Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

AS Geography - Abbi > Water & Carbon Cycle > Flashcards

Water & Carbon Cycle Flashcards

1
Q

Flows/ Transfers

A

Elements moving around the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Closed System

A

When there are no inputs & outputs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

System

A

Explains relationships within a unit.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Boundary

A

Edge of the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Inputs

A

Elements entering the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Outputs

A

Elements leaving the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Stores

A

Elements being stored in the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Flows/ Transfers

A

Elements moving around the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Dynamic Equilibrium

A

A balance between inputs and outputs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Open System

A

When there are both inputs & outputs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Positive Feedback

A

When the effect of an action is amplified by other knock-on effects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Negative Feedback

A

When the effect of an action are nullified by it’s knock-on effects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Drainage Basin

A

the land drained by a river and its tributaries

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Front

A

Where warm & cold air meet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Condensation

A

Gas to Liquid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Evaporation

A

Liquid to gas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Accumulation

A

Liquid to solid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Ablation

A

Solid to liquid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Sublimation

A

solid to gas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Deposition

A

gas to solid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Effect the rate of evaporation

A
  • Amount of water
  • Humidity of air
  • Amount of sun
  • Temperature of air
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Precipitation

A

Rain from clouds after the water has condensed.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Infiltration

A

The rain being absorbed by permeable ground

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Percolation

A

Movement of water through underground rocks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Water Table

A

The top of the groundwater

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Groundwater

A

water stored in underground layers of soil and rock

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Groundwater flow/baseflow

A

Water that is flowing underground

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Through flow

A

movement of water through soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Surface Storage

A

water held on the ground surface e.g. puddles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Stem Flow

A

Water transfer running down plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Through fall

A

Water dripping from one leaf to another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Interception

A

Water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees or grass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Vegetation storage

A

water stored in vegetation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Transpiration

A

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Surface runoff (overland flow)

A

Water flowing on top of the ground

36
Q

Peak discharge

A

the time when the river reaches its highest flow

37
Q

Peak rainfall

A

The greatest amount of rainfall that falls in a storm

38
Q

Rising Limb

A

The increase in river discharge as rainwater flows into the river

39
Q

Falling limb

A

The decrease in river discharge as the river returns to its normal level

40
Q

Lag time

A

Time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

41
Q

Approach segment

A

Discharge before a rainstorm

42
Q

Bankfull discharge

A

the amount of discharge at which the stream channel is full

43
Q

Baseflow

A

Groundwater flow that feeds into rivers through river banks and river beds

44
Q

Stormflow

A

The increase in stream velocity caused by a period of intense rainfall

45
Q

Water Scarcity

A

not having access to enough clean water supplies

46
Q

Water Stress

A

the condition that occurs when people don’t have enough clean fresh water to meet their everyday needs

47
Q

physical scarcity

A

when there is not enough water to meet all demands

48
Q

Economic Scarcity

A

water is present but lack of resources to meet water demands

49
Q

Precipitation=

A

River flow/runoff (O) + Evapotranspiration (E) +/- Storage (S)

50
Q

Inputs in the water cycle

A

precipitation

51
Q

Outputs in the water cycle

A

Discharge, Transpiration, Evaporation

52
Q

Stores in the water cycle

A

Vegetation, Surface storage, Channel, Soil Water, Groundwater

53
Q

Processes in the water cycle

A

Interception, Stem flow, Through fall, Infiltration, Runoff, Through flow, Percolation, Groundwater flow

54
Q

Subsystems of the Earth

A
  • Atmosphere
  • Lithosphere
  • Hydrosphere = surface water
  • Biosphere= plants & animals
  • Cryosphere = ice
55
Q

Percentage of freshwater on earth

56
Q

Isolated System

A

no interactions beyond the boundaries

57
Q

Freshwater stores

A
  • Ice caps (69.5%)
  • Groundwater (30%)
  • Lakes(0.25%)
  • Soil Moisture (0.05%)
  • Atmosphere (0.04%
  • Swamps, mashes, wetlands (0.03%)
  • Rivers (0.006%)
58
Q

Atmosphere

A

Layer or set of layers of gases surrounding a planet, held in place by gravity.

59
Q

Lithosphere

A

Contains all of the cold, hard, solid land of the crust, the semi-solid land underneath the crust and the liquid land near the centre of the Earth.

60
Q

Hydrosphere

A

Contains all the solid, liquid and gaseous water of the Earth.

61
Q

Biosphere

A

Contains all the planets living things

62
Q

Cryosphere

A

Frozen water in the Earth’s system. There is an overlap between cryosphere and hydrosphere

63
Q

ITCZ

A

Intertropical convergence zone

64
Q

Hadley Cell

A

Large scale atmospheric convection cell at the equator

65
Q

High Pressure weather

A

Predictable, clear sky

66
Q

Low Pressure weather

A

Unpredictable, cloudy, rainy

67
Q

Describe weather process at the equator & the tropics

A
  • The equator has hot, low pressure weather
  • As the water evaporates, it rises
  • This water cools once it reaches the troposphere and condenses. It precipitates over the equator
  • Once it has reached the troposphere it can no longer rise, so it spreads North and South towards the Tropics
  • The air becomes colder and denser, and falls, creating high pressure and dry conditions around the tropics.
68
Q

Describe pressure at the Ferrel Cell

A
  • The warm air that moves North from the tropics picks up moisture
  • Cold air from the poles meets the warm air
  • Warm and cold air don’t mix
  • The air masses meet at the polar front
  • The cold forces the warm air to rise, creating low pressure
  • The warm air cools as it rises, and condenses into clouds at Dew Point
  • This takes place at 60 degrees North
  • At the top of the troposphere air moves south and north towards the poles
  • As it moves it cools, and becomes more dense
  • It sinks over the poles, creating high pressure and no precipitation
  • This cool,dry air then moves south towards 60 degreees North
69
Q

Percentages of carbon in each sphere.

A 
Lithosphere: 99.985%
Hydrosphere: 0.0076%
Pedosphere: 0.0031%
Cryosphere: 0.00018%
Atmosphere: 0.0015%
Biosphere: 0.0012%
70
Q

Global distribution of stores.

A

Cryosphere: Near the poles. Small areas around mountain ranges
Atmosphere: Highest in areas where it is autumn/winter when trees lose leaves. Java, Indonesia burning forests.
Hydrosphere: high in Atlantic areas because of warm currents.
Lithosphere: former USSR countries
Biosphere: forested areas, mainly rainforests around the equator
Pedosphere: areas in the high north with evergreen trees (boreal forests). Slower decomposition.

71
Q

Factors driving change in the biosphere.

A

Respiration releasing CO2, but still only half of whats taken in by photosynthesis.
Decomposition of leaf litter releases carbon
Combustion from forest fires releasing a lot of carbon into atmosphere.

72
Q

Factors driving change in the Cryosphere.

A

Reduced rate of decomposition so CO2 is stored. Believed to be 2.5 times the amount of carbon than in the atmosphere

73
Q

Factors driving change in the Hydrosphere.

A

Ocean acidification happens due to large amounts of carbon reacting with the water to form carbonic acid.
Respiration of phytoplankton releases carbon from the hydrosphere.
Calcification of shells and coral
Compaction of plants and coral under sediment

74
Q

Factors driving change in the Lithosphere.

A

Erosion and weathering
Volcanic activity
Tectonic uplift reveals sedimentary rock

75
Q

How has the magnitude of stores changed over time?

A

Fast and slow carbon cycle.
Fast: diffusion, photosynthesis etc. Slow: compaction, weathering
Sinks & sources varying
Carbon sequestration
2 million years ago it was 180 ppm today its 400 ppm

76
Q

How has the magnitude of stores varied over space?

A

Operates at 3 levels - plant, sere, continental/global
Boreal forest is a sere. High carbon content because of slow decomposition
Permafrost is continental. Where it’s melting in the Siberian Tundra, CO2 is being released

77
Q

What are the natural variations causing change in the carbon cycle?

A

Cold temperatures
Hot temperatures
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires

78
Q

How do humans impact the carbon cycle over time?

A

Agriculture
Hydrocarbons
Urbanisation
Deforestation

79
Q

How does deforestation impact the carbon cycle?

A

Absorption reduced. 13 million ha cut down every year. 20-30% of all CO2 emissions. From sink to source.

80
Q

How does urbanisation impact the carbon cycle?

A

Important stores replaced. Urban pop to reach 60% by 2030. Big impact on small cycles. 97% of CO2. Cement: 2.5-5% of emissions

81
Q

How do hydrocarbons impact the carbon cycle?

A

Increase since Industrial Revolution. China, USA and INdia biggest consumers. Caused 78% of increase. responsible for 87% of emissions.

82
Q

How does agriculture impact the carbon cycle?

A

Movement to meat diets; animal emission up 11%. Cattle in the US responsible for 20% of their methane. Rice demand increase, methane up 40%.

83
Q

How do wildfires impact the carbon cycle?

A

Noticeable spike in emissions. Sink to source.

84
Q

How does volcanic activity impact the carbon cycle?

A

130-180 million tonnes of carbon into atmosphere every year.

85
Q

How do hot temperatures impact the carbon cycle?

A

More CO2 every 100,000 years. Melting of permafrost, releases CO2 and Methane

86
Q

How do cold temperatures impact the carbon cycle?

A

Low CO2 every 100,000 years. less transfer into pedosphere, less flow into hydrosphere. Less decomposition and forest cover. More weathering

AS Geography - Abbi (16 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions