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Geography AQA A level > Water and Carbon Cycle > Flashcards

Water and Carbon Cycle Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The interrelationships between living and non-living components within a particular environment

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2
Q

What type of system is the ‘water cycle’?

A

Closed system in its entirety

Open system at a local level because there are inputs, outputs and flows

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3
Q

What type of system is the ‘carbon cycle’?

A

Global scale- closed system

Local scale-open system due to inputs and outputs

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4
Q

What are the 6 main spheres?

A 
Biosphere
Lithosphere
Cryosphere
Atmosphere
Pedosphere
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5
Q

Where is the majority of the total water supply stored?

A

96.6% saline water

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6
Q

How much of the world’s water is saline?

A

97.4%

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7
Q

How much of the Earth’s water is freshwater?

A

2.5%

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8
Q

What are the major stores of freshwater?

A

Snow and ice

Groundwater

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9
Q

What is an aquifer and how much water is stored globally by them?

A

30% of all freshwater

Water stored in rocks deep below the ground surface in underground reservoirs

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10
Q

Where do aquifers form? Why?

A

Areas made up of rocks such as chalk and sandstone, which are porous and permeable

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11
Q

What is the soil water budget?

A

A soils capacity to store and transfer water

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12
Q

What is the ‘water table’?

A

The upper layer of saturated rock which rises and falls in response to groundwater flow, water abstraction or recharge.

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13
Q

Define ‘precipitation’

A

Transfer of water from the atmosphere to the ground

Takes the form of snow, rain, hail or dew

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14
Q

Define evaporation

A

Transfer of water from liquid state to gaseous state.

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15
Q

Define condensation

A

Transfer of water from a gaseous state to a liquid state

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16
Q

Define sublimation

A

Transfer from a solid state to gaseous state

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17
Q

Define interception

A

Water intercepted and stored on leaves of plants

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18
Q

Define overland flow

A

The transfer of water over the land surface

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19
Q

Define infiltration

A

Transfer of water from ground surface into soil where it may then percolate into underlying rocks

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20
Q

Define throughflow

A

Water flowing through the soil towards a river channel

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21
Q

Define percolation

A

Water soaking into the rocks

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22
Q

Define groundwater flow

A

Transfer of water very slowly through the rock

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23
Q

How much of the land was covered by glaciers during end of last ice age?

A

1/3 of Earth’s land area

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24
Q

What model can be used to illustrate cloud formation?

A

The Global Atmospheric Circulation Model

25
How do clouds form at the equator?
High temperatures= high rates of evaporation Warm air rises, cools and condenses to form towering banks of cloud Heavy rainfall occurs in the ITCZ ( intertropical convergence zone)
26
What happens to the ITCZ seasonally? Why?
Moves North and South due to changes in the intensity/ direction of the sun
27
How do clouds form at mid latitudes?
Convergence of warm air from tropics and cool air from the Arctic The polar front (boundary of the two) causes rising air and cloud formation Strong upper level winds drive these towards UK
28
What is the largest store of water after oceanic water?Where is it stored?
Ice | 95% locked up in two ice sheets Antarctica and Greenland
29
Explain the feedback loop seen on glaciers
Positive feedback loop Sea levels destabilise ice shelves Triggers calving Further melting occurs
30
Explain the effects of farming on the hillslope water cycle
Ditches drain the land | Irrigation increases the amount of water on the ground
31
Explain the effects of urbanisation on the hillslope water cycle
Infrastructure provides an impermeable surface so there is reduced infiltration Deforestation occurs too which further reduces interception and infiltration Water runs through pipes to the nearby river channels
32
Explain the effects of deforestation on the hillslope water cycle
The removal of trees reduces interception and infiltration | Overland flow increases
33
Explain what the soil water budget looks like during the wet season
``` Precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration Water surplus Ground water stores fill with water Increased surface run off Higher discharge River levels rise ```
34
Explain what the soil water budget looks like during the dry season
Evapotranspiration exceed precipitation Ground water store depletion Water (some) flows into river channel and not replaced by precipitation
35
What is field capacity?
How much water soil can hold without any outputs occuring
36
What is a drainage basin?
An area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries
37
What is the watershed?
The boundary of a river basin
38
Define stem flow
The process of waster dripping through the leaves down the stems
39
What is a rill?
A concentrated small channel where water unable to infiltrate flows
40
Give the equation for water balance
P =O + E +/- S ``` P= precipitation O= total runoff E= evapotranspiration S= storage ```
41
Define river discharge
The volume of water that flows through a given area in a given time
42
Give the equation for river discharge
Discharge= cross sectional area x velocity
43
What does a flood hydrograph show?
The discharge of a river following a particular storm event
44
What is a flashy hydrograph?
A hydrograph with a short lag time and a high peak
45
What is the lag time?
The time between peak rainfall and peak discharge
46
What characteristics create a flashy hydrograph?
``` Small basins High drainage density Impermeable rocks Urbanisation Steep slopes Saturated soil Heavy rain exceeding infiltration capacity ```
47
What characteristics create low, flat hydrographs?
``` Large basins Slow water transfer Permeable rocks Forests Gentle slope Dry soil Light rain ```
48
What are the natural variations that can cause change in the water cycle?
Extreme weather events such as storms and droughts
49
Explain the effects on the water cycle during the Californian drought
Drought caused reduction in water stores Vegetation dies back so limited transpiration, interception and infiltration Ground water flow High initial rates of evapotranspiration due to heat Soil dries out so less through flow
50
How can land use impact the water cycle?
Urbanisation, impermeable surfaces reduce infiltration | Deforestation, removal of trees= surface run off and soil erosion
51
How is irrigation in the Middle East impacting water stores?
Water being abstracted from thousand year old aquifers Risk of depletion Rate of recharge slower than formation
52
What are the main stores of carbon?
``` Lithosphere Hydrosphere Cryosphere Atmosphere Biosphere ```
53
Define 'carbon sink'
A store that absorbs more carbon than it releases
54
What is the largest store of carbon? How much does it contain?
Marine sediments and sedimentary rocks. | 100,000 billion metric tonnes
55
What is photosynthesis?
The process whereby plants use the light energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates in the form of glucose
56
How does decomposition link to the carbon cycle?
Organisms die Decomposers consume them Carbon from the bodies of the organisms is returned to the soil as CO2
57
How does combustion link to the carbon cycle?
Organic material contains carbon and is burnt which releases carbon dioxide into the atmospere
58
Define carbon sequestration
Transfer of carbon from atmosphere to plants, soils, rock formations and oceans
59
How does weathering link to the carbon cycle?
``` Weathering breaks down the rocks CO2 is absorbed by rainwater and forms carbon acid Rocks dissolve Carbon held in solution Transported and used in shell formation ```

Geography AQA A level (6 decks)

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