water cycle enquiry Q1 Flashcards

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1
Q

systems approach definition

A

a way of studying natural processes by looking at the balance of inputs and outputs and how water is being moved between stores by flows

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2
Q

stores definition

A

reservoirs where water is held, such as oceans

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3
Q

fluxes definition

A

the rate of flow between the stores

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4
Q

processes definition

A

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

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5
Q

cryosphere definition

A

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

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6
Q

blue water definition

A

water is stored in rivers, streams, lake and groundwater in liquid form

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7
Q

green water definition

A

water stored in soil and vegetation

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8
Q

residence time definition

A

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

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9
Q

fossil water definition

A

ancient, deep groundwater from former pluvial (wetter) periods

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10
Q

transpiration definitio

A

the diffusion of water from vegetation into the atmosphere, involving a change from liquid to gas

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11
Q

groundwater flow definition

A

the slow transfer of percolated water underground through pervious or porous rocks

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12
Q

throughfall definition

A

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

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13
Q

percolation definition

A

the deep transfer of water from the surface or soil into the rocks below

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14
Q

evapotranspiration definition

A

the combined effect of evaporation and transpiration

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15
Q

river regime definition

A

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

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16
Q

how much of the world total water is stored in oceans?

A

96.5- 97%

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17
Q

what is a closed system?

A

occurs when there is a transfer of energy but no external inputs or outputs and no matter can enter the system

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18
Q

what is an open system?

A

receives inputs from and transfers outputs of energy and matter to other systems

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19
Q

how much water is stored in the cryosphere?

A

around 1.9%

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20
Q

which store has the shortest residence time?

A

atmospheric moisture, 10 days

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21
Q

which store has the longest residence time?

A

ice, 15,000 years

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22
Q

what are the four main stores of water

A

-the ocean, 96.9%
-ice, 1.9%
-groundwater, 1.1%
-rivers and lakes, 0.01%

23
Q

what is the drainage basin?

A

an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries and separated from neighbouring drainage basins by a ridge of high land

24
Q

inputs into the drainage basin

A

-precipitation
-solar insolation

25
Q

outputs from the drainage basin

A

-transpiration
-evapotranspiration
-evaporation

26
Q

stores in the drainage basin

A

-interception
-surface storage
-groundwater storage
-vegetation storage

27
Q

fluxes in the drainage basin

A

-infiltration
-groundwater flow
-baseflow
-river flow or discharge
-stem flow
-throughfall
-surface run off/ overland flow
-percolation

28
Q

relief definition

A

can impact the amount of precipitation and slopes can affect the amount of runoff

29
Q

climate definition

A

has a role in influencing the type and amount of precipitation overall and the amount of evaporation

30
Q

vegetation definition

A

the presence or absence of this can have major impact on the amount of interception, infiltration and occurrence of overland flow, as well as transpiration rates

31
Q

geology definition

A

can impact the subsurface processes such as percolation and groundwater flow and indirectly can alter soil formation

32
Q

soils definition

A

determines the amount of infiltration and throughflow and indirectly, type of vegetation

33
Q

convectional rainfall

A

-common in tropical areas or UK during summer
-land becomes hot so the air above it becomes warmer, expands and rises
-as it rises the air cools
-its ability to hold water vapour decreases
-condensation occurs and clouds form
-if the air continues to rise, rain will form

34
Q

cyclonic rainfall

A

-warm air that is lighter and less dense is forced to rise over cold, denser air
-as it rises, the air cools and its ability to hold water vapour decreases
-condensation occurs, clouds form and rain forms

35
Q

orographic rainfall

A

-air is forced to rise over a barrier such as a mountain
-cools and condensation takes place forming rain
-leeward side (downslope) has little rain, the rain shadow effect

36
Q

what is the named case study?

A

Amazonia, South America

37
Q

how much of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed?

A

over 20% at an accelerating rate over the past 50 years

38
Q

what has causes this deforestation?

A

-cattle ranching
-large scale commercial agriculture for biofuels and soya beans
-general development of town and roads
-legal and illegal logging

39
Q

what was the percentage increase of discharge in the Tocantins river due to reduced evapotranspiration and precipitation and increased runoff?

A

25% increase between 1960 and 1997

40
Q

what percentage of the worlds forests are at the Amazon?

A

60%

41
Q

why do we need the trees?

A

they act as ‘green lungs’ by removing CO2 as they photosynthesise and act as carbon sinks

42
Q

what is the impact on water cycling?

A

in a forest 75% of intercepted water is returned by evapotranspiration to the atmosphere which is reduced to 25% when the forest is cleared

43
Q

what is cloud seeding?

A

-dispersing silver iodide pellets or ammonium nitrate into the air
-serves as cloud condensation nuclei
-reliable results and affordable

44
Q

cloud seeding case study example

A

-China used clous seeding before the 2008 Olympics to create rain to clear the air of pollution
-Used in Texas to reduce the impact of drought in 2015

45
Q

what is urbanisation?

A

-impermeable surfaces that reduce infiltration and increase surface run off
-throughflow through artificial drains
-increases river and stream discharges

46
Q

urbanisation case study examples

A

-Winchester, Maidenhead 2014 floods
-York, Manchester 2015 floods

47
Q

dam construction explanation

A

-increases surface water stores and evaporation and reduces down stream river discharge

48
Q

groundwater abstraction explanation

A

-groundwater is abstracted from aquifers faster then it is replaced causing reduced groundwater flow and lower water table

49
Q

groundwater case study example

A

-China uses 40% of groundwater to irrigate its farmland
-provides 70% of drinking water in the dry northern and north-west regions

50
Q

water budget definition

A

within the drainage basin, the balance between inputs and outputs is known as the water balance or budget

51
Q

formula for change in storage

A

change in storage = inputs - runoff + outputs

52
Q

river regime definition

A

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

53
Q

what is a storm hydrograph?

A

a graph showing changes in the discharge of a river over a short period of time