Water & Carbon Cycles Flashcards
Atmosphere
The mixture of gases that surround the Earth whose main constituents are nitrogen and
oxygen
Biosphere
That portion of the Earth’s outer sphere where life forms are found.
Carbon Budget
The relative amounts of carbon that are transferred in a given time period between the
various stores of carbon
Carbon Cycle
The combination of processes by which carbon is transferred between the main carbon
stores.
Carbon Sequestration
The long-term storage of carbon. This process occurs naturally in oceans and sediments. It
can also refer to the human process of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and
storing it.
Cryosphere
The frozen water component of the Earth’s outer layers, including ice caps, glaciers and snow
cover.
Drainage Basin
The area of land from which precipitation is drained by a river and its tributaries.
Evapotranspiration
The combined processes of evaporation and transpiration transferring water from the Earth’s
surface to the atmosphere.
Groundwater
The store of water beneath the Earth’s surface in soil and rock in pore and fissure space.
Hydrosphere
That portion of the Earth’s surface layers contain water, including ice, groundwater, lakes and
rivers, oceans and water vapour and droplets in the atmosphere.
Lithosphere
The crust and upper mantle comprising the outermost solid layer of the Earth.
Runoff
Water transferred from river basins to oceans, principally via river channels.
Sere
A stage in the succession of plant and animal communities in an ecosystem. Seres are named
after the character of their starting locations; lithosere (starting on bare rock), hydrosere
(starting in fresh water), psammosere (starting in sand) and halosere (starting in saline
conditions).
Stemflow
Precipitation that is intercepted by vegetation and reaches the ground by flowing down stems,
stalks and trunks.
Variation
How far and how frequently a phenomenon differs from the norm or the average
