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A Level Physical Geography > WCC: Water Cycle - Processes Driving Change in the Magnitude of Water Cycle Stores Over Time > Flashcards

WCC: Water Cycle - Processes Driving Change in the Magnitude of Water Cycle Stores Over Time Flashcards

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1
Q

Why does atmospheric moisture have the lowest residence time?

A

Evaporation and precipitation is constantly happening

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2
Q

Why do ice caps have the highest residence time?

A

Once water is stored there, it gets trapped and has nowhere to go, for example it can’t percolate through like it can in the ground

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3
Q

What is melting?

A

Solid to liquid by heating

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4
Q

What is freezing?

A

Liquid to solid by heat loss

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5
Q

What is condensation?

A

Water vapor into liquid water

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6
Q

What is sublimation?

A

Solid to gas without first becoming a liquid

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7
Q

What is deposition?

A

Gas to solid without first becoming a liquid

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8
Q

What is latent heat of vaporisation?

A

The heat energy absorbed when water changes from a liquid to a gas

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9
Q

What is latent heat of fusion?

A

The heat energy absorbed when water changes from a solid to a liquid

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10
Q

What is latent heat of sublimation?

A

The heat energy absorbed when a water changes from a solid to a gas

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11
Q

What 6 factors affect the rate of evapotranspiration?

A 
Amount of insolation (solar energy)
Availability of water (surface and soil)
Humidity of the air
Air temperature
Amount of wind
Amount of vegetation
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12
Q

What is condensation affected by?

A

Humidity of the air
Temperature
Availability of condensation nuclei / surfaces

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13
Q

What is dew point?

A

The temperature at which the air becomes saturated causing water to condense

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14
Q

What is precipitation affected by?

A 
Cloud formation affected by:
Avaliability of water for evaporation
Air temperature - humidity
Availability of condensation nuclei
Altitude
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15
Q

12 factors affecting runoff generation

A 
rate of infiltration
amount of evaporation
amount of vegetation
amount of precipitation
temperature
soil type (density)
saturation of the land
rock type (permeability)
wind
frozen ground
season
land use
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16
Q

Residence time of oceans

A

3,600 years

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17
Q

Residence time of icecaps

A

15,000 years

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18
Q

Residence time of groundwater

A

Up to 10,000 years

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19
Q

Residence time of rivers and lakes

A

2 weeks - 10 years

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20
Q

Residence time of soil moisture

A

2-50 weeks

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21
Q

Residence time of atmospheric moisture

A

10 days

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22
Q

Do ocean stores vary in the short term or long term? Give evidence

A

The long term - during the last Ice Age sea levels were as much as 120m lower

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23
Q

What are the key processes driving change in the magnitude of water stores?

A 
Evapotranspiration
Condensation
Precipitation
Runoff generation
Cryospheric processes
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24
Q

What is evaporation?

A

The transfer of water from liquid state to gaseous state due to energy from solar radiation

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25
Q

Where can evaporation occur from?

A

Open water or wet surfaces

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26
Q

Where does 90% of evaporated water come from?

A

Oceans

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27
Q

What is transpiration?

A

The transportation of water through the roots of a plant and its subsequent release through stomata on the leaves

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28
Q

How does the humidity of the air affect rate of evapotranspiration?

A

The closer the air is to dew point, the slower the rate of evaporation

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29
Q

Why does the evaporation of water cool its surroundings?

A

It uses energy in the form of latent heat to evaporate

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30
Q

What is a condensation nucleus?

A

Tiny particles in the air e.g smoke, salt, dust, that are below the dew point temperature

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31
Q

What happens if a condensation nucleus or surface is below freezing?

A

Deposition in the form of hoar frost

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32
Q

Why is there more condensation at lower temperatures?

A

Because as air cools it is able to hold less water vapour

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33
Q

What are the 2 ways condensation occurs?

A
  1. When the temperature of air is reduced to dew point but its volume remains constant.
  2. Adiabatic cooling - when the volume of air increases but there is no addition of heat
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34
Q

How does adiabatic cooling occur in the water cycle?

A

When air rises and expands in the lower pressure of the upper atmosphere

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35
Q

What is the orographic effect?

A

When air is forced to rise over hills so cools and condenses

36
Q

What is the frontal effect?

A

When masses of air of different temperatures and densities meet. The less dense warm air rises over the denser cold air and condenses.

37
Q

What is the convectional effect?

A

When localised warm surfaces heat the air above. This expands, becomes less dense and rises.

38
Q

What does the global atmospheric circulation model identify?

A

Latitudinal zones of rising and falling air

39
Q

What are the 3 interconnected cells present in the global atmospheric circulation model

A

Hadley
Ferrel
Polar

40
Q

What does ITCZ stand for?

A

Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone

41
Q

What is runoff generation?

A

The atmospheric moisture that is transferred to oceans as surface runoff or groundwater flow

42
Q

How do transit times of different types of runoff vary?

A

Overland flow and river flow is relatively rapid whereas transit times to the ocean for deep groundwater can be thousands of years

43
Q

When is surface runoff generated?

A

When rainfall intensity is greater than infiltration capacity or when rain falls on soils that are already saturated

44
Q

What are the 2 main cryospheric processes?

A

Accumulation and ablation

45
Q

What glacial period began 2.58 million years ago and continues today?

A

the Quaternary glaciation

46
Q

Describe the glacial periods of the Quaternary glaciation.

A

Interruptions in the global hydrological cycle. Sea level was approx 120m lower than today due to the large volume of ice on land. Continental glaciers covered large parts of Europe, North America, and Siberia.

47
Q

Describe the interglacial periods of the Quaternary glaciation.

A

Global ablation exceeds accumulation.

48
Q

How many glacial cycles have there been in the past 740,000 years?

A

8

49
Q

Why does permafrost rarely occur under ice?

A

Temperatures aren’t low enough

50
Q

What cryoshperic processes occur in the long term?

A

Glacial periods

51
Q

What cryoshperic processes occur in the short term?

A

Seasonal accumulation and ablation (melting or ice calving)

52
Q

What is a glacier’s equilibrium line?

A

The line marking the altitude where annual accumulation and ablation are equal

53
Q

In what direction has the equilibrium line been moving in recent decades and why?

A

To higher altitudes as the climate warms

54
Q

How does water enter long term storage as ice?

A

Snow falling on glaciers and ice sheets becomes compressed, forming layers of glacial ice

55
Q

What would the total melting of all the polar ice sheets lead to?

A

A 60m rise in sea level, adding a large volume of water to the ocean store

56
Q

What is the direct cause of all forms of precipitation?

A

Condensation

57
Q

How can the distribution of precipitation be seen at a global scale?

A

Through the global atmospheric circulation model

58
Q

What are the 3 ways adiabatic cooling can form precipitation?

A

Orographic effect
Frontal effect
Convectional effect

59
Q

What are clouds?

A

Areas of the atmosphere where water has condensed into tiny water droplets or small ice crystals

60
Q

What type of clouds does the convectional effect produce?

A

Cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds

61
Q

In the water cycle, what ways can the temperature of air be reduced to dew point while its volume remains constant?

A
  1. When warm moist air passes over a cold surface
  2. On a clear winter’s night when heat is radiated out to space and the ground gets colder, cooling the air directly in contact with it
62
Q

How many major glacial periods have there been in the Earth’s history?

A

5

63
Q

What form does water vapour tend to take when the temperature of air is reduced to dew point while its volume remains constant?

A

Fog

64
Q

Name 3 different types of fog

A

Radiation fog
Advection fog
Steam fog

65
Q

How does radiation fog form?

A

Heat is absorbed by the Earth’s surface during the day and radiated out into space during the night. This makes the ground colder, cooling the air directly in contact with it until it reaches dew point.

66
Q

How does advection fog form?

A

Warm, moist air moves horizontally over a cold surface such as snow or ice, cooling it until dew point.

67
Q

[Why is cloud formation an important process driving change in the magnitude of water cycle stores over time and space?]

A

[Different ways clouds form have different outcomes e.g cloud or fog. Cloud can result in precipitation whereas fog is likely to just evaporate, leading to differences in water stores. The different ways clouds form will vary depending on location - EXAMPLE: california redwoods and advection fog in san fran]

68
Q

How does steam fog form?

A

Cool air moves over water that’s still warm form summer. The shallow layer of saturated warm air immediately above the warmer water is cooled beyond the dew point so condensation occurs.

69
Q

Describe and explain the distribution of steam fog

A

It is common in the Arctic and Antarctic, however uncommon in temperature climates because it requires very low air temperatures

70
Q

What is the latitude of the tropic of cancer?

A

23 degrees N

71
Q

What is the latitude of the tropic of capricorn?

A

23 degrees S

72
Q

Describe the global distribution of cloud formation and its impact on climates.

A

There is a band of high rainfall at the equator, creating tropical climates, and at 60 degrees north and south, creating temperate climates. There is a lack of cloud formation at 30 degrees north and south as well as at the poles, creating desert climates.

73
Q

How do the Hadley cells form?

A

High temperatures at the equator results in high levels of evaporation. The warm, moist air rises, cools and condenses forming towering banks of cloud and heavy rainfall in the ITCZ. Unable to continue rising, the air is forced poleward by the continual rise of air below. At about 30° latitude on either side of the equator, the air travels so much faster than the surface wind speed that it can’t extend further poleward. The now cool, dry, high altitude air begins to sink. As it sinks, it warms adiabatically, decreasing its relative humidity. Near the surface, a frictional return flow completes the loop.

74
Q

Why is the Ferrel cell considered a secondary circulation feature?

A

A large part of the energy that drives the Ferrel cell is provided by the polar and Hadley cells circulating on either side and that drag the Ferrel cell with it

75
Q

How do the Ferrel cells form?

A

Some of the air sinking from the descending limb of the Hadley cell is forced poleward at it nears the surface. This warm air flows poleward until it meets cold air from the equator at the polar front. The convergence of the warm and cold air results in rising air and cloud formation. Upon reaching the troposphere the air flows back towards the equator.

76
Q

How do the polar cells form?

A

Cold air at the poles is forced towards the equator. It meets the warm air of the Ferrel cell flowing polewards from the Tropics at the polar front. The convergence of the warm and cold air results in rising air and cloud formation, and some f the air travels poleward. When the air reaches the pole, it has cooled and is considerably denser than the underlying air. It descends, driving the cold mass of air towards the equator.

77
Q

At what latitudes do high pressure areas occur?

A

At the poles and subtropics (30 degrees N and S)

78
Q

At what latitudes do low pressure areas occur?

A

At the equator and subpolar areas (60 degrees N and S)

79
Q

What is the polar front?

A

The boundary at which cold air from the poles meets warm air from the Tropics between the polar and Ferrel cells

80
Q

At which pressures to clouds form?

A

Low pressures

81
Q

Which winds do the Hadley cells form?

A

The NE and SE trade winds

82
Q

Which winds do the Ferrel cells form?

A

The westerlies

83
Q

Which direction do winds curve in the northern hemisphere?

A

To the right of their path

84
Q

Which direction do winds curve in the southern hemisphere?

A

To the left of their path

85
Q

What makes global atmospheric winds curve?

A

the Coriolis effect

86
Q

Describe how the ITCZ changes over time.

A

The latitude of the ITCZ varies with the seasons, as it moves toward the hemisphere with most heat. Therefore in northern summers it is north of the equator, whereas in southern summers it is south of the equator.

87
Q

How does variation in the ITCZ drive change in the magnitude of water cycle stores over time?

A

Variation in the ITCZ throughout the year results in the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes. Longer term changes in the ITCZ can result in severe droughts or flooding in nearby areas.

A Level Physical Geography (43 decks)

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