Water Cycle Stores Flashcards
What percentage of water is stored in oceans
96.5%
What percentage of water is stored in icecaps
1.9%
What percentage of water is stored in groundwater
1.1%
What percentage of water is stored in rivers and lakes
0.01%
What percentage of water is stored in soil moisture
0.01%
What percentage of water is stored in atmospheric moisture
0.001%
What is the residence time of water in oceans
3600 years
What is the residence time of water in icecaps
15000 years
What is the residence time of water in groundwater
Up to 10000 years
What is the residence time of water in rivers and lakes
2 weeks to 10 years
What is the residence time of water in soil moisture
2-50 weeks
What is the residence time of water in atmospheric moisture
10 days
What is the volume of water in oceans
1335040 km cubed
What is the volume of water in icecaps
26350 km cubed
What is the volume of water in groundwater
15300 km cubed
What is the volume of water in rivers and lakes
178 km cubed
What is the volume of water in soil moisture
122 km cubed
What is the volume of water in atmospheric moisture
13 km cubed
What is the lithosphere
The outermost part of the Earth. It includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle
What is the hydrosphere
Includes all the water on Earth. It may be in liquid form (lakes and rivers), solid form (ice stored in the cryosphere) or gas form (water vapour in the atmosphere)
What is the atmosphere
Layer of gas between the Earth’s surface and space, held in place by gravity
What is the biosphere
The part of the Earth system where things are found. It includes all the living parts or the Earth -plants, animals, birds, fungi, bacteria etc
What is cryosphere
All parts of the Earth system where it’s cold enough for water to freeze e.g. glacial landscapes
What are the 5 main locations of cryospheric water with named examples
Sea ice e.g. Ross Ice Shelf Ice caps e.g. Icelandic ice cap Ice sheets e.g. the Greenland ice sheet Alpine glaciers e.g. Mer de Glacé, France Permafrost e.g. the Alaska North Slope
How does sea ice form
When water in the oceans is cooled below freezing. Sea ice doesn’t raise the sea level when it melts as it forms from ocean water
What is an ice sheet
A mass of glacial ice extending more than 50,000km2. Together the Antarctic and Greenland Ice sheet contain more then 99% of freshwater on earth.
How do Ice Sheets form
In areas where snow falls in winter and doesn’t entirely melt in summer. Over thousands of years, the layers of snow pile up into thick masses of Ice growing thicker and denser as the weight of new snow compresses the older layers
What are ice caps
Thick layers of ice on land that are smaller than 50,000km2. They are found in mountainous areas such as Himalayas. Rockies, Andes and Southern Alps of New Zealand. They cover almost everything in their path becoming the major source for glaciers
What are Alpine Glaciers
Thick masses of ice found in deep valleys or in upland hollows. Many feed major rivers e.g. 15000 Himalayan glaciers support rivers such as Indus and the Ganges
What are permafrosts
Permanently frozen ground that remains at or below 0 degrees for at least 2 consecutive years. It’s thickness varies from less than one metre to more than 1,500 metres
What is states does atmospheric water exist in
Gas, Liquid and Solid
What does the most common atmospheric water and what is it
It’s a gas: water vapour
What is important about water vapour
It absorbs, reflects and scatters incoming solar radiation, keeping the atmosphere at a temp that can maintain life.
What is an example of positive feedback related to water vapour
A small increase in water vapour will lead to an increase in atmospheric temps. This would lead to a rise in global water vapour levels, this enhancing the atmospheric warming
What are the 4 classes of terrestrial water
Surface water
Ground water
Soil water
Biological water
What are the 3 types of surface water
Rivers
Lakes
Wetlands
What do rivers act as
A store and a transfer of water
What are lakes
Collects of fresh water found in hollows on the land surface
What are wetlands
Areas of marsh, fen or peatland where that is a dominance of vegetation
What is the largest river
The Amazon as it accounts for one fifth of the worlds total river flow
What is the largest lake
The Caspian Sea at 78,000km2
What is groundwater
Water that collects in rock pores
What is soil water important
It affects weather and climate, runoff potential and flood control, soil erosion, reservoir management and wage quality
Why is soil moisture important
It’s a key variable in controlling the exchange of water and heat energy between the land surface and the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration
What happens to biological water if vegetation is destroyed
The store is lost to the upper atmosphere
How much of the planets surface do oceans cover
72%
What percentage of water are in rivers
0.0002%
1,000,000 km2 of earth covered
2,120 km2 volume
What type of water are the majority of earths lakes
Freshwater
Where are most lakes found
Northern hemisphere at higher latitudes
What do wetlands support
Aquatic and terrestrial species
What is biological water
All water stored in biological mass
How do clouds form
air in the lower layers of the earth’s atmosphere becoming saturated due to cooling of air or an increase in water vapour
