water and carbon cycles

Question 1

what is an open system?

Answer 1

both energy and matter CAN enter and leave a system - inputs and outputs

Drainage basin - open system

Question 2

what is a closed system?

Answer 2

matter CAN’T enter or leave
energy CAN enter and leave

Carbon cycle - closed system

Question 3

what is a positive feedback?

Answer 3

amplify change - increasing the effects of the change - moving the system farther away from its original state

temp rise - ice melt - less reflected sun - more absorbed - temp rise

Question 4

what is a negative feedback?

Answer 4

counteract change - decreasing effects of the change - closer to its previous state

lots of Co2 - atmosphere increases in Co2 - increase plant growth - plants remove Co2 - less Co2 in atmosphere

Question 5

what are subsystems?

Answer 5

1. cryosphere - water is frozen
2. lithosphere - outermost part of the earth (crust)
3. biosphere - living things are found
4. hydrosphere - water on earth - any state
5. layer of gas between earth surface and space (held by gravity)

Question 6

how do subsystems work?

Answer 6

they are interconnected - cycles and processes - matter and energy moves between - cascading system - changes in one system can affect another one

Question 7

where is fresh water stored?

Answer 7

69% frozen in cryosphere
30% - groundwater
0.3% - liquid freshwater
0.04% - water vapour - atmosphere

Question 8

what prevents humans from gaining water?

Answer 8

physically and economically accessible - for humans to use
(groundwater is hard to get access to - not cost effective) - small amount of water on earth accessible

Question 9

evapouration

Answer 9

magnitude of evaporation - varies location and season
. lots of solar radiation - large supply of water & warm, dry air - evapouration would be high
. not much solar radiation - little water & cool nearly saturated - evaporation would be low

Question 10

condensation

Answer 10

loses energy to surroundings -
. water droplets can stay in atmosphere or flow to other subsystems - decreases amount of water in atmosphere
. lots of water vapour - large rapid drop in temp (condensation will be high)

Question 11

cloud formation and precipitation

Answer 11

. other air masses - frontal precipitation (warm air - less dense)
. topography - orographic precipitation warm air meets mountains - forced to rise (cools)
. convection - convective precipitation - sun heats ground moisture evaporates - higher cools

Question 12

cryospheric processes

Answer 12

. accumulation and ablation - change amount of water stored as ice - varies with temp
. emerging from a glacial period - max reached 21,000 years ago
. timescales - variations in processes (temp changes over 1000s years) short periods of time - annual temp fluctuations