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water eq1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is the global hydrological’s cycle driven by?

A

solar energy
gravitational potential energy

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2
Q

What kind of system is the hydrological system?

A

A closed system

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2
Q

What kind of system is the hydrological system?

A

A closed system

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3
Q

What is a closed system?

A

There is a transfer of energy but not matter between the system and its surroundings.
This means the same amount of water is kept within the hydrological cycle just circulated continuously.

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4
Q

What is an input and give an example?

A

The movement of matter or energy into a system.
The hydrological system is a closed system and so there is an internal movement into a store ony.
Example- precipitation from atmosphere to the ground or sea.

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5
Q

What is an output?

A

The movement of matter or energy out of a system.
In the hydrological system, it is an internal movement only out of the store.
Example- evaporation from the sea or land into the atmosphere

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6
Q

What is a store?

A

Where matter or energy is kept for a long period of time.
Water is stored for long periods of time in oceans and as groundwater (up to 10,000 years).

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7
Q

What is a flow (fluxes)?

A

The amount of matter or energy transferred from one ply to another.
Movements within the hydrological cycle include throughflow and runoff.

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8
Q

How does solar energy impact the hydrological cycle?

A

Heat energy from the sun causes changes in the state of water and drives some of the processes such as evaporation and wind direction.

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9
Q

How does GPE impact the hydrological cycle?

A

The mass of the earth exerts a pull on water, causing water to fall as precipitation and rivers to flow downhill back to the ocean ( the main store)

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10
Q

Examples of fluxes between atmosphere, ocean and land

A

-ocean to land water vapour transport.
-land precipitation
-evaporation
-transpiration
-ocean evaporation
-ocean precipitation

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11
Q

Water stores and their size and storage times:

A

oceans- 96.9% - 3600 years
atmosphere-0.001%- 10 days
biosphere- 0.0001%- 7 days
cryosphere- 1.9%- 15,000 years
groundwater- 1.1%- more than 10,000 years
surface water- 0.01%- 2 weeks-10 years

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12
Q

Why are some stores considered non- renewable?

A
  • they are not replaced in a short period of time.
    -fossil water- was stored underground in rocks a very long time ago when the climate of an area was much wetter.
    -cryosphere losses- ablation (melting) of glaciers, due to climate change reduces the storage of water as ice and is currently not being replaced.
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13
Q

What is the global water budget?

A

The annual balance between the fluxes (flows) and size of water stores.

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14
Q

Water availablility for people:

A
  • water is usually considered renewable, there is a constant circulation and replenishment of stores.
    -the amount of soil moisture can vary throughout the years- which is important to plant growth and throughflow fluxes.
  • people have enough water each year, however fossil water reserves are not, the water budget might be experiencing change due to global warming.
    -some regions have more precipitation than others.
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15
Q

What is the main input in the hydrological cycle?

A

precipitation

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16
Q

What are the three types of precipitation?

A

-orographic
-frontal
-convectional

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17
Q

What is orographic rainfall?

A

-this is relief rainfall.
-caused when humid air is forced to rise over the mountains.
-When the air cools at higher altitude, moisture condenses, forms clouds and droplets of water.
-these droplets of water then fall due to gravity.
-most of the rain falls on the slopes facing the wind direction and tops of the mountains.
-drier air on the other side (lee) so less rain falls (rain shadow)

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18
Q

What is frontal rainfall?

A

-caused when warm humid air is forced to rise at a warm front or cold front, usually as part of low pressure system (depression).
-The air cools, condenses, clouds of water droplets form which is followed by rain.

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19
Q

What is convectional rainfall?

A

-caused when the ground and lower atmosphere are heated by the sun’s energy causing rising thermals of air.
-humidity in the air condenses when it cools at higher altitude, forms clouds, folllowed by intense heavy rainfall (thunderstorms)

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20
Q

What are the 7 flows/ fluxes?

A
  • interception
    -infilitration
    -throughflow
    -direct runoff
    -saturated overland flow
    percolation
    -groundwater flow
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21
Q

How does interception act as a flow?

A

A layer of vegetation intercepts precipitation before it reaches the ground.
Plants also absorb water through their roots.

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22
Q

How does infilitration act as a flow?

A

the movement of water downwards through the spaces in the soil.
this caries on until capacity is reached and the soil becomes saturated.

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23
Q

How does throughflow act as a flow?

A

The movement of water downslope through the soil towards a base level( river, or lakes)

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24
Q

What is direct surface runoff?

A

Rain falling onto the ground may flow over the surface when it is so intense that there is no time for it to infiltrate.

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25
Q

What is saturated overland flow?

A

If all soil spaces are full of water then any further rain cannot infilitrate and so will run off the surface

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26
Q

What is percolation?

A

The movement of water downwards through porous or permeable rocks.

27
Q

What is groundwater flow?

A

The downwards and sideways movement of water in rock layers under the influence of gravity.

28
Q

What are the 3 outputs?

A

-evaporation
-transpiration
-channel flow

29
Q

What is evaporation?

A

The change from liquid to gas when heated by the sun.
Happens from oceans, lakes rivers, top soil and plant surfaces.

30
Q

What causes evaporation to increase?

A

-temperature
-wind and dark surfaces (forests)- more sun absorbed.

31
Q

What is transpiration?

A

Plants absorb water from soil through their roots, to use for photosynthesis.
They then transpire moisture to the surface of their leaves, from where it is evaporated- leading to evapotranspiration

32
Q

What causes transpiration to increase?

A

-tree cover
-leaf growth
-soil moisture

32
Q

What causes transpiration to increase?

A

-tree cover
-leaf growth
-soil moisture

33
Q

What is channel flow?

A

Runoff moves to the lowest points in a landscape, here it collects to form a linear body of water flowing over the ground. (example- stream)
The larger the amount of water, the larger the discharge.

34
Q

What causes channel flow to increase?

A

rainfall or snow melt.

34
Q

What causes channel flow to increase?

A

rainfall or snow melt.

35
Q

What kind of store is a drainage basin?

A

an open system based on a land area linked to one main river.

36
Q

What physical factors influence the drainage basin?

A

-climate
-vegetation
-soils
-geology
-relief

37
Q

How does climate impact inputs?

A
  • the amount of precipitation and seasonal patters.
38
Q

How does climate impact flows?

A

More direct runoff when precipitation is greater.

39
Q

How does climate impact outputs?

A

Evapo and transpi is greater when hotter.

40
Q

How does vegetation impact inputs?

A

High transpiration rates increase local rainfall

41
Q

How does vegetation impact flows?

A

large forests intercept a lot.
Reduces infilitration, runoff and throughflow

42
Q

How does vegetation impact outputs?

A

Extensive tree cover will increase evapotranspiration and reduce channel flow.

43
Q

How does soil impact flows?

A

Soils with more spaces allow more water to infilitrate, reducing overland flow but increasing throughflow.

44
Q

How does soils impact outputs?

A

Clay soils reduce infilitration and so increase evapoporation from the ground and runoff.

45
Q

How does geology impact fows?

A

permeable or porous rocks allow more percolation- increasing groundwater flow.

46
Q

How does geology impact outputs?

A

Impermeable rocks prevent percolation leading to more overland flow.

47
Q

How does relief impact inputs?

A
  • higher ground means there will be orographic rainfall.
48
Q

How does relief impact flows?

A
  • steeper sloped causes reduced infiltration, more runoff and faster throughflow.
49
Q

How does relief impact outputs?

A

slopes direct water into channels

50
Q

How does deforestation disrupt the drainage basin cycle?

A

removal of tree, reduces interception and evapotranspiration.
This increases runoff, soil erosion and flooding during intense rainfall.
Reduced evapotranspiration can cause droughts as rainfall reduces.
-occurs in the amazon basin

51
Q

How does land- use change impact the drainage basin cycle?

A

Changing areas from natural vegetation to urbanised impermeable surfaces
Increases surface runoff and channel flow, creating higher discharges and flooding.

52
Q

How does resevoir creation disrupt the drainage basin?

A

Damming a river prevents channel flow, reducing discharges downnstream

53
Q

How does abstracting water disrupt the drainage basin?

A

Can be taken from the surface or the ground faster than it is replaced.

54
Q

What is the water budget equation?

A

precipitation= channel discharge +evapotranspiration +change in storage.

55
Q

WHat is the water budget?

A

balance between inputs and outputs

56
Q

What does the water budget equation tell us?

A

When P is greater, there is a positive water balance.

57
Q

Why is soil important in water?

A

-important for plant growth.
-soil moisture so that plants can support other trophic levels 9food chain.
-for farmers, it is important to have enough soil moisture to produce high yields of crops.

58
Q

What physical factors impact the shape of storm hydrographs?

A

-drainage basin size and shape
-drainage density
-soil and rock type
-relief
-vegetation
-human land use
-precipitation intensity

58
Q

What physical factors impact the shape of storm hydrographs?

A

-drainage basin size and shape
-drainage density
-soil and rock type
-relief
-vegetation
-human land use
-precipitation intensity

59
Q

How does drainage basin size and shape impact a hydrograph?

A

smaller and more rounded creates a fast response- flashy hydrograph

60
Q

How does drainage density impact shape?

A

more tributaries collect rain quickly creating a fast response (flashy)

61
Q

How does rock type influence shape?

A

-impermeable types causes more runoff and a rapid increase in discharge

water (3 decks)

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