Water Cycle Keywords Flashcards
Aquifer
a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater
Water stress
Demand for water water exceeds available amount during a certain period or when poor quality restricts usage
Quantity AND quality
ITCZ
Intertropical Convergence Zone, place in tropics where heavy rain bands are
Hydrostatic pressure
pressure of water through weight of gravity
Water table
water reaches impermeable rock and creates a layer of water
Convectional rainfall
water evaporates (convection), then where it’s saturated it forms clouds, then releases latent heat so air rises further. Get large clouds causing intense rainfall.
Relief/orographic rainfall
air hits mountain and goes up, forced to rise then cools, goes into cold air gets to point where it can’t hold anymore vapour, then condensation + rain
Capillary action
when water moves through soil from deep down to the surface
River regime
annual variation in the discharge of a river at a particular point
Water shed
threshold between drainage basins
Confluence
where tributary meets main river
Base flow
contribution to river flow from LT storage sources
Rising limb
Increase in discharge
Peak discharge
max discharge in response to rainfall event
Falling limb
decline in discharge after peak flow (less steep than rising)
