Y1) TERM 2- WATER AND CARBON CYCLES (E) Flashcards
What is a system model
They show us the components of an aspect of geography and how these components are linked through flows
What are the 3 types of systems (TOS)
isolated, closed and open
What is an isolated system (TOS)
Has no inputs or outputs and is rare in nature
what is a closed system (TOS)
Has inputs and outputs of energy, but not matter i.e. the water or carbon cycle
What is an open system (TOS)
Has inputs and outputs of both energy and matter i.e. the drainage basin system
Dynamic Equilibrium (DE+F)
when the inputs and outputs are balanced
Feedback (DE+F)
When an element of the system changes the equilibrium will be upset
what is negative feedback (DE+F)
it stabilises the system, allowing it to maintain its dynamic equilibrium.
what is positive feedback (DE+F)
it means that the system experiences further change, continuing the disruption to the equilibrium
examples of global stores of water
Oceans, lakes, aquifers, the cryosphere (glaciers and ice sheets)
Examples of local stores of water
Interception, vegetation storage, surface storage, soil moisture and groundwater storage
Examples of flows of water
Infiltration, throughflow, percolation, stem flow, base flow, channel flow and surface runoff
Examples of processes of water between stores
Precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, cryosphere exchanges and runoff
what percentage of freshwater is stored where (3 percentages)
68.8% cryosphere
30% groundwater
1.2% surface water
what percentage of surface water is in different places (7 percentages)
69% ground ice and permafrost
20% lakes
4% soil moisture
3% atmosphere
3% swamps and marshes
0.5% rivers
0.5% biosphere (living things)
what are the 3 types of precipitation (P)
Orographic, frontal and convectional
what is orographic precipitation (P)
when air masses rise over mountains causing it to condense and rain
what is frontal precipitation (P)
When two air masses meet at an area of low pressure creating rain
what is convectional precipitation (P)
Rainfall caused by water turning to water vapour due to solar radiation
What are the outputs from the drainage basins
Evaporation ,Transpiration and channel flow
What are the drainage basin water flows
interception ,infiltration ,direct runoff ,saturated overland flow ,throughflow ,percolation and groundwater flow
what factors effect the drainage basin
rock type ,soil type ,relief of the land ,vegetation cover and climate
what human factors effect the drainage basin
reservoirs ,over abstraction ,urbanisation and deforestation
what percentage of water is freshwater? and of that what is accessible for direct human use?
2.5% and of that 1%
2 examples of non renewable freshwater stores
Aquifers, glaciers/ ice caps
untouched ancient freshwater stores are referred to as
fossil water
untouched ancient freshwater stores are referred to as
fossil water
during spring and summer as the ice and soils thaw what is released into the atmosphere
biogenic gases
In tropical rainforests what percentage of precipitation is returned via evapotranspiration (TH)
50%
Rainforests are able to generate their own water cycle due to (TH)
convectional rainfall
how does convectional rainfall occur in a tropical rainforest (TH)
the forest floor is warm and so the air on the surface heats up and expands. This air rises and condenses forming rain clouds.
how does deforestation negatively impact the water cycle in a tropical rainforest (TH)
Deforestation reduces evapotranspiration which in turn reduces precipitation levels and water supply as less water is being put back into the cycle via plants. It instead will have to flow through streams and rivers, taking longer to cycle through.
what do hydrographs show (H)
Hydrographs show how river discharges changes over time at a particular point in a river. Increased runoff leads to a reduced lag time and greater discharge, producing a steep hydrograph because more water gets into the river channel quicker.
what is river discharge (H)
River discharge is the volume of water flowing in a river each second and is measured in cumecs (m3/s)
what is peak discharge
maximum discharge in the period of time
peak rainfall
maximum rainfall in the period of time
lag time
the interval between peak rainfall and discharge
rising limb
when the discharge is rising
falling limb
when the discharge is falling
4 physical factors effecting storm hydrographs
Rock and soil type
Size, shape and drainage density
Relief of land
Vegetation
example of permeable rock
example of impermeable rock
limestone -p
granite -ip
3 human factors effecting storm hydrographs
Land use ( agriculture )
Water management (dams, reservoirs)
Urbanisation ( tarmac, concrete tiles )
4 types of drought (D)
Meteorological
Agricultural
Hydrological
Soci-economic
what is Meteorological drought (D)
this type of drought presents a degree of dryness compared to what is considered to be normal precipitation levels for that area, climate and season.
what is Agricultural drought (D)
when there is insufficient water for crops, leading to wilting or loss of crops without irrigation.
what is hydrological drought (D)
when the drainage basin suffers shortfalls such as reduced streamflow or an increase of river flow into the reservoirs.
what is socio-economic drought (D)
when there is a demand for water to be used for social and economic purposes such as crop irrigation of when HEP exceeds water availability.
what is EL Nino (ENSO)
the event happens every 3-5 years, where winds weaken across the South Pacific Ocean and reverse direction. Warm water moves to the South American coastline, where low air pressure causes large increases in rainfall, promoting the potential for flooding. During EL Nino, Australasia is subject to high air pressure, resulting in low rainfall and a increase risk of drought.
what is LA Nina (ENSO)
During LA Nina years, low air pressure descends on Southeast Asia and Australia leading to increased rainfall and reduced risk of drought. South America receives high air pressure and consequently low rainfall.
explanation for short-term precipitation deficit
There can be a short-term precipitation deficit in places when the cycle that creates clouds is interrupted.
A water deficit may be experienced in areas that are used to low air pressure systems and have a change of weather front to experience a high air pressure system. the cool sinking air in high air pressure systems does not have the ability to form clouds and produce precipitation.
In Brazil industries, farmers and domestic users in Brazil increasingly used groundwater, until the rivers began to run low. Which years did this occur in? (BRAZIL)
2014-15
Due to the overuse of groundwater who suffered? (BRAZIL)
Poor and rural communities suffered because they only had access to groundwater because of rivers running low.
What where the 3 main causes of over abstraction? (BRAZIL)
Brazils government introduced a charge for drilling wells of around US$35,000- US$100,000.
Residents drilled illegally because they could not afford the charge, meaning the water abstracted was not monitored.
Hydrologists believe that the government’s official records of wells drilled in 2014 only represents a 1/3 of the total, as 70% of wells were illegal.
how is the water from illegal wells harmful/ dangerous (BRAZIL)
Illegal wells are shallower and so have not percolated deep into the bedrock. Water from illegal wells is less filtered by bedrock and may contain industrial and agriculture pollutants with higher levels of bacteria.
5 human causes of flooding
Agriculture
Removal of vegetation
Floodplain drainage
Urbanisation
River management
how does flash flooding occur (COF)
low air pressure systems can create intense tropical storms and thunderstorms that produce heavy rainfall.
what causes prolonged and heavy rainfall (COF)
caused by mid-latitude depressions. A depression happens when two air masses meet, one hot and one cold. The cold air pushes the hot air up, leading to its cooling, condensing and forming rain.
Heavy rains lead to saturated soil, stopping infiltration causing increased surface runoff. Flooding then occurs.
What does ITCZ stand for (COF)
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone
define water stress
an area with less than 1,700m3 water per person
water scarcity
an area with less than 1,000m3 water per person.
what is a carbon store (CC)
where carbon is held
what is a carbon flux(es) (CC)
the flows of carbon between different stores. Fluxes differ in size
what is a carbon process (CC)
the physical ways in which carbon fluxes (flows) happen
how much carbon is stored in the hydrosphere (CC)
38,000PgC -dissolved in bodies of water
how much carbon is stored in the lithosphere (CC)
100,000 PgC - rocks and fossil fuels
how much carbon is stored in the biosphere (CC)
2,000 PgC - animals and plants
how much carbon is stored in the atmosphere (CC)
750 PgC - gases like co2
how is crude oil formed (CC)
The settling of fine-grained sediments ad biologically degraded materials. A series of anaerobic reactions happen to turn the majority of the organic carbon into a liquid. Due to its light density, crude oil may migrate upwards through layers of permeable or porous rock. but a layer of impermeable rock will result in the crude oil being trapped.
How is limestone formed (CC)
(lithification)
Shells or skeletons of marine organisms sink to the bottom of the ocean and sediment falls on top of them. At 100m in depth, the pressure and chemical reactions cause cementation to take place. This forms limestone.
How is coal formed (CC)
when land based plants die and enter into swamps, they slowly settle and compact to form peat and coal.
Coal takes millions of years to form, depending on the temperatures and pressures.
How is natural gas formed (CC)
It is created as a by-product during the formation of coal and crude oil.
what is the Albedo effect
The colour of the surfaces of the earth impacts on how much radiation is absorbed - white snow of glaciers and ice caps reflects snow.
what is the lithosphere
crust and mantle
what is the hydrosphere
all the water on earth, any form fresh or saline
what is the pedosphere
is the soil, the outer most layer of the earth
what is the cryosphere
where water is frozen (Mountains, north + south pole)
What is the Atmosphere
the gases that surround earth
what is the Biosphere
Where living things are found
Explain decomposition
when organisms die they are consumed by decomposers such a bacteria, fungi etc. During this process of decomposition, carbon from their bodies is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and methane.
what is weathering
When co2 is absorbed it forms mild acidic carbonic acid rain.
Through chemical reactions, this rain will dissolve the rock slowly.
what is carbon sequestration
The transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to plants, soil and rock formations and oceans.
what does NPP stand for
Net Primary Productivity ( in other words total plant growth )
info on the Eden Basin (EB)
In Cumbria (NW England)
in between two mountain ranges
Carlisle, which is located at a confluence of three rivers
Upland areas by the rivers source experience extreme weather
Drainage basin shape is long and narrow , steep slopes
much of the drainage basin is limestone and sandstone (permeable)
mixed geology
uplands are made of igneous rock, impermeable
how does farming impact the water cycle
grazing - less interception of rain
animals - more compact soil, less infiltration, more surface runoff
how does construction impact the water cycle
Concrete - impermeable ground, more surface runoff
how does deforestation impact the water cycle
Less water taken in by plants, increased flood risk
how does farming impact the carbon cycle
crops absorb co2 from atmosphere
how does construction impact the carbon cycle
the process releases co2 as well as the emissions from the houses heating water etc
cement is a carbon intensive process
how does deforestation impact the carbon cycle
trees take in carbon if we remove them we destroy a carbon sink
how many new houses where built in the Eden Basin as well as the pollution (EB)
10,000 houses
each house = 75 tonnes of carbon
how much carbon was produced due to farming in the Eden Basin (EB)
1,400
facts for the Eden Basin water cycle (EB)
higher rainfall than national average due to relief, orographic rainfall
long and narrow drainage basin increases lag time
slopes are steep, this reduces lag time and increases peak discharge
Igneous rocks , slow infiltration, fasts surface runoff, reduced lag time.
In the Amazon what is the annual rainfall (AR)
2,300-6,000 mm
what temperature is it in the Amazon (AR)
28 Degrees Celsius
how many species of plants and animals are found in the Amazon (AR)
about half the worlds species
how many people live in the Amazon (AR)
200 million people
how tall can some trees grow in the Amazon (AR)
45m
what percentage of the world oxygen is produced by the Amazon (AR)
28%
What does the Amazon rainforest store A LOT of and how much is stored there (AR)
CARBON !!!
80-120 billion tonnes
what rainfall is in the Amazon (AR)
Convectional rainfall
In the dense forest canopy how much of the rainfall is intercepted (AR)
75%
how much water from the Amazon is discharged into the Atlantic (AR)
175,000m3/s
from 2000-07 how much rainforest was removed from the Amazon (AR)
19,368 km2
What will happen to the Amazon if temperatures increase by 2 degrees or more (AR)
20-40% of the Amazon will die off within 100 years
What does diurnal temperature mean?
This refers to the difference of temperatures in the day compared to the night (day time high, night time low). Deserts have a high diurnal temperature because the temperature in the evening is a massive difference to the temperature in the day. Places like the Amazon have a low diurnal temperature because the temperature doesn’t change too much in the day compared to the evening
What are the 5 spheres of the Earth?
- hydrosphere
- atmosphere
- cryosphere
- lithosphere
- biosphere
What is the hydrosphere?
This is all the water on the Earth’s surface (for example: rivers, lakes, oceans, etc)
What is the atmosphere?
The envelope of gasses surrounding the Earth
What is the cryosphere?
The part of the Earth’s surface where water is a solid form (for example: snow, ice, permafrost etc)
What is the biosphere?
The region of the surface of the Earth or atmosphere occupied by living organisms
What is the lithosphere?
Rigid outer part of the Earth consisting of the crust and upper mantel
