water and carbon Flashcards
carbon definition
most abundant element in earth
90% co2
humans half carbon
diamond, graphite
lithosphere and marine sediment
largest store of carbon
long term store- sedimentary rocks
covers 72% of earth surface
99.9% all carbon store here
hydrosphere
2nd largest store of carbon
organic matter and surface layer
total 40,000 million gigatonnes
cryosphere
permafrost- tundra regions contain vast stores of organic carbon in permafrost
pedosphere
soils containing rotting organic matter are imoortant carbon stores
carbon remains in soil for hundreds of years
deforestation and land use change can release co2
biosphere
vital for all life on earth
convert sun energy into carbohydrates
residence times
land plants- 5yrs
atmosphere- 3yr
soils-25
fossil fuels-650
deep ocean water-200/1000
sedimentary rocks- 150 mil
largest store in biosphere
tropical rainforest at 547.8 gigatonne
cascading sub systems
transfer of mass and energy along chain of component sub systems
atmosphere in the water cycle
mainly water vapour
0.4%
lithosphere in water cycle
continental and oceanic
hydrosphere
all liquid and frozen surfacer water
cryosphere
water locked up as ice
biosphere in water
biotic and abiotic forms in the biosphere and energy cycle within entire ecosystem
short residence time
short time spent by water in transit through the atmosphere results in short term fluctuations in regional weather patterns
long residence time
amount of water in a store divided by either the rate of addition of water to the store or the rate of loss from it.
latent heat
energy that is absorbed or released during a phase change ie. from a gas to a liquid.
arographic rainfall
relief rainfall
topography precipitation
when warm air meets moutains, its forced o rise causing it too cool. this results in orographic rainfall
other air mass precipitation
when air is less dense than cool air. as a result, when warm air is forced up above th cool sir, it cools down as it rises.
this results in frontal rainfall.
convection precipitation
when the sun heats up the ground, moisture evaportates and rises in a column of warm sir. as it gets higher it cool and results in confectionary rainfall.
sublimation
solid to a gas
desublimation
gas to a solid
accumulation- cryospheric processes
input exceeds the outputs so more mass id gained than lost over a year
albation-cryospheric processes
melting
outputs exceed inputs
short term events that change the water cycle on a local scale
high surface run off
high river Chanel flow
high surface water sotrage
seasonal changes to water cycle
Amazon rainforest- dry season low precipitation
wet season- precipitation exceeds EVT
milankovitch cycle
reason for glacial cycle change
obliquity
tilting of earth
most important
as tilt decreases seasons are milder
slightly warmer winters and cooler summers= accumulation
eccentricity
from circular orbit to elliptical orbit
precession
260000 year cycle, wobble
ENSO CIRCULATION
enso- neutral
high precipitation in Australia
la nina
super3 strong trade winds
much wetter, flooding in aus
el nino
drought and wildfires in Australia
winds not as powerful
hunga Tonga impact on water
change in water storage
the water from the explosion was held in the stratosphere for 2 years
less eval due to ash fall
climate change and water cycle
inc in droughts meaning an increase in evaporated and precipitation will inc
human impact to changes in the water cycle- land use
legal deforestation is 1.5 mil a year
40% occurs in the amazon rainforest
10% South American rainforests has been lost.
beef production is the biggest driver of change in the amazon rainforest.
segregation
fragmentation of forest
land use change-urbanisation
increased surface run off- less permeable surfaces so less infiltration and more surface run off
decreased infiltration- impermeable surfaces and inc in roads
increased evaporation- URBAN HEAT - concrete retains heat due to lack of infiltration the wat4e4r id more exposed to sun on roads so increased eval
pollution- from cars, factories and waste which contaminates rivers lake and groundwater effects water quality and cycle
impacts of farming: soil drainage
subsurface draining-
removes excess water from soil
carries out by network of perforated tubes installed 120cm below the soil
advantages of farming on water cycle
build up of improved soil structure making the land easier to work. it allows roots to grow longer and faster
improved aeration of the soil which means microorganisms have better conditions to thrive. nutrient break down quicker aiding the farmer.
improved aeration of soil means that the soil can be warmed quicker. it means that seed germination can occur quicker
heavy machinery can work on the land without compacting it. this means the risk of overland flows caused bay heavy machinery is reduced.
what causes global warming
ozone pollution
urbanisation
rice paddies
cow methane
infrared radiation is absorbed in all directions by ghg molecules.
how have humans impacted the carbon cycle
rainforest clearance
rearing livestock
urbanisation
anthropogenic definition
human relatied carbon release comes from burning fossil fuels
90% comes from burning of fossil fuels
hydrocarbons in the carbon cycle
coal was formally plants
died and then burried under heat and pressure which turns into coal
cement manufacturing CC
5% anthropogenic co2 emissions
900kg co2 emitted for every 1000kg of cement produced
farming practice CC
ploughing introduces air into soil, decomposition accelerates and carbon is released.
tractors include co2
rice paddies generate methane
livestock releases methane gas into the atmosphere as by product of digestion
rice farming - water blocks co2 from penetrating the soil creating idea conditions for bacteria to emit methane
deforestation cc
40% deforestation in Amazon
1.5 mil hectare of legal deforestation
logging
road building
hydroelectric power
mining
cattle ranching
slash and burn
population pressure
palm oil palntation
slow carbon cycle
long term storage of carbon. marine organisms decomposition into sed rocks
release co2 as chemically weathered
fast carbon cycle
transfer between oceans atmosphere and is 10-1000 times faster. absorbed by photosynthesis.
key carbon processes- volcanic activity
emit co2 into atmosphere but not enough to impact on climate change.
reflect suns radiation and counteract co2
slow compostion - key carbon processes
dead plant material doesn’t fully decompose because its too soggy. peat builds up as spongy dark soil thats sometimes referred to as turf. thick layers of peat accumulate and trap huge amounts of carbon helping to cool climate
humus
top layer of soil
detrovories
decompose
key carbon processes
photosynthesis
respiration
decomposition
combustion
slow decomposition
volcanic activtiy
weathering
lithifaction
combustion cc
wildfires and smouldering peatlands.
occur naturally due to lightening strikes.
wildfires ensure carbon balance. they consume and emit only 10-20 % of forests
lithifaction
compaction and burial of rocks
diffusion service mixing
turbulent sea=fast gas exchange
calm sea=slow gas exchange
vertical deep mixing
dissolved and carried deep into aortic and antarctic oceans even as far as seabed.
co2 moves from the atmosphere to the ogress by a process called diffusion. at high latitudes cold water sinks carbon deep onto ocean. warm water looses co2.
biological ocean pump
93% of co2 is stored in the ocean eg plankton and coral
small changes in oceanic carbon cycle can have significant global impacts when marine organisms die, their organic matter sinks deeper and decay, releasing carbon.
drainage basin
component of the global hydrological cycle. they are local open systems.
watershed
separate drainage basins usually on High land
confluence
the junction of two rivers especially rivers of approximately equal width
tributary
a river or stream flowing into different river basins or seas
groundwater storage
storage of water in permeable rock strata
leaf drip
the precipitation that penetrates through the canopy snd reaches the soil surface by canopy drip
stemflow
process that directs precipitation down plant branches and stems
deudicious trees
have less stem flow than coniferous vegitation
through flow
water flowing downhill through permeable rock above the water table.
positive change in water balance
moisture is added to the store
negative changes in water balence
moisture is removed from the store
soil moisture discharge
when water is being added into the soil or drainage basin
soil utilisation
soil moisture is being used for plants to grow
soil moisture deficit
outputs are exceeding inputs so the soil is dry and in deficit. plants may wilt or stop growing
soil moisture surplus
inputs exceed outputs. the soil wil;l be wet and there might be water stored on the surface of the ground…puddles.
rising/falling limb
inc or dec of discharge
baseflow
water flowing to a river through underground rocks which maintains
factors causing the shape of a flood hydrographic
relief
lithology
prior weather conditions
volume rainfall
relief
steep slopes mean that rain water is likely to run straight over the surface before it can infiltrate
on gentle slopes infiltration is more likely to occur
lithology
impermeable rock -clay- lead to grater overland flow. through floe then caused decreasing lag time.
permeable rocks -sandstone- lag time id greater.
volume- type of rainfall
intensity can effect storm hydrographs
heavy storms with lots of water enter drainage basil over a short time -higher discharge
prior weather conditions
antecedent rainfall- precipitation that has fallen before.
of soil. is already saturated by heavy rain, it infultration capacity will be reduced and further rain will go as surface run off.
if soil is dry, it will be able to absorb more water during infiltration and lag time
frozen surface is short as water can’t infiltrate and passes quickly to river as run off.
drainage basin size and shape
lag time is smaller in smaller drainage basins. as the volume of water is lower than in a large basin so peak discharge is lower than in a larger basin.
human factors changing shape of hydrographic
urbanisation
veg coverage
veg coverage
deforestation reduced interception rates allowing water to hit the surface directly.
lack of plant roots decrease infiltration- rapid overland flow
forestation has the opposite effect making it a useful flood prevention technique
flashy hydrograph
shorter lag time
steep
urbanisation
impermeable surfaces
deforestation
high rain density
flat or curved hydrograph
longer lag time
shallow
aforestation
sandstone
snow
gentle relief
river regimes
annual variation in discharge or flow of a river at a particular point and is measured in cumecs
oceanic temperate has a peak in EVT in July and peak precipitation in December.
mediteranian temperate has peak levels of EVT in the summer months and high levels of precipitation in winter
nordic temperate ha peak levels of EVT in summer months, precipitation fluctuated as it freezes as snow in winter months and accumulates as ice.
disadvantages of farming on the water cycle
insertion of drains inc the speed off through flow in the soil. much more water reaches rivers quicker. this increases the risk of flooding. since. flood plain has been drained in the uk people have found the rivers harder to navigate.
larger numbers of animals can graze on the land inc profitt but also inc the risk of compacting the land and inc the risk of inc overland flow.
the dry topsoil is subject to wind erosion. this c an decrease the productivity of the land.
nitrates in the soil can be lost as the water removes them from the soil in the drainage process. the can trigge4r eutrophication as more nitrogen and phosperhous get into water ways causing plant life to grow quicker. this disrupts about of oxygen in water and quality go ecosystem can change.
London basin case study
artesian aquifer- hardest aquifer to maintain as water balance. this is bc there is only a small recharge area and so takes a long time to recharge.
water abstraction and salt water intrusion- when outputs exceed inputs, more water is taken in than recharged near coasts, salt water is pulled in, known as salt water intrusion.
ground level water has fallen 2-5m as a result of abstraction.
