water cycle

Question 1

precipitation

Answer 1

all forms of moisture that reach the Earth’s surface

Question 2

Groundwater flow

Answer 2

the deeper movement of water through underlying permeable rock below the water table

Question 3

surface runoff/overland flow

Answer 3

the movement of water over the surface of the land, usually when the ground is saturated or frozen when precipitation is too intense for infiltration to occur

Question 4

percolation

Answer 4

the gravity flow of water within the soil

Question 5

evaporation

Answer 5

the transformation of water droplets into water vapour by heating

Question 6

evapotraspiration

Answer 6

the combine effects of transpiration and evaporation-loss of water from ground surfaces and vegetation into the atmosphere

Question 7

condensation

Answer 7

water vapour in the air is changed to liquid water

Question 8

infiltration

Answer 8

the downward movement of water into the soil surface

Question 9

sublimation

Answer 9

the process of snow and ice changing into water vapour in the air without first melting into water

Question 10

advection

Answer 10

the movement of water through the atmosphere

Question 11

global water budget

Answer 11

the annual balance of fluxes and the size of water store. the constant circulation of water within the cycle means that water is considered a renewable resource

Question 12

stores

Answer 12

reservoirs where water is held

Question 13

fluxes

Answer 13

the rate of flow between stores

Question 14

processes

Answer 14

the physical mechanisms that drive the fluxes between the stores

Question 15

inputs

Answer 15

precipitation

Question 16

stores

Answer 16

interception, vegetation, surface, soil moisture, groundwater, channel

Question 17

flows and processes

Answer 17

infiltration, through flow, percolation, stem flow, base flow, channel flow, surface runoff

Question 18

outputs

Answer 18

evaporation, transpiration, evapotranspiration, river discharge

Question 19

interception

Answer 19

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

Question 20

vegetation

Answer 20

any moisture taken up by vegetation and held within plants

Question 21

surface

Answer 21

any surface water in lakes, ponds, puddles

Question 22

soil moisture

Answer 22

water held within the soil

Question 23

groundwater storage

Answer 23

water held within permeable rocks

Question 24

channel storage

Answer 24

water held in rivers and streams

Question 25

infiltration

Answer 25

water entering the topsoil.

Question 26

throughflow

Answer 26

water seeping laterally through soil below the surface, but above the water table

Question 27

percolation

Answer 27

the downward seepage of water through rock under gravity, especially on permeable rock

Question 28

stem flow

Answer 28

water flowing down plant stems or drainpipes

Question 29

base flow

Answer 29

also known as groundwater flow. slow-moving water that seeps into a river channel

Question 30

surface runoff

Answer 30

flow over the surface during an intense storm, or when the ground is frozen, saturated or on impermeable clay.

Question 31

evaporation

Answer 31

the conversion of water to vapour

Question 32

transpiration

Answer 32

water taken up by plants and transpired onto the leaf surface

Question 33

evapotranspiration

Answer 33

the combined effect of evaporation and transpiration

Question 34

river discharge

Answer 34

the volume of water passing a certain point in the channel over a certain amount of time.

Question 35

what are the three types of rainfall?

Answer 35

orographic, convectional, frontal

Question 36

orographic rainfall

Answer 36

the western side of the UK receives the highest rainfall totals, especially in autumn and winter. warmer moist Atlantic air from the south-west is forced to rise as it reaches the western uplands. as it rises, it cools over the high ground-producing heavy rain over western and northern parts of the UK

Question 37

Convectional rainfall

Answer 37

this is typical of the eastern and south-eastern UK in summer, during periods of high temperatures. The rainfall created is often intense and associated with electrical storms and thunder

Question 38

frontal rainfall

Answer 38

brings the most rainfall to the UK over the course of a year. fronts are formed as part of a low-pressure area when warmer moist air from the south-west meets colder Polar air from the north or north-west. the warmer air is forced to rise over the denser colder air-forming rain along both warm and cold fronts

Question 39

weather fronts

Answer 39

transition zone between two contrasting bodies of air. the front is where they meet that have different temperatures and humidity where the reaction as the masses meet brings a dramatic change in weather conditions. the larger the difference, the more intense the weather is.

Question 40

china- hard engineering schemes

Answer 40

water transfer scheme that diverts 44.8 billion litres of water from Yangtze in the South to Yellow Basin in the North.
benefits: saved china from water conflict and provides fair water distribution.
consequences: displaced 345,000 villagers, exacerbates water pollution.

Question 41

megadams (HE)

Answer 41

there are 57,000 global mega dams
kariba Dam on Zambezi was a huge economic development plan in 1950.
however: 57,000 people were displaced by dam and they are still in poverty and famine.

Question 42

desalination (HE)

Answer 42

sustainable process to conserve supplies for future generations. draws from ocean supplies. TNCs are building desalination plants around the world (Veolia, Salina Impregilo) with growing desalination locations e.g. USA, UAE, Spain, Kuwait.

Question 43

Sustainable water management: water conservation

Answer 43

NGOs (Farm Africa, WaterAid) are used to develop a range of strategies to combat climate change through water conservation. for example, farmers are trained in minimising tilling which absorbs rainwater and limits evaporation to conserve water.