surface runoff . Vegetation can be destroyed reducing interception
Hoe do wildfires affect the carbon cycle?
fallen litter decomposes in soil and burining of forests increasing CO2
How does volcanic activity affect the carbon cycle?
sulphur dioxide and CO2 released into atmosphere
How does hydrogen extraction affect the carbon cycle?
-cement manufacturing produces 5% of worlds CO2 emissions
-animal remains turn into fossil fuels
How do farming practices affect the carbon cycle?
-plughing breaks down organic matter
-1/3 of all soils are degraded
-above ground biomass being burned
- forestry and agriculture causing 25% of all emissions
What are the 4 major stores of water?
lithosphere - water stored in crust and upper mantle
hydrosphere - any liquid water
cryosphere - any water that is frozen
atmosphere - water vapour
What are the 4 water stores in the hydrosphere?
Oceanic Water
Cryospheric Water
Terrestrial Water
Atmospheric Water
What are key points about oceanic water?
covers approximately 72% of planets surface
Only about 5% has been explored.
It consists of saline water (97%)
It needs it to stay as liquid water below 0 degrees
What are key points about cryospheric water?
95% of cryospheric water is locked up in two ice sheets
If Greenland melted sea level would rise by 6m. If Antarctic Ice Sheet melted sea levels would rise by 60m
What are key points about terrestrial water?
They are areas where water covers the soil or is present at or near to the surface
Found on every continents except Antarctica
Groundwater: is water that collect underground in pore spaces of rock.
Soil water: is water that is held together in unsaturated upper weathered layers of the Earth
Biological water: water stored in all biomass. The role of animals to store water is minimal
What are key points about atmospheric water?
Most common is water vapour and is key in keeping the atmosphere a temperature that can maintain life
A small increase in water vapour will lead to an increase in atmospheric temperatures.
What factors affect the water cycle?
storm events
seasonal changes
farming practices
land use change
water abstraction
deforestation
seasonal change
How does soil drainage affect the water cycle?
Soil drainage removes excess water from the soil profile
What is water abstraction?
the process of taking water from any source, either
temporarily or permanently, for irrigation, industry, recreation, flood control or treatment to produce drinking water
What are aquifers?
underground water stores that are globally unevenly spread
What is a plant scale?
Explain movement of carbon around this scale
Carbon is cycled through photosynthesis and respiration
At plant scale, carbon is moved through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. Photosynthesis is when plants take in CO2 from the atmosphere and reacts with chlorophyll to produce glucose and releases oxygen as a by-product. Respiration is the reverse of photosynthesis where oxygen is used to break down sugars and glucose and release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
What is a sere scale?
Explain movement of carbon around this scale
Also known as the ecosystem scale. Carbon is also cycled through decomposition and combustion
Carbon is moved through the process of decomposition and combustion. Decomposition returns carbon from the biosphere to the atmosphere due to living things such as bacteria and fungi breaking down organic matter which releases carbon. Combustion is the process of burning organic matter to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This can occur naturally due to wildfires or deliberate fires caused by humans.
What is a continental scale?
Carbon is cycled through all types of movement including sequestration
What are examples of transfers in the carbon cycle?
photosynthesis
respiration
decomposition
combustion
carbon sequestration
weathering
What are the main stores of carbon?
atmosphere - carbon dioxide and carbon compounds e.g. methane
hydrosphere - dissolved carbon dioxide
lithosphere - carbonate in limestones, chalk and fossil fuels
biosphere - in living and dead organisms.
What is carbon sequestration?
transfer of carbon from atmosphere to other store e.g. photosynthesis or Carbon capture and Storage
What factors cause changes in the carbon cycle over time?
natural wild fires
volcanic activity
hydrocarbon fuel extraction and burning
farming practices
deforestation
land use changes
What is the carbon budget?
the amount of carbon stored and transferred within the carbon cycle on global or local scale that is changed by human and natural factors
What is the relationship between the water and carbon cycle?
-An increase in atmospheric CO2 levels can cause higher rates of evapotranspiration
-Water can transfer CO2 from atmosphere to lithosphere/hydrosphere through precipitation in the form of acid rain
-For decomposition to occur, water is needed by the decomposers. Decomposition is essential for the transfer of carbon from biomass to the atmosphere
What are human interventions in the carbon cycle? designed to influence carbon transfers and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Carbon capture and Storage
renewable energy sources
low carbon technology
international policies
What is the global atmospheric circulation model?
factor that determines cloud formation and rainfall
different zones of falling and rising that lead to precipitation
What is El Nino and La Nina?
El Nino - warming period taking place every 2-7 years
La Nina - cooling period taking place every 2-7 years
Case study of a tropical rainforest
Amazon Rainforest -
locted in South America, covers Brazil, Peru, Bolivia etc.
hold’s world’s largest river
70% located in Brazil
5.3 million km2
Mejura Project conserving 900,000 hectares of land
How is water affected in the Amazon Rainforest
very high rainfall providing high biodiversity
warm temps increase evaporation
dense canopy increases interception
increased surface runoff due to deforestation
risk of drought due to reduced evapotranspiration
leaching causes removal of nutrients
How is carbon affected in the Amazon rainforest
76 billion of carbon stored in 2019
1% of tree species hold 50% of world’s carbon
dead amazonian trees release 1.9 million tonnes of co2
Brazil as world’s 4th largest polluter
19,000 km2 deforested per year
30-60% of carbon is lost to atmosphere during deforestation
What are the threats to the amazon rainforest
Climate change predicted to increase by 2-3 degrees by 2050
WWF estimates 20% of Amazon has been lost
clearing land for beef and soy production
soy industry losing $3.5 billion due to heat spikes
75% of deforested area is used for cattle/ agriculture
Case study of a river catchment
The River Eden - flows through Eden District of Cumbria, England
near Penines mountain range
passes through Carlisle and Solway Firth
basin is long narrow and steep (reducing lag time)
has sandstone and limestone - permeable rock increasing percolation
What is relief rainfall?
rain caused by land varying in height
What storm event happened in River Eden
Storm Desmond 2005
‘ a one in 170 years event’
highest rainfall on 5th Dec - 340 mm
Impacted wales, soctland and northern england
What did the Met Office predict about rainfall
‘an increase in frequency and intensity of rainfall across the UK’
What human changes have took place in the River Eden?
Construction - development creating 10,000 new homes - Garden Village
Farming - cattle trampling leading to compacted soils - 30% increase
deforestation - forest removed, 35% increased predicted by 2080
What does the water balance consist of?
Recharge
Surplus
Utilisation
Deficit
How does the carbon cycle affect oceans?
-Ocean acidification
-Ocean warming
-Melting Sea Ice
-Ocean Salinity
-Sea Level Rise
-Melting of Terrestrial Ice
-Thermal Expansion
What are the impacts of ocean acidification?
Dissolving CO2 in the ocean creates carbonic acid. This changes the pH of the ocean - 30% decrease in acidity has been seen
-cause coral reef loss
-less carbonate available for marine animals to make shells
-destruction of marine ecosystems due to increase in acidity
What are the impacts of ocean warming?
-decrease the abundance of phytoplankton
-lessen the effectiveness of the oceans as a carbon sink
-kills off the symbiotic algae which coral needs in order to grow, leading to bleaching and eventual death of reefs
