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Geography > Water Cycle > Flashcards

Water Cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

Water deficit

A

Exists when evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation & all the water held in storage has been used up. This is very rare in the UK.

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2
Q

Field capacity

A

The maximum amount of water that soil can hold i.e. the threshold between recharge & surplus on a water balance graph.

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3
Q

Soil moisture recharge

A

When precipitation exceeds evaporation after a very dry period & the stores start to be replenished.

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4
Q

Soil moisture utilisation

A

When soil moisture levels are going down (as precipitation < evapotranspiration) & stores are getting used up.

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5
Q

The water budget

A

A description of the balance between the water inputs and outputs within a drainage basin shown as an equation or on a graph.

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6
Q

Effective rainfall

A

The amount of precipitation that remains after evaporation

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7
Q

Potential Evapotranspiration

A

The evapotranspiration that would occur if a sufficient water supply is available.

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8
Q

The water budget

A

The balance between the water inputs & outputs of a drainage basin over a given time (normally a year) & how this balance impacts on soil water availability.

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9
Q

Vegetation storage

A

Any moisture taken up by vegetation and held within plants.

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10
Q

Surface runoff

A

Also known as overland flow, this is the flow of water on the surface that happens after an intense storm or when ground is frozen, saturated or impermeable.

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11
Q

Infiltration

A

Water sinking into the soil layer from the surface. This is most common during slow or steady rainfall.

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12
Q

Evaporation

A

When liquid water coverts to water vapour due to heating.

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13
Q

Throughflow

A

Also known as inter-flow, this is the lateral (sideways) movement of water through the soil layer above the water table.

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14
Q

Channel flow

A

The flow of water within a river channel. It’s also known as discharge or river runoff & is measured in cumecs.

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15
Q

Precipitation

A

Moisture in any form falling to the ground.

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16
Q

Base flow

A

This is also known as groundwater flow & is the slow-moving flow of water below the water table that seeps into a river channel.

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17
Q

Channel storage

A

Water held in rivers and streams

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18
Q

Transpiration

A

Where water is moved through plants from the roots to the leaves where it changes to vapour & is released to the atmosphere.

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19
Q

Surface storage

A

Any surface water stored in lakes, ponds & puddles.

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20
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

The combined effect of evaporation & transpiration.

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21
Q

River discharge

A

The volume of water passing a certain point in a river over a certain period of time.

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22
Q

Interception

A

Temporary storage, as water is captured by plants, buildings and hard surfaces before reaching the soil.

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23
Q

Percolation

A

The downward seepage of water through rock under gravity. This is especially active in permeable rocks e.g. sandstone & chalk.

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24
Q

Groundwater storage

A

Water held within permeable rocks (also known as aquifers).

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25
Q

Stem flow

A

Water flowing down plant stems

26
Q

Soil moisture

A

Water held within the soil layer

27
Q

Residence time

A

The amount of time water can remain within a store.

28
Q

Aquifer

A

A permeable or porous rock that stores water.

29
Q

Channel flow

A

The water flowing in a rivulet, stream or river contained within banks.

30
Q

Convectional rainfall

A

Occurs when intense insolation (solar radiation) reaches the ground and lower atmosphere and causes convection in humid air. As the warm moist air rises, it cools and water vapour condenses into clouds, forming precipitation - often in the form of thunderstorms.

31
Q

Drainage basin

A

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries (river system) and separated from neighbouring drainage basins by a ridge of high land called a watershed or divide.

32
Q

Drainage density

A

The total length of all the streams and rivers in a drainage basin divided by the total area of the drainage basin.

33
Q

Drought

A

(Definition varies internationally). According to the UN, drought is an extended period (a season, year, several months) of deficient rainfall relative to statistical average for a region measured over a long period of time.

34
Q

Economic water scarcity

A

Occurs when water resources are available but there is insufficient human, institutional and financial capital to access the water in order to meet demand.

35
Q

ENSO cycle

A

A naturally occurring phenomenon that involves the movement of a mass of very warm water in the equatorial pacific due to changes in the surface trade winds, atmospheric circulation and ocean currents. There are two phases, known as El Niño (warm water in the east) and La Niña (warm water to the extreme west).

36
Q

Fossil (non-renewable) water

A

Water that has been contained and undisturbed for an extremely long period of time (millennia), usually groundwater in an aquifer. There is little to no significant recharge, perhaps due to a change in climate due to tectonic movement such as in the Sahara, therefore it is a non-renewable resource.

37
Q

Frontal rainfall

A

Occurs frequently in mid-latitudes when a warm tropical air mass meets a cooler polar air mass. The warmer air is less dense and rises over the colder air, which causes the warm air to cool, leading to condensation of water vapour, clouds of different types and precipitation.

38
Q

Global hydrological cycle

A

The continuous transfer of water between land, atmosphere, oceans, seas on a planetary scale within a closed system, driven by solar radiation.

39
Q

Global water budget

A

The amount of water transferred and stored in the earth’s hydrological cycle each year, including fluxes (water flows) and the volume of the water stores (ocean, atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, groundwater and surface water).

40
Q

Hydrological drought

A

Occurs when there is insufficient soil moisture to meet the needs of vegetation at a particular time.

41
Q

Infiltration

A

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42
Q

Monsoon

A

A seasonal weather change in the direction of prevailing winds of a region, causing wet and dry seasons in many sub-tropic areas.

43
Q

Orographic rainfall

A

Rainfall or other type of precipitation occurring when an air mass is forced to rise over high land (mountains or large hills). As warm, moist air rises, it cools and causes condensation, cloud formation and precipitation, mostly on the windward-facing slopes and highest altitudes.

44
Q

Physical water scarcity

A

Occurs when there is a physical lack of available freshwater resources to meet demand due to over-abstraction by agriculture, industry, and domestic purposes.

45
Q

River regime

A

The pattern of river discharge over a year; usually there are seasonal variations.

46
Q

Saltwater encroachment

A

The movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers due to sea level rise, storm surges and/ or human abstraction of groundwater which lowers the water table.

47
Q

Saturated overland flow

A

Occurs when water accumulates in the soil until the water table reaches the surface, forcing further rainwater to runoff the surface. May also occur when the amount of precipitation exceeds the infiltration capacity of the soil.

48
Q

Smart irrigation

A

A water conservation scheme that provides crops with a sub-optimal water supply causing mild stress during the crop growth stages when the plants less sensitive to moisture deficiency, and therefore there’s no significant reduction in yield.

49
Q

Storm hydrograph

A

Shows change in a river’s discharge at a given point on a river over a short period of time (usually before, during and after a storm).

50
Q

Sustainable water management

A

Schemes that aim to balance economic, social and environmental needs by working with communities to develop soft-engineering schemes, which work with natural processes to restore or extend water security and often involving water conservation.

51
Q

Thermohaline circulation

A

Slow, large-scale seawater movement between all of the oceans, caused by differences in temperature and density.

52
Q

Transboundary water

A

Where a river, lake, or aquifer crosses one or more major political borders (such as a state or province border within a nation or an international border).

53
Q

Potential évapotranspiration (PE)

A

An estimate of the amount of water lost through evaporation and transpiration in any given period, depending on temperature and humidity.

54
Q

Water Scarcity

A

An imbalance between demand and supply, classified as: physical scarcity (insufficient water to meet demand), or economic (people can’t afford water even when it’s available).

55
Q

Water stress

A

If a country’s water consumption exceeds 10% of its renewable freshwater supply, including difficulties in obtaining new quantities of water (e.g. from aquifers, lakes and rivers), as well as poor water quality restricting usage.

56
Q

Water scarcity

A

Less than 1000m3 available per person per year

57
Q

Physical scarcity

A

Not enough water to meet demand

58
Q

Economic scarcity

A

Water is available but people can’t afford it

59
Q

Water stress

A

Less than 1700m3 available per person per year

60
Q

Water insecurity

A

Present and future supplies can’t be guaranteed

Geography (8 decks)

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