Water enquiry question 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What three parts does the water cycle consist of

A

Stores
Fluxes
Processes

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2
Q

Is the global hydrological cycle an open or closed system?

A

closed system

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3
Q

What percentage of the earth’s water is freshwater?

A

3%

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4
Q

How much water do humans have access to and what impacts can this have?

A

1%, this is a limited supply so can lead to disputes over water.

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5
Q

What is the biggest store of water and what consequences does this have?

A

Oceans, however the water is saline and therefore unavailable to humans.

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6
Q

Describe the Drainage Basin

A

An open system with external inputs and outputs = varying amounts. Often referred to as a river catchment the basin collects the precipitation within an area.

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7
Q

What are the inputs into a drainage basin?

A

Precipitation

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8
Q

What is the storage in the drainage basin?

A

Interception, surface storage, soil moisture, groundwater

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9
Q

What are the flows in the drainage basin?

A

Infiltration, percolation, groundwater flow, through flow and surface run off.

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10
Q

What are the outputs of a drainage basin?

A

Evaporation, transpiration, the river carrying the water out and evapotranspiration.

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11
Q

What is a watershed?

A

The boundary of the basin usually with a high ridge which divides the different basins

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12
Q

What 6 things impact the drainage basin?

A

The amount of precipitation
the type of precipitation
seasonality
the intensity of precipitation
the variability of precipitation
the distribution of precipitation

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13
Q

What are the three types of rainfall?

A

Cyclonic, conventional and orographic

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14
Q

What is convectional rainfall?

A

When the land becomes hot and the air above becomes warmer expands and rises. As it rises it cools and condenses and falls as rain. Common in UK summers and tropical areas.

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15
Q

What is cyclonic rainfall?

A

When the warm air is lighter and less dense so it is forced to rise over the cold and dense air this rises and cools and condenses forming rain. Regular in MCR when north air meets warm south air.

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16
Q

What is orographic rainfall?

A

When air is forced to rise over a barrier such as a mountain. The rain cools and condenses forming clouds and rain. The leeward side receives relatively less rainfall.

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17
Q

What is Interception?

A

Water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees or grass.

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18
Q

What is Surface Storage?

A

Water held on the ground surface e.g. puddles

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19
Q

What is infiltration?

A

Water sinking into the soil/ rock from the ground surface.

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20
Q

What is soil moisture?

A

Water held in the soil layer.

21
Q

What is percolation?

A

Water seeping deeper below the surface, usually in rocks

22
Q

What is groundwater?

A

Water stored in the rock

23
Q

What is transpiration?

A

Water lost through pores in vegetation

24
Q

What is evaporation?

A

Water lost from ground/ vegetation surface

25
Q

What is surface run off?

A

water flowing on the top of the ground.

26
Q

What is through flow?

A

water flowing through the soil layer parallel to the surface.

27
Q

What is groundwater flow?

A

water flowing through the rock layer parallel to the surface.

28
Q

What is the water table?

A

The current upper level of saturated rock/ soil where no more water can be absorbed.

29
Q

Infiltration can be influenced by these 5 factors?

A

Soil texture
Soil compaction
Type of vegetation
Slope angle
The amount of water already present in the land.

30
Q

What are the fluxes in the drainage basin?

A

Interception and Infiltration

31
Q

What is evapotranspiration?

A

Combines evaporation and transpiration, often difficult to distinguish between the two so are combined.

32
Q

Name the human influences on a drainage basin

A

deforestation
cloud seeding
building reservoirs and artifical lakes
aqueducts
soil compaction/ land use
groundwater use for irrigation
urbanisation

33
Q

Name the physical influences on a drainage basin

A

climate
soils
geology
relief
vegetation

34
Q

How does deforestation affect the hydrological cycle?

A

It speeds it up.

35
Q

Explain soil texture

A

the rate of infiltration can depend on different soil types and how they are combined.
sandy soil - good
clay based - poor
silt loam - average

36
Q

Explain vegetation in the water cycle

A

Interception is determined by the vegetation type, density and deforestation.
An increased infiltration = increase in surface run off = flood potential.

37
Q

Explain the impacts of deforestation in the Amazon.

A

Deforestation will reduce evapotranspiration and precipitation this will increase run off and river discharge. The Tocantins river shows a 25% increase in discharge from 1960-97 during major deforestation.

38
Q

Explain the human influence of urbanisation.

A

Creates impermeable surfaces this reducing infiltration and increases surface run off e.g. Carlisle

39
Q

Explain the human influence of groundwater abstraction.

A

Where abstraction is greater than recharge, the water table is lowered.

40
Q

Explain the human influence of dam construction.

A

This increases the water stores and evaporation and reduced down stream river discharge.

41
Q

Why are solutions to evaporation an issue?

A

Because they are a rich privilege.

42
Q

Explain channeling water under cities.

A

This speeds up the water process as there is no evaporation or infiltration this is used globally.

43
Q

What is a water budget?

A

The annual balance between inputs and outputs

44
Q

What do water budgets allow us to understand?

A

The difference between natural supply and demand and allow us to identify when precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration vice versa.

45
Q

What are the four important measures of soil moisture?

A
  • soil moisture rechrage
  • soil moisture utilisation
  • soil moisture deficit
  • soil moisture surplus
46
Q

What are river regimes?

A

The annual variation in the discharge of a river.

47
Q

What factors can impact river regimes?

A

Climate
Snowmelt
Geology
Human Activity
Dam Construction
Rainfall regimes
Deforestation

48
Q

What is a storm hydrograph?

A

Show variation in a discharge of a river at a specific point over a short period of time.

49
Q

What are the factors affecting a storm hydrograph and how do they affect it?

Name 4/8

A
  • Basin size - smaller basin = increase in peak discharge
  • Basin shape = speed of discharge - stepper = shorter lag time
  • Drainage density - the amount of rivers this increases peak discharge
  • Precipitation intensity - increase peak rainfall and discharge
  • Precipitation duration - increases lag time
  • Vegetation - increases lag time due to interception rate
  • Snowfall - increases lag time decreases peak discharge
  • Rock - permeability