Water Cycle And Water Insecurity

Question 1

What is a store?

Answer 1

Where water is stored for periods of time.
Eg: river, glacier

Question 2

What is blue water?

Answer 2

Visible parts of the cycle
Eg: rivers, lakes

Question 3

What is green water?

Answer 3

Water stored in vegetation + soil, generally seen as invisible.

(extra: grey water = brackish (swamps) t polluted water

Question 4

Conventional rainfall

Answer 4

Common in tropical areas & UK in summer.
- land becomes hot
- air above becomes warmer, expands + rises
- as it rises, it cools + condenses, eventually falling as rain

Question 5

Cyclonic rainfall

Answer 5

Cold and warm front meet

• Warm air is lighter & less dense than cold air
• forced to rise over cold, denser air
• rises + cools + can no longer hold water vapour so condenses + forms rain

Question 6

Orographic rainfall

Answer 6

• When air is forced to rise over barrier (eg mountain) it cools and condenses
• forms clouds and rains
• leeward side (downwind) receives relatively less rainfall (rain shadow)

Sheffield is an example: less rain but colder and more snow (this is due to getting wind from Siberia)

Question 7

Precipitation

Answer 7

Any source of moisture reaching the ground
Eg- rain, snow, frost

Question 8

Interception

Answer 8

Water being prevented from reaching the surface
Eg by trees and grass

Question 9

Surface storage

Answer 9

Water held on the ground surface
Eg- puddles

Question 10

Infiltration

Answer 10

Water sinking into the soil/rock from ground surface

Question 11

Percolation

Answer 11

Water seeping deeper below the surface
Through rocks or material deep under ground into aquifers

Question 12

Soil moisture

Answer 12

Water held in the soil layer

Question 13

Groundwater

Answer 13

Water stored in the rock deep underground.

Question 14

Transpiration

Answer 14

Water lost through pores in vegetation

Question 15

Evaporation

Answer 15

Water lost from ground/vegetation surface
Heats up

Question 16

Surface run off/overland flow

Answer 16

Water flowing on top of the ground

Question 17

Throughflow

Answer 17

Water flowing through the soil layer parallel to the surface

Question 18

Groundwater flow

Answer 18

Water flowing through the rock layer parallel to he surface

Question 19

Water table

Answer 19

Current upper level of saturated rock/soil where no more water can be absorbed

Question 20

What are some changes during the water cycle

Answer 20

• during last ice algae more water was stored in the cryosphere, water levels in ocean fell by 140m than they stand today - more was in ice
• recent climatic warming means sea levels rising
• humans have built reservoirs to increase storage

Question 21

5 physical influences on a drainage basin

Answer 21

Climate
Soils
Geology
Relief
Vegetation

Question 22

6 human influences on a drainage basin

Answer 22

Deforestation/afforestation
Cloud seeding
Building reservoirs
Aqueducts/channelisation
Soil compaction/land use
Groundwater use for irrigation

Question 23

Drought - mid latitude blocking anticyclones

Answer 23

High pressure leads to good weather - air slow moving, prevents other faster moving polar fronts moving into area

Uk - warm weather in day, heats up ground and cools at night causing water vapour in air and after few days causing thunderstorm. Warm nights prevent this though so anticyclone continues. Eg 1976 drought; water rationed, crops affected causes price increases

Question 24

Drought - ITCZ (intertropical convergence zone)

Answer 24

Area over Africa where 2 air masses meet and this brings heavy rain. Savannahs In Africa rely on it only get 2 week a year.

Moist winds from sea forced upwards over land and drench it and as the ITCZ moves north, harmattan winds lose dominance forced back, places inland get rain needed.

By July reached as far as it goes - Sahel region, which is prone to desertification. W/out this rain more desertification so people forced to migrate

More recently it hasn’t got as far inland in normal.