Water and Carbon Cycles

Question 1

What is an input?

Answer 1

matter/energy is added to a system e.g.rain

Question 2

What is an output?

Answer 2

matter/energy leaves the system e.g.evaporation

Question 3

Define store/component

Answer 3

matter/energy builds up

Question 4

Define flow/transfer

Answer 4

matter/energy moves from one store to another e.g.infiltration

Question 5

What is a boundary?

Answer 5

limits of the system e.g.watershed-hills around river basin

Question 6

What is an isolated system?

Answer 6

no interaction with anything outside the boundary
no inputs/outputs
rare

Question 7

What is a closed system?

Answer 7

matter and energy can enter and leave the system e.g.carbon cycle

Question 8

What is an open system?

Answer 8

matter and energy can enter and leave the system e.g.drainage basins

Question 9

What does dynamic equilibrium mean?

Answer 9

inputs=outputs

Question 10

Define positive feedback

Answer 10

when an action is enhanced/amplified by an effect of its own influence on the process which gives rise to it

Question 11

Define negative feedback

Answer 11

when an action counteracts the initial change normally leading to the conditions found before the initial change. decreasing the effect of change

Question 12

What is the atmosphere?

Answer 12

layer between surface of earth and space(gas)

Question 13

What is the lithosphere?

Answer 13

uppermost mantle and crust

Question 14

What is the hydrosphere?

Answer 14

all water on earth (liquid and frozen, groundwater and atmospheric water vapour)

• about 1.338x10(9)km3 –97% of this is oceanic water
• 12900km3 of water vapour in atmosphere

Question 15

What is the cryosphere?

Answer 15

frozen parts of hydrosphere

Question 16

What is the biosphere?

Answer 16

all living organisms

Question 17

What is atmospheric water?

Answer 17

water found in atmosphere mainly water vapour with some liquid water and ice crystals.

• all 3 states
• most is gas (water vapour)-absorbs, reflects and scatters solar radiation, keeping atmosphere at a temp to maintain life
• warm air holds more
• clouds= mass of water droplets suspended, grow and fall as rain.

Question 18

What is cryospheric water?

Answer 18

water locked up on Earths surface as ice

• solid form
• most of artcic is frozen
• forms when temp is below freezing
• ice shelves, bergs, sheets, caps, glaciers, permafrost
• if antarctic ice sheet melted-rise by 60m

Question 19

What is oceanic water?

Answer 19

water contained in Earths oceans and seas, not including inland seas

• average depth of 3682m
• cover about 72% of earths surface
• only 5% has been explored
• salt so stays liquid below 0 dgrees
• alkanie PH 8.14

Question 20

What is terrestrial water?

Answer 20

consists of groundwater, soil moisture, lakes, wetlands and rivers.

• surface-freeflowing rivers, ponds, lakes and wetlands
• ground-collects underground in pore spaces of rock about 4000m when completely saturated it is called the water table. amount is reducing due to extraction
• soil-held together with air in unsaturated upper weathered layers of earth- affects weather, climate, runoff, flood control, soil erosion, slope failure, water qual, reservoir management etc
• biological-water stored in biomass. mainly trees, but a bit in animals. if vegetation is destroyed, the store is lost to atmosphere and desert like climate.

Question 21

Define drainage basin

Answer 21

area of land drained by a river and tributaries. includes water found on surface, in soil and in near surface geology.

Question 22

What is evapotranspiration?

Answer 22

total output of water from drainage basin directly back to atmosphere

Question 23

What is groundwater flow?

Answer 23

slow movement of water through underlying rocks