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Physical geography > Water cycle > Flashcards

Water cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the hydrosphere?

A
  • water found on or close to the Earth’s surface, including all liquid and frozen surface water, groundwater and atmospheric water vapour
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1
Q

What is the lithosphere?

A
  • the solid outer section of the Earth including the Earth’s crust and the mantle
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2
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A
  • the layer of gases surrounding the planet - water is held as gas, clouds and precipitation
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3
Q

What is the cryosphere?

A
  • includes all frozen water in the Earth’s system
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4
Q

What is groundwater?

A

water that collects underground in the pore spaces of rocks. Groundwater fills the spaces between soil particles and fractured rock underground

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5
Q

Why is atmospheric water important?

A

it absorbs, reflects and scatters incoming solar radiation which keeps the atmosphere at a controlled temperature

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6
Q

Why is the air over the tropics humid?

A

cold air cannot hold as much water vapour as warm air

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7
Q

How much of earths water is stored in the oceans?

A

97%

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8
Q

How much would sea levels rise if the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets melted?

A

if the greenland ice sheet melted, sea level would rise by 6m, if the antarctic ice sheet melted, sea level would rise by 60m

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9
Q

What are ice sheets?

A

ice sheets are masses of glacial land ice extending more than 50,000km^2

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10
Q

How do ice sheets form?

A

they form in areas where snow falls in winter and does not entirely melt in the summer. Over thousands of years, the snow builds up into thick masses of ice which grow thicker and denser as the weight of the new snow and ice compresses the older layers

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11
Q

Define Permafrost

A

ground that remains at or below 0 degrees for at least 2 consecutive years

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12
Q

Why are scientists worried about the current melting of the world’s permafrost?

A

it releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane as it melts which will affect global climates

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13
Q

What are the transfers of water in the water cycle?

A
  • sublimation - frozen water turns directly into water vapour
  • infiltration/seepage - water seeps into the ground in vast amounts
  • evaporation
  • condensation
  • evapotranspiration
  • runoff
  • plant uptake
  • groundwater flow
  • volcanic steam
  • snowmelt
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14
Q

What are the stores of water in the water cycle?

A
  • ice clouds - high up air is way below freezing so some clouds are made from ice particles
  • fog and dew - very tiny liquid water particles which is condensed water vapour
  • lakes
  • groundwater storage
  • clouds
  • oceans
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15
Q

What is the global water cycle?

A

Global recycling, storage and transfer of water between land, oceans and the atmosphere

  • water is not evenly distributed
  • ownership of water is a controversial, political issue
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16
Q

Which conditions lead to high evaporation?

A
  • warm temperature
  • windy
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17
Q

How much freshwater is accessible?

A
  • only 3% freshwater is accessible
  • 1/3 water stored in ice caps so is inaccessible for long periods of time
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18
Q

Why is groundwater a more important freshwater source than glaciers/ice caps?

A
  • groundwater is more accessible eg. through aquifers
  • easier to store - little evaporation
  • it can take thousands of years for glaciers to melt
19
Q

Why does the atmosphere store so little water?

A

because the water cycle is such a dynamic system. Stored water will eventually become a flow due to high evaporation rates

20
Q

What percentage of water on earth is freshwater?

A

3%

21
Q

What are aquifers?

A
  • freshwater is stored in rocks deep below the ground forming vast underground reservoirs called aquifers
  • they form in rocks such as chalk and sandstone which are porous and permeable
  • water enters either where rocks are directly exposed, or where water very slowly drains through the overlying soil
  • many aquifers are being unsustainably exploited as more water is extracted
22
Q

What is interception?

A

Water intercepted and stored on leaves of plants

23
Q

What are the global changes in the water cycle?

A

glaciers, atmospheric circulation, climate change

24
Q

What are the local changes in the water cycle?

A

localised melting of glaciers, hillslope drainage, convectional thunderstorms

25
Q

How will long-term natural changes in climate change the magnitude of water stores over time?

A
  • a long-term decrease in temperatures will decrease water stored in the hydrosphere and increase water stored in the cryosphere - less water will reach the oceans so sea levels will drop
  • a long-term increase in temperatures will increase magnitude of water stored in the hydrosphere, as cryospheric stores will melt leading to a rise in sea levels
26
Q

What are the causes of cloud cover and precipitation?

A
  • as air cools it is less able to hold water vapour
  • once it reaches a certain temperature, the air becomes saturated (dew point)
  • excess water is then converted to liquid water - condensation
  • water molecules need something to condense on - surfaces eg. grass, windows which are below dew point OR condensation nuclei eg. smoke/dust
27
Q

When does precipitation occur?

A
  • warm moist air passes over a cold surface
  • air rises and volume increases, air cools and condenses (convectional rainfall) eg. air forced to rise over hills (relief effect) OR masses of air of different temperatures and densities meet - less dense warm air rises over denser colder air (frontal effect)
28
Q

What are the cryospheric processes?

A

accumulation - build up of ice or ice mass
ablation - loss of ice mass by melting, evaporation and calving

29
Q

What are the causes of changes in water stores over time?

A
  • seasonal changes - annual freezing and melting of sea ice
  • shrinking glaciers due to climate change
  • natural changes in global temperature eg. ice ages - glacials and interglacials
30
Q

What is condensation?

A

the process by which water vapour changes to liquid water

31
Q

What is dew point?

A

temperature at which air becomes saturated and water begins to condense, to form clouds or dew

32
Q

What is evapotranspiration?

A

the total output of water from the drainage basin back into the atmosphere (evaporation + transpiration)

33
Q

What is evaporation?

A

the process by which liquid water changes to a gas. This requires energy which is provided by the sun and aided by wind. As water evaporates it uses energy in the form of latent heat, resulting in the cooling of the surrounding area

34
Q

What factors affect the rate of evaporation?

A
  • amount of solar radiation
  • availability of water
  • humidity of air
  • air temperature - warmer air can hold more vapour than colder air
35
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

a region of land where water from precipitation drains downhill into a body of water eg. lake, river, estuary

36
Q

What do drainage basins do?

A

the drainage basin acts like a funnel - collecting all the water within the area covered by the basin and channeling it into a waterway. Each basin is separated by hills, ridges or mountains (known as watersheds)

37
Q

What are conditions leading to low infiltration?

A
  • less porous soil eg. clay soil
  • heavy rainfall over a short period of time
  • impermeable surfaces eg. tarmac
  • vegetation cover - interception
  • urbanisation
38
Q

What are conditions leading to high infiltration?

A
  • porous soil eg. sandy soil
  • low saturation
  • no vegetation cover
  • permeable surface eg. soil
39
Q

Why do trees promote infiltration?

A
  • roots break up the soil which increases pore spaces
  • organic matter like leaf litter will improve soil aggregation leading to infiltration
40
Q

What are the different stages in the water cycle?

A
  • soil moisture - precipitation greater than PET (potential evapotranspiration)
  • moisture utilisation - water store used up by plants or lost by evaporation
  • moisture deficiency - store is used up and PET is greater than precipitation
  • moisture recharge - precipitation is greater than PET so soil water starts to fill again
41
Q

What is infiltration capacity?

A

max rate at which water can enter the soil

42
Q

Why do soil water budgets vary from place to place?

A
  • type and depth of soil - permeability
  • vegetation
  • lithology and structure of underlying bedrock
43
Q

Why are hydrographs important?

A

it can help to predict how a river might respond to a rainstorm which can help to manage the river

44
Q

Which variables affect flood hydrographs?

A
  • antecedent rainfall - rainfall on a ground surface that is already saturated will produce a steep rising limb and a shorter lag time
  • snowmelt - large amounts of water released and frozen ground prevents infiltration
  • vegetation - in summer deciduous trees have more leaves - interception is higher and lag time is longer
  • drainage basin shape - water takes less time to reach a river in a circular drainage basin than elongated
  • slope - in steep-sided drainage basins water flows to rivers more quickly
  • geology - permeable rocks allow percolation which slows rate of transfer into the river
  • urban growth - impermeable roofs and roads designed to get rid of water quickly, SUDs - water gets to river very quickly so lag time is reduced and discharge increases
45
Q

Which factors lead to a short lag time?

A
  • small circular drainage basin
  • high drainage density (more tributaries so higher input)
  • impermeable rock/baked soil
  • urbanisation
  • saturated soil
  • steep slopes
  • high intensity rainfall
46
Q

Which factors lead to a long lag time?

A
  • large drainage basin
  • permeable rock
  • forests/vegetation
  • gentle slopes
  • dry soil
  • light rain

Physical geography (13 decks)

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