Water & Carbon: EGC All Class Quizlet Flashcards
Evaporation
The vapourisation of a liquid into a gas
Condensation
The change from a gas to a liquid
Precipitation
The process of water falling from the sky
Groundwater flow
The flow of water below the water table through permeable rock.
Groundwater storage
The storage of water underground, held within the rocks below the earth
Vegetation storage
Water taken up by plants and contained in plants
Surface storage
Includes water in puddles, ponds, and lakes
Throughfall
Water dripping from one leaf to another
Baseflow
The groundwater flow that feeds into rivers through river banks and river beds
Interflow
Water flowing downhill through permeable rock above the water table
Through flow
Water flowing horizontally through the soil above the water table
Surface run off (overland flow)
Water flowing across the surface from rainwater, snowmelt
Infiltration
The process of water entering the soil, in the unsaturated zone with airspace
Percolation
Water moving downwards through bedrock and soil below the water table
Interception
Water being blocked from reaching the ground by trees and plants
Stemflow
Water running down a plant stem or tree trunk
Transpiration
The movement of moisture through plants, water evaporates from within leaves
Water table
The level where water has saturated the ground; The upper level of saturated rock
Channel storage
The storage of water in the river channel. As water is being transported to the sea it is a store of water
Channel flow
The movement of water in the river channel moving towards the sea.
River discharge
The output of water from a river channel out to sea.
Energy
Energy drives change/movement between components. For example, within the Water Cycle, energy from the sun transfers water into water vapor through evaporation.
Offset
Counteract (something) by having an opposing force or effect. Carbon offsetting is where companies invest in green solutions to make up for/offset their Carbon footprint.
Process
A series of natural or human actions that take place within a system.
Model
Idealised representation of reality
System
A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements or parts that function together as a whole.
Open system
A system with inputs and outputs of both energy and matter
Closed system
A system with only inputs and outputs of energy
Dynamic equilibrium
A state of balance where inputs equal outputs in a system that is constantly changing.
Inputs
Additions to a system. These include energy from the sun and precipitation.
Outputs
Removal of energy or matter from a system. These include evaporation and river discharge.
Stores
An accumulation of matter - eg a lake
Transfers or flows
Movement of matter (eg water and carbon) between stores
Positive feedback
When a change in the system causes other changes that have a similar effect so that the initial change is amplified and the system moved further away from dynamic equilibrium
Negative feedback
When a change in the system causes other changes that have the opposite effect. This nullifies the initial change and restores balance in a system back to dynamic equilibrium
Atmosphere
The air that surrounds the Earth
Hydrosphere
All the water on or surrounding the Earth, including oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and the water in the atmosphere
Lithosphere
The outermost solid layer of the Earth, approximately 100km thick, comprising the crust and upper mantle
Biosphere
All living things on Earth
Cryosphere
The frozen parts of the Earth’s surface including ice caps, frozen oceans, glaciers, and snow cover
Aquifer
A vast underground reservoir most commonly formed in rocks such as chalk and sandstone
Impermeable surface
Does not allow water to pass through
Permeable surface
Allows water to pass through
Urbanisation
The increasing proportion of people living in towns and cities as opposed to the countryside, leading to the replacement of vegetated ground with impermeable concrete and tarmac
Deforestation
The removal of trees, leading to surface runoff and soil erosion and reducing soil water stores
Drainage basin
The area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries
Source
The point where the river begins. The river is both narrow and shallow here, discharge is low.
Mouth
The point where the river meets the sea. The river is wide and deep here, and discharge is high.
Tributary
Smaller rivers that feed into the main channel
Watershed
The edge of a drainage basin
Confluence
The point where two rivers meet
Flood hydrograph
A graph showing the discharge of a river following a particular storm event
Lag time
Time between peak rainfall and peak discharge
Soil moisture budget
Describes the changes in the soil water store during the course of a year. It is determined by precipitation and evapotranspiration.
Soil moisture utilisation
The extraction of soil moisture by plants for their needs
Soil moisture deficit
The point at which soil moisture falls below field capacity - caused by a lack of precipitation and large amounts of evapotranspiration
Soil moisture recharge
Following soil moisture deficit, precipitation is greater than potential evapotranspiration, moisture will be added to the soil.
Field capacity
The point at which soil becomes saturated.
Soil moisture surplus
The period when soil is saturated and water cannot enter, and so flows over the surface - caused by low levels of evapotranspiration and high levels of precipitation
Soil porosity
Pores or spaces in the soil. The greater pores or spaces, the greater the water holding ability.
The Water Balance
An equation used to express the amount of water in the main water stores (the spheres)
Hillslope system
The way in which water moves down a typical hillslope towards a river, involving stores and transfers
Irrigation
The supply of water to the land by means of channels, streams, and sprinklers in order to permit the growth of crops
Water abstraction
The extraction of water from rivers or groundwater aquifers
Salt water intrusion
The movement of saltwater into an aquifer, which may cause contamination. Often caused by over abstraction of groundwater from an aquifer.
Relief/Orographic rainfall
Rainfall formed due to warm moist air being forced to rise by the relief of the land. Once risen, the air cools and condenses forming rain.
Frontal rainfall
Rainfall formed when warm air meets cold air. Warm air is less dense and therefore rises above the cold air, cooling, condensing, and forming rain.
Convectional rainfall
Rainfall formed when heat from the sun heats the ground. The warm ground heats the air above causing it to rise, cool, condense, and form rain.
Ablation
Outputs from a glacial system due to melting (size of glacier decreases)
Accumulation
Inputs to a glacial system due to snowfall (builds a glacier)
Carbon budget
A way of using data to describe the amount of carbon that is stored and transferred within the carbon cycle
Mitigation
Any method used to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases
Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
The technological ‘capturing’ of carbon emitted from power stations. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is compressed into a liquid and is then pumped and stored several kilometres into the ground.
Renewable energy
Energy generated from sources that can be renewed and used multiple times, eg hydroelectric power.
Carbon farming
Where one type of crop is replaced by another that has greater productivity and can absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Lithosere
A vegetation succession that originates on a bare rocky surface. Bare rock will be colonised by lichens, followed by mosses and grass. Eventually, soil builds up allowing shrubs and trees to grow until climatic climax is reached.
Seral stage
A stage within a sere
Sere
A complete vegetation succession
Vegetation succession
The sequence of changes that take place as plant life colonises bare rock, sand, water or salty areas
Climatic climax
The final stage of seral succession. Vegetation remains relatively unchanged unless destroyed by an event such as fire or human interference.
Humus
The organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant material by soil microorganisms.
Milankovitch cycles
Changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit and tilt that cause glacial periods and interglacial periods. This is a long-term natural cause of climate change on Earth, causing changes to the carbon cycle as cooler oceans absorb more carbon and colder temperatures slow vegetation growth and decomposition.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
Rising global temperatures due to greenhouse gases being put into the atmosphere because of human activities
Hydrocarbons
Compounds of carbon and hydrogen which are the basis of fossil fuels such as oil and gas
Photosynthesis
The process whereby plants use the light energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates in the form of glucose. This removes carbon from the atmosphere and allows vegetation to grow.
Respiration
A chemical process that happens in all cells, which converts glucose into energy. Carbon is released back to the atmosphere but less than is absorbed for photosynthesis meaning that vegetation is naturally a carbon sink.
Decomposition
The process where carbon from the bodies of dead organisms is returned to the air as carbon dioxide. Eg microorganisms decompose leaf litter and the carbon is returned to the atmosphere
Combustion
The process where carbon is burned in the presence of oxygen and converted to energy, carbon dioxide and water eg wildfires or burning fossil fuels
Sequestration
An umbrella term used to describe the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, rock formations and oceans
Diffusion
The movement of carbon between the ocean and the atmosphere. Cold water can hold more carbon so during glacials there is more diffusion into the ocean.
Weathering
The breakdown or decay of rocks in their original place at, or close to, the surface (In situ).
Burial and compaction
Where organic matter becomes buried and is then compressed by the overlying sediment
Carbon sink
Anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases eg the ocean
Carbon source
Anything that releases more carbon than it absorbs
Emergent
The tallest layer of the rainforest. Can reach over 40m high.
Upper Canopy
The Second tallest layer of the rainforest, reaches around 30-40m high. This is the densest layer of the rainforest and contains the most species. 75% of rainfall is intercepted in this canopy layer
Under Canopy
The second layer of the rainforest, reaches around 20m high.
Shrub layer/forest floor
The smallest layer of the rainforest, around 10m high.
Cattle Ranching
The practise of raising a herd of cattle on an area of land. Deforestation often occurs to provide the field space. Cattle ranching is responsible for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest.
Logging
Cutting down trees for sale as timber or pulp.
The timber is used to build homes, furniture, etc. and the pulp is used to make paper and paper products. Logging can be either selective or clear cutting.
Clear Cutting
Loggers are interested in all types of wood and therefore cut all the trees down, thus clearing the forest. This is not sustainable.
Selective Logging
The practise of cutting down selected trees whilst leaving the rest unharmed. Often, more expensive hardwoods such as mahogany are felled, leaving fast growing softwoods to continue growing. This is a more sustainable method of deforestation.
Vegetation Breezing
When land is cleared the air warms faster, rises and creates an area of low pressure. Rainclouds form above the cleared area and rainfall occurs at expense of the forested area. This rainfall can lead to desertification of the cleared area, preventing any future regrowth.
National Parks & Reserves
A park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments/An area of forest set aside and preserved by the government. This area is protected from deforestation.
Afforestation
The processes of replanting an area with trees. Also called reforestation.
National & International Agreements
Agreements made between countries to reduce the amount of deforestation taking place. This can involve higher income countries offering debt relief if the lower income countries reduce their rates of deforestation.
Soy Moratorium
An agreement whereby traders cannot purchase soy from land that has been deforested since 2006.
Indigenous land
Land where Indigenous people have the right to use the area for sustainable forest management and the exploitation of timber and non-timber forest resources. In practice, they have generally chosen to keep almost all of their lands as forest.
Relief
The shape of the land and the height above sea level.
Geology
The underlying rocks of the river/Drainage basin
Land Use
The different uses of the land, for example farmland, grassland, pasture, moorland, urban area. Land use can alter river discharge.
Cross-profile
Shows a cross-section of a river’s channel and valley at a certain point along the river’s course. Nearer the source the Cross profile will show a v shaped river channel, as erosion increases towards the mouth the cross profile becomes wider
Topography
Describes the physical features of an area of land. These features typically include natural formations such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and valleys. Manmade features such as roads, dams, and cities may also be included.
Peat Bog
Wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for agriculture but can be cut and dried and used for fuel. The presence of peat bogs reduces flooding as water from precipitation is stored in the bogs and released slowly in the river channel, increasing lag time.
Drainage Ditch
A narrow channel that is dug into peatland to encourage water to flow into rivers. They were built in peatland areas due to a rise in demand for agriculture. Draining peatland removes excess soil moisture and the land can then be used for agriculture.
Exmoor Mires
The project which sought to block the drainage ditches around the River Exe to allow the peat to become saturated again and reduce flooding.
