Water Cycle

Question 1

what are the water stores, what are the percentage of water they hold and how much of it is fresh water?

Answer 1

oceans- 96.9%, of which 0% is fresh water
ice caps and glaciers- 1.6% of which 68% is fresh water
ground water- stores 30% of our fresh water of which consists of 1.1%

Question 2

describe the differences between flows, stores, inputs an outputs.

Answer 2

flows- the process that transfer water from a store to another.
stores- areas that hold water.
inputs- leads to water entering the basin.
outputs - focuses on releasing the water from the basin.

Question 3

what is the hydrology of polar regions like?

Answer 3

• 85% of solar radiation is reflected
• permafrost creates impermeable surfaces
• lakes and rivers freeze
• rapid runoff in spring
• seasonal release of biogenic gases into atmosphere
  orographic and frontal precipitation

Question 4

what is the hydrology of a rainforest like?

Question 5

what are the three types of cells that control the globe’s climate?

Answer 5

Hadley Cell- air rises, sinking to meet cooler air, causing precipitation.
Polar cell- cold air sinks, cooling and considering precipitation over northern altitudes
Ferrel Cell- air circulation is determinate by the Hadley and polar cells

Question 6

what is a drainage basin?

Answer 6

drainage basin focuses on the land that is drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 7

name the three types of rainfall

Answer 7

• convectional
• frontal/ cyclonic
• relief/ orographic

Question 8

what is meant by convectional rainfall?

Answer 8

• convectional- at a daily occurrence, where the morning heat from the ground id transformed into moisture that evaporates and rises, as it rises it cools causing the moisture to condense and form rain

Question 9

what is meant by cyclonic/ frontal rainfall?

Answer 9

• focuses on the point where two big masses of air meet, one being hot air while the other is cold air, causing a depression.. warm it is forced to rise above the cold air, this causes the air to cool and condense, forming cyclonic precipitation. the UK suffers at least 100 depressions yearly

Question 10

what is meant by orographic/ relief rainfall?

Answer 10

Relief rainfall occurs when warm moist air meets land (hills), the land causes air to rise above the hill to continue travelling, as it rises, air condenses forming clouds and rainfall

Question 11

what factors can affect infiltration?

Answer 11

• soil composition
• previous precipitation
• type and amount of water
• relief of land

Question 12

what is meant by the water table?

Answer 12

water tabel is the upper level at which the pore and fractures in the ground become saturated. it is used by researchers to assess drought conditions, health of wetlands systems, success of forest restoration program etc.

Question 13

some of the physical factors influencing the drainage basin are…

Answer 13

• climate - control the amount of precipitation in the area.
• soil composition- rate of infiltration
• geology- percolation and groundwater flow.
• relief- steeper gradients of land will increase higher rates of runoff.
• vegetation- affects interception and overland flow.

Question 14

however human action may also affect the basin, this by…

Answer 14

• cloud seeding
• deforestation
• afforestation
• dam construction
• change in land use
• ground water abstraction
• irrigation
• urbanisation

Question 15

ground water abstraction case study:

Answer 15

China:

- groundwater irrigates 40% of farmland and provides 70% of drinking water.

Question 16

case study for irrigation:

Answer 16

Areal Sea:

- shank in 1960s due to farmers using the water to grow cotton.

Question 17

Dam construction case study:

Answer 17

Lake Nasser:

- Behind Aswan dam in Egypt, around 10-16 billion(3) water has been lost from the Nile

Question 18

what does the water budget demonstrates?

Answer 18

water budgets demonstrates the differences between over long period of time of inputs and outputs of an area.