Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Geography > Water cycle and insecurity > Flashcards

Water cycle and insecurity Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Geography flashcards World Geography flashcards
1
Q

stores

A

reservoirs where water is held

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

fluxes

A

the rate of flow between stores

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

processes

A

the physical mechanisms that drive the fluxes of water between the stores

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

cryosphere

A

areas of the Earth where water is frozen into snow or ice

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

isolated systems

A

systems that don’t interact with anything outside the system boundary with no input or output of energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

closed systems

A

systems that have energy transfers into and beyond the systems boundary but with no transfer of matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

open systems

A

systems where energy and matter can be transferred into and beyond the system boundary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

dynamic equilibrium

A

state where the inputs and outputs of a system are the same, managed by feedback

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

positive feedback

A

the effects of a change are amplified and can have multiplied or knock-on effects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

negative feedback

A

the effects of a change are nullified by its knock-on effects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

blue water

A

water stored in rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater in liquid form (visible part of the hydrological cycle)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

green water

A

water stored in soil and vegetation (invisible part of the hydrological cycle)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

residence time

A

the average time a water molecule will spend in a reservoir or store

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

precipitation

A

the movement of water in any form from the atmosphere to the ground

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

evaporation

A

the transformation of water droplets into water vapour by heating

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

interception

A

the prevention of rain from reaching the Earth’s surface by trees and plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

condensation

A

the process by which water vapour is converted to water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

transpiration

A

the loss of water into the atmosphere from the leaves of plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

vegetation storage

A

the storage of water in the roots and stems of plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

stemflow

A

the movement of water through plants into the soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

surface storage

A

the total volume of water held on the Earth’s surface in takes, ponds and puddles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

infiltration

A

the downward movement of water into the soil surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

soil water storage

A

the storage of water in the soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

percolation

A

the gravity flow of water within the soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

groundwater storage

A

the storage of water underground in permeable rock strata

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

overland flow

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

throughflow

A

the movement of water downslope within the soil layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

groundwater flow

A

the slow transfer of percolated water through permeable or porous rocks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

channel storage

A

the storage of water in river channels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

channel flow

A

the movement of water within a river channel

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

river runoff

A

the discharge of a river through the drainage basin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

river runoff

A

the discharge of a river through the drainage basin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

fossil water

A

ancient, deep groundwater from former pluvial (wetter) periods

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

drainage basin/ river catchment

A

the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries that is an open system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

watershed

A

the highland which divides and separates waters flowing to different rivers determining the boundary of a drainage basin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

saturation point

A

the point where air has absorbed the maximum amount of water vapour

36
Q

dew point

A

the temperature to which air bust be cooled to become saturated with water vapour

37
Q

convectional rainfall

A

associated with intense thunderstorms which occur in areas with ground heating such as the tropic, equatorial places, continental interiors and the UK in summers

38
Q

orographic rainfall

A

rainfall concentrated on the windward slopes and summits of mountains

39
Q

cyclonic rainfall

A

a period of sustained, moderately intensive rain associated with the passage of depressions

40
Q

interception loss

A

water that is retained by plant surfaces and later evaporated or absorbed by the vegetation and transpired

41
Q

throughfall

A

when rainfall persists or is relatively intense and water drops from leaves, twigs and needles

42
Q

stemflow

A

when water trickles along twigs and branches and then down the trunk

43
Q

infiltration

A

the movement of water from the ground surface into the soil

44
Q

infiltration capacity

A

the maximum rate at which rain can be absorbed by a soil
expressed in mm/hr

45
Q

surface run-off/ overland flow

A

the movement of water that is unconfined by a channel across the surface of the ground

46
Q

throughflow

A

the lateral transfer of water down slope through the soil via natural pipes and percolines

47
Q

percolines

A

lines of concentrated water flow between soil horizons to the river channel

48
Q

percolation

A

the transfer of water from the surface or from the soil into the bedrock beneath

49
Q

saturated overland flow

A

the upward movement of the water table into the evaporation zone

50
Q

evapotranspiration

A

the combined effect of evaporation and transpiration

51
Q

potential evapotranspiration

A

the water loss that would occur if there was an unlimited supply of water in the soil for use by vegetation

52
Q

albedo

A

a measure of the proportion of the incoming solar radiation that is reflected by the surface back into the atmosphere and space

53
Q

deforestation

A

the cutting down and removal of all or most of the trees in a forested area

54
Q

afforestation

A

the planting of trees in an area that has not been forested in recent times

55
Q

water budget

A

the balance between precipitation, evaporation and run-off across global, regional or local scales

56
Q

river regime

A

the annual variation in discharge or flow of a river at a particular point or gauging station, usually measured in cumecs

57
Q

rising limb

A

the part of a storm hydrograph in which the discharge starts to rise

58
Q

peak discharge

A

the time when the river reaches its highest flow

59
Q

lag time

A

the time interval between peak rainfall and peak discharge

60
Q

falling or recessional limb

A

the part of a storm hydrograph in which the discharge starts to decrease

61
Q

base flow

A

the normal, day-to-day discharge of the river usually available as surface flow may differ seasonally, especially in monsoonal areas

62
Q

drought

A

a shortfall or deficiency of water over an extended time period

63
Q

meteorological drought

A

shortfalls in precipitation as a result of short-term variability or longer-term trends

64
Q

hydrological drought

A

associated with reduced stream flow and groundwater levels because of reduced precipitation and high rates of evaporation

65
Q

agricultural drought

A

when rainfall deficiency from meteorological drought leads to deficiency of soil moisture and soil water availability which has a knock-on effect on plant growth and reduces biomass

66
Q

famine drought

A

a humanitarian crisis in which the widespread failure of agricultural systems leads to food shortages and famines with socioeconomic and environmental impacts

67
Q

teleconnection

A

climate anomalies which relate to each other at large distances

68
Q

ENSO

A

El Nino Southern Oscillation. A meteorological phenomenon occurring every 3-7 years for 18 months

69
Q

Southern Oscillation

A

a see-saw of atmospheric pressure between the Pacific and Indo-Australian area

70
Q

trade winds/easterlies

A

east to west prevailing winds that flow in the equatorial region. NE in Northern Hemisphere and SE in Southern Hemisphere

71
Q

walker loop

A

atmospheric circulation loop where warm air rises in in the western pacific ocean, travels eastward, cools and sinks over the eastern pacific where trade winds will push the water westward

72
Q

rossby wave

A

continuous slow oceanic movements found along the thermocline that move with the rotation of the planet, influenced by the coriolis effect

73
Q

thermocline

A

the marking of an oceanic temperature change from warmer surface water to cooler deep water

74
Q

coriolis effect

A

deflects north-flowing winds to the rights in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere due to the earth’s rotation and points at the equator moving faster than points at the poles

75
Q

desertification

A

land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions from various factors, including variations and human activities

76
Q

wetland

A

an area of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish, or salt

77
Q

brackish water

A

water that is more saline than freshwater but less than saltwater

78
Q

groundwater flooding

A

flooding that occurs after the ground has become saturated from prolonged heavy rainfall

79
Q

surface water flooding

A

flooding that occurs when intense rainfall has insufficient time to infiltrate the soil, so flows overland

80
Q

flash flooding

A

a flood with an exceptionally short lag time - often minutes or hours associated with intense convectional storms with limited infiltration

81
Q

sinuous jet-stream

A

curving track meaning high pressure systems (anticyclones) can be blocked causing intense storms can flooding

82
Q

jokulhlaup

A

a glacial outburst flood that occurs when the damn containing a glacial lake fails usually due to volcanic activity generating meltwater and ice instability

83
Q

urbanisation

A

the increase in the number of people living in towns and cities compared to the number of people living in the countryside

84
Q

flood return period

A

an estimate of the likelihood of a flood of a certain size recurring

85
Q

morbidity

A

a state of ill health

86
Q

eutrophication

A

excessive richness of nitrate and phosphate nutrients in a body of water due to run-off from farmlands causing a dense growth of plant life and agal blooms that block oxygen, killing aquatic life that can’t survive in anoxic conditions

87
Q

downwasting

A

thinning of a glacier due to the melting of ice

88
Q
A

Geography (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions