Water and Carbon Cycles Flashcards
Inputs-What?
Material or energy moving into the system from outside
Output-What?
Material or energy moving from the system to the outside
Energy-What?
Power or driving force
Stores-What?
The individual elements or components of the system
Flows/Transfer-What?
The movement of matter or energy from one store to another
Boundaries-What?
The limits of the system
System-What?
An assembly of interrelated parts that work together by way of some driving force
System- Simple Definition
A set of steps that occur to make something happen
Types of Systems
There are two types of systems: -Open System -Closed System
Types of Systems-Open
A system with inputs and outputs to other systems. matter and energy can enter and leave the system
Types of Systems-Closed
A system with no inputs and outputs. All matter is enclosed within the system but energy can enter or leave a system
Dynamic Equilibrium-What?
A state of balance between inputs and outputs in a system
What happens when elements change?
It causes feedback
Types of feedback
There are two types of feedback: -Positive Feedback -Negative Feedback
Types of feedback- Positive Feedback
A cyclical sequence of events that amplify or increase change
Types of feedback-Negative Feedback
A cyclical sequence of events that damp down or neutralize the effects of the system
Spheres of Earth
The Earth is broken down into 5 spheres -Cryosphere -Lithosphere -Biosphere -Hydrosphere -Atmosphere
Spheres of Earth- Cyrosphere
The cyrosphere includes all the parts of the Earth where its cold enough for water to freeze
10% of worlds land area . includes glaciers , ice shelf and sheets . contiential and alpine glaciation
Spheres of Earth- Lithosphere
The lithosphere is the outermost part of the Earth. It includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle
Spheres of Earth- Biosphere
The biosphere is the part of the Earth’s system where living things are found. It include all the living parts of the Earth
Spheres of Earth- Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere includes all of the water on Earth. This is all the water in states of matter (Solid, Liquid and Gas)
Spheres of Earth-Atmosphere
The atmosphere is the layer of gas between the Earth’s surface and space, held in place by gravity
Spheres of Earth-Matter Movement
Matter can move between the spheres
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Evaporation
Transfer of water from liquid state to gas state. The vast majority occurs from the oceans to the atmosphere
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Condensation
Transfer of water from a gaseous state to a liquid state
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Precipitation
Transfer of water from the atmosphere to the ground ( lithosphere , cryrosphere and athmosphere ) , normally as rain
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Drainage Basin
The area from which a river channel receives water
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Interception
Water is intercepted by plant leafs and stored there
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Ground Water
The store of water that is moved by percolation into the lower layers of the soil or bedrock
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Aquifer
A permeable rock which stores and transfers water
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Stem Flow
The flow of water down stems or trunks after interception of rainfall
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Infiltration
Movement of water from the surface to the soil
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Through Flow
The movement of water through a soil to a river channel
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Percolation
Downward movement of water through soil and bedrock
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Overland Flow
Water running over the surface of the land into a river channel or body of water
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Channel Flow
Run off of surface water in a defined channel
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Water Balance/Budget
When the input of water is equal to the output
The Water Cycle-Key Terms- Water Table
The upper boundary of the staturised portion of a soil or rock
Water- Total amount
The hydrosphere contains 1.4 Sextillion litres of water. Less than 3% of that is freshwater
Water-Freshwater Percentages
69% frozen in cyrosphere 30% is groundwater 0.3% is liquid freshwater (we can drink this) 0.04% is stored as water vapour in atmosphere
The Water Cycle- Evaporation of water vappury
The water vapour from the oceans is evaporated and condensed in the atmosphere to create clouds
The Water Cycle- Clouds and Percolation
Moisture is then transported around the globe in clouds, and return to the surface via percolation
The Water Cycle- Water on Ground
When reaching the ground, some water will evaporate back into the atmosphere, while some of it will percolate the ground to form groundwater
The Water Cycle- Surface Water
The water that is not evaporated, percolated, or infiltrated is known as runoff, and is empited into the lakes and rivers, which flow into oceans. The cycle then starts again
How long does water remain in the store?-Soil Water
1-2 months
How long does water remain in the store?-Seasonal Snow Cover
2-6 months
How long does water remain in the store?-Rivers
2-6 months
How long does water remain in the store?- Glaciers
20-100 years
How long does water remain in the store?- Lakes
50-100 years
How long does water remain in the store?- Shallow Groundwater
100-200 years
How long does water remain in the store?-Deep Groundwater
10000 years
Why does soil water has the shortest duration?
The water is absorbed by plant roots, evaporated or flows into rivers as through flow
Changes to water cycle on a local level- Physical Causes
-Heavy Rain leads to more water in stores -Seasons- Snow and frozen water interrupt transfers- Stores are affected
Changes to water cycle on a local level -Human Causes
-Urbanization- Impermeable surfaces reduce infiltration -Deforestation-Reduces interception and infiltration- Overland flow increases - Farming- Ditches drain the land and encourage quick water flow -Irrigation-Increases water on ground
Changes to water cycle over time- Climate Change
The heating of the Earth has caused the ice caps to melt. This means that water that was once stored as ice is now in liquid form. This leafs to more water in the oceans, which leads to sea levels to rise, affecting the water cycle’s stores
Changes to water cycle over space- The Global Circulation Model
This model can be used to explain why some places get rain, and other don’t. The amount of rain can affect the water cycle
Cloud Formation
Clouds are formed by warm moist air rising
The Global Circulation Model-Cells
The global circulation model consists for 4 different cells. They are: -Polar Cell -Ferrel Cell -Hadley Cell -ITCZ
The Global Circulation Model-Cells- Polar Cell
In this cell, warm air descends over poles. Cold air rises over poles. This causes no rain, but cold temperature
The Global Circulation Model-Cells - Ferrel Cell
In this cell, warm air rises towards poles. This air meets cold from the polar cell. This causes low pressure, which causes rain to fall, affecting the water cycle
The Global Circulation Model-Cells- Hadley Cell
In this cell, the cold air rises and travels to the poles. This air where there is desserts
The Global Circulation Model-Cells- ITCZ
Stands for Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. In this cell, the warm air rises, cools and condensed to form heavy rain. This is where rainforests are
Seasonal Changes to the water cycle- Soil Water Budget
The soil water budget is a way of explaining how much water there is in the soil
Soil Water Budget- Winter
-Water Surplus as precipitation is more than evapotranspiration -Ground stores fill with Water- Causes more surface runoff and a higher discharge-River levels rise
Soil Water Budget- Summer
-Evapotranspation exceeds precipitation- Water deficit -Water that flows into river channel is not replaced by rain
Flows that Influence precipitation - Interception and Stem flow
Precipitation becomes puddles, flow as overland flow or infiltrate the soil. Some water may be taken up by plants and then transpired
Flows that Influence precipitation - Groundwater Flow
Groundwater flow carries on feeding rivers well after the rain has stopped. This means that Rivers continue to flow after a long period
Flows that Influence precipitation-Infiltration
When the soil cannot be infiltrated by the water anymore, it becomes saturated. This leads to overland flow, which adds water to rivers
Flows that Influence precipitation -Soil Type
Sandy soil cannot retain a lot of water, this leads to saturation, which can lead to overland flow. Clay soil retains a lot of water, so the soil might not become saturated
Flows that Influence precipitation- Trees and Vegetation
Trees and vegetation can reduce the amount of precipitation that reaches the river. The water is intercepted, infiltrated or evapotranspirated instead of reaching the river
Water Shed-What?
The watershed is the boundary of the drainage basin. Any precipitation that falls beyond the watershed enters a different drainage basin
Type of system the drainage basin is?
It is a open system as it has inputs and outputs
The Drainage Basin-Inputs
-Precipitation
The Drainage Basin-Stores
-Interception-Temporary store as water could evaporate quickly -Vegetation Storage-Plants -Surface Storage-Puddles -Soil Storage -Groundwater Storage -Channel Storage-Rivers
The Drainage Basin-Transfers
-Infiltration -Overland Flow -Throughfall -Stemflow -Percolation -Groundwater Flow -Baseflow -Interflow -Channel Flow
Throughfall-What?
Water dripping from one leaf or plant part to another
Groundwater Flow-What?
The movement of water below the water table through permeable rock
Baseflow-What?
Groundwater flow that feeds into rivers through river banks and river beds
Interflow-What?
Water flowing downhill through permeable rock above the water table
The Drainage Basin-Outputs
-Evaporation -Transpiration -Evapotranspiration -River Flow
Transpiration-What?
Evaporation within leaves
Evapotranspiration-What?
The process of evaporation and transpiration happening together
The Water Balance-Equation
P=O+E=/-S
The Water Balance-What is P?
P is Precipitation
The Water Balance-What is O
O is total runoff (stream flow)
The Water Balance-What is E
E is Evapotranspiration
The Water Balance-What is S
S is Storage in soil and rock
What causes Variation in runoff?
There are many factors that cause variation in runoff rates: -Soil Water -Rock Type -Vegetation Cover -Rate of Rainfall
What causes Variation in runoff?-Soil Water
If the soil is very saturated, the water will run off. If the soil is not saturated, the water will infiltrate the soil
What causes Variation in runoff?-Rock Type
If the rock is impermeable, run off rates are high as the water cannot enter the rocks
What causes Variation in runoff?-Vegetation Cover
A highly vegetated area will intercept and use the water, so runoff is limited. If the area is not vegetation, runoff rate will increase
What causes Variation in runoff?-Rate of Rainfall
If the rain is intense, it is more likely to pass quickly into rivers, increasing runoff. Drizzle will be held in trees, and the majority of it would be evaporated
The Flood Hydrograph-What?
A graph that shows the discharge of the river following a particular storm event
The Flood Hydrograph-Peak Discharge
The highest point of the graph, where river discharge is at its greatest
The Flood Hydrograph-Lag Time
The delay between peak rainfall and peak discharge
The Flood Hydrograph-Lag Time-Why?
It takes time for rainwater to flow in to the river
The Flood Hydrograph-Lag Time-Short
This can increase peak discharge because more water reaches the river during a shorter period of time
The Flood Hydrograph-Rising Limb
The part of the graph up to the peak discharge. Discharge increases as rainwater flows into the river
The Flood Hydrograph-Falling Limb
The part of the graph after the peak discharge. Discharge decreases as less rainwater is flowing into the river
The Flood Hydrograph-Shallow Falling Limb
This shows water is flowing in from stores long after it’s stopped raining
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph
A hydrograph with a short lag time and high peak
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Basin Size
Small basins often lead to rapid water transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Drainage Density
High density speeds up water transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Rock Type
Impermeable rocks encourage rapid overland flow
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Land Use
Urbanization encourages rapid water transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Relief
Steep slopes lead to rapid water transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Soil Water
Saturated soil results in rapid overland flow
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-Rainfall Intensity
Heavy rain may exceed the infiltration capacity of vegetation, and lead to rapid overland flow
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph
A hydrograph with a long lag time and low peak
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics- Basin Size
Large basins results in relatively slow water transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-Drainage Density
Low density leads to a slower transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-Rock Type
Permeable rocks encourage a slow transfer by groundwater flow
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-Land Use
Forests slow down water transfer because of interception
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-Relief
Gentle slopes slow down water transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-Soil Water
Dry soil soaks up water and slows down its transfer
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-Rainfall Intensity
Light rain will transfer slowly
The Flood Hydrograph-“Flashy” Hydrograph Characteristics-River Flooding
Flooding is likely
The Flood Hydrograph-Low Hydrograph Characteristics-River Flooding
Less likely to flood
Natural Variations Affecting Change in the Water Cycle
There are three main reasons for natural variations in the water cycle: -Droughts -Seasonal Changes -El Niño/La Niña
Drought-What?
Droughts are a period of below average rainfall
Drought effects on the water cycle-Stores
Droughts cause reduction in water stores in rivers and lakes
Drought effects on the water cycle-Vegetation
Vegetation dies back or it is destroyed by fire-it. This affects transpiration, Interception and Infiltration
Drought effects on the water cycle-Groundwater Flow
Groundwater flow becomes more important as it is a long term transfer and is not affected by short term weather extremes
Drought effects on the water cycle-Evapotranspiration
Heat and dry air causes high rates of evapotranspiration. This rate declines as water on the ground dries up, and trees transpire less
Drought effects on the water cycle-Soil Water
As soils dry out, the soil water store is reduced and through flow ceases