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Limnology > The Water Cycle > Flashcards

The Water Cycle Flashcards

1
Q

This is the major input to a watershed and is a factor in the types of soils and vegetation that occur in a watershed

A

Precipitation

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2
Q

Precipitation occurs when these two events happen

A

When the atmosphere becomes saturated and the water/ice particles become large enough to fall to the Earth

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3
Q

This happens when a substance goes from gas to liquid

A

Condensation

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4
Q

This happens when a substance goes from solid to gas

A

Sublimation

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5
Q

Generally, precipitation occurs because of the movement of these, when they cool and become saturated

A

Air masses

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6
Q

What are the three mechanisms of air mass movement that cause precipitation?

A
  1. Frontal systems; 2. Orographic uplift; 3. Convectional lifting
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7
Q

This happens when two air fronts of differing temperatures meet, causing condensation and precipitation

A

Frontal lifting

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8
Q

This happens when an air mass rises over a geographic formation, cools, then precipitates

A

Orographic lifting

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9
Q

This happens when air is warmed by the sun, rises, condenses, and precipitates

A

Convective lifting

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10
Q

What are three ways to measure precipitation?

A
  1. Automated weather stations; 2. Radar; 3. Manual methods
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11
Q

Before this method of measuring precipitation, there was a large amount of error

A

Radar

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12
Q

Before radar, precipitation measurement error was based on this nature of precipitation

A

Spatial nature

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13
Q

What are three problems with using radar to measure precipitation?

A
  1. Determining the type of precipitation; 2. Measuring amounts of precipitation; 3. Precipitation coverage
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14
Q

What can mitigate the problems of measuring precipitation with radar?

A

Increasing the number of stations

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15
Q

Information about precipitation from these events is often the most valuable for watershed management

A

Extreme events

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16
Q

Knowing the likelihood of extreme events is valuable for these purposes

A

Planning purposes

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17
Q

What is a 100 year flood event?

A

1 in 100 chance of a flood in a particular year

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18
Q

This is the portion of precipitation that does not reach the ground

A

Interception

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19
Q

What are three things that can intercept precipitation?

A

Vegetation, natural features, constructed features

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20
Q

Does interception contribute to runoff?

A

No

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21
Q

Interception returns to the atmosphere via these two processes

A

Evaporation or sublimation

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22
Q

During the initial stages of a precipitation event, these are filled

A

Interception storage sites

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23
Q

After the initial stages of a precipitation event, subsequent precipitation displaces the precipitation in the interception storage sites and causes it to flow downward into what two different forms?

A

Throughfall and stemflow

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24
Q

This is the process of precipitation passing through the plant canopy

A

Throughfall

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25
Q

This is the process that directs precipitation down plant branches and stems

A

Stemflow

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26
Q

Because of stemflow, this area receives additional moisture

A

Ground area around plant’s stem

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27
Q

What are five factors that control precipitation interception?

A
  1. Leaf shape/texture; 2. Time of year; 3. Vegetation density; 4. Age of plant community; 5. Amount of precipitation
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28
Q

What is the formula for net precipitation?

A

Total precipitation - interception = net precipitation

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29
Q

What are two results of decreasing interception and therefore increasing net precipitation?

A

Increased runoff and increased infiltration

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30
Q

Changing this changes interception

A

Vegetation type/structure

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31
Q

What are five examples of activities that decrease interception?

A

Farming, fires, grazing, logging, vegetation loss

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32
Q

Interception of this type of precipitation is a significant factor in net precipitation or spring runoff and the forest hydrological cycle

A

Snow

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33
Q

These sites are highly variable in regard to precipitation interception

A

Urban sites

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34
Q

These can intercept precipitation at urban sites such as parking lots

A

Impervious surfaces

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35
Q

Are interception sites often present in urban areas?

A

No

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36
Q

This is the loss of water from a surface resulting from a change in the state of water from liquid to vapor

A

Evaporation

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37
Q

This is the diffusion of water vapor from a plant to the atmosphere

A

Transpiration

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38
Q

This is the combined effect of both evaporation and transpiration

A

Evapotranspiration

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39
Q

Why are evaporation and transpiration combined into one value

A

It is virtually impossible to measure the effects of each separately in watershed management

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40
Q

Can evapotranspiration dominate the eventual fate of net precipitation in many areas?

A

Yes

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41
Q

For most of the U.S., which contributes more to evapotranspiration: transpiration or evaporation?

A

Transpiration

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42
Q

What are eight factors that affect evapotranspiration?

A
  1. Net solar radiation; 2. Wind speed; 3. Soil moisture; 4. Reflective land-surface characteristics; 5. Surface area of water; 6. Density/type of vegetation; 7. Root depth; 8. Season of year
43
Q

What is the primary source of energy for evapotranspiration?

A

Net solar radiation

44
Q

Is net solar radiation uniform across the U.S.?

A

No

45
Q

What are two characteristics of areas that have the highest rates of evapotranspiration?

A

High precipitation and high solar radiation

46
Q

Do areas in the western U.S. have high evapotranspiration?

A

No

47
Q

What region of the U.S. has the highest rates of evapotranspiration?

A

Southeast

48
Q

Forest management practices influence the amount of evapotranspiration by reducing this

A

Plant biomass

49
Q

Will changing the type of vegetation influence the amount of water available for evapotranspiration?

A

Yes

50
Q

These are plants that reduce certain hydrological functions, such as streamflow

A

Phreatophytes

51
Q

What are four examples of phreatophytes?

A

Salt cedar, cottonwood, desert trees, alfalfa

52
Q

Does bare soil allow for evaporation only?

A

Yes

53
Q

Is soil evaporation a slower process than transpiration?

A

Yes

54
Q

To what depth can evaporation deplete soil water?

A

0.4 m

55
Q

This process puts more water into the landscape, allowing for increased evapotranspiration

A

Irrigation

56
Q

Flood irrigation causes water loss from evapotranspiration through this type of vegetation

A

Non-target vegetation

57
Q

This is a theoretical measurement of the amount of evapotranspiration that would take place if plants and the soil surface were never short of water

A

Potential evapotranspiration

58
Q

This is the process by which water enters the soil surface

A

Infiltration

59
Q

What are two processes by which water moves into the soil surface?

A

Capillary action (matrix potential gradient) and gravity

60
Q

Water moves through either of these two features of the soil

A

Micropores or macropores

61
Q

Micropores are associated with this aspect of soil

A

Soil texture

62
Q

What is the dominant force in water movement through macropores?

A

Capillary action

63
Q

What are four examples of macropores in soil?

A
  1. Worm holes; 2. Cracks; 3. Decayed roots; 4. Spaces between soil aggregates/particles
64
Q

What is the dominant force in water movement through macropores?

A

Gravity

65
Q

This is the amount of water that moves into the soil surface over time

A

Infiltration rate

66
Q

What are three factors important to infiltration rate?

A
  1. Ease of entry into the soil surface; 2. Storage capacity within the soil; 3. Transmission rate through soil
67
Q

This acts as a storage component and as a protective cover maintaining open soil pores

A

Plant litter

68
Q

Plant litter prevents this from happening to soil aggregates

A

Destabilization

69
Q

Plant litter prevents these particles from moving and filling pores

A

Clay particles

70
Q

Areas without plant litter support fewer of these

A

Macropore-creating organisms

71
Q

After how long a period of precipitation do infiltration rates decline?

A

1 to 2 hours

72
Q

What are three reasons why infiltration rates slow after 1 to 2 hours of precipitation?

A
  1. Gravity-fed capacity fills to a stabilized rate; 2. Pore spaces fill up and become blocked; 3. Soil particles swell
73
Q

This is the maximum rate that water infiltrates into the soil

A

Infiltration capacity

74
Q

This occurs when precipitation exceeds the infiltration capacity

A

Runoff

75
Q

What is the formula for runoff rate?

A

Rainfall rate - Infiltration capacity = Runoff rate

76
Q

What are two ways runoff can begin?

A

As small depressions retaining water or as water moving over the surface

77
Q

What are 10 factors that control soil infiltration?

A
  1. Antecedent soil water content; 2. Frost; 3. Surface roughness; 4. Slope; 5. Soil compaction; 6. Impervious subsurface layers; 7. Surface sealing; 8. Hydrophobic conditions; 9. Organic content; 10. Soil and water temperatures
78
Q

Water that enters the soil will do this through the soil via gravity and capillary action

A

Percolate

79
Q

This is the downward movement of water through the soil

A

Percolation

80
Q

Once there is no further infiltration and the water moving by gravity has drained, a soil is said to be at this state

A

Field capacity

81
Q

What holds the water in the soil when it is at field capacity?

A

Capillary action/matric potential gradient

82
Q

Does the amount of water held at field capacity differ for various soils?

A

Yes

83
Q

What are the three basic types of runoff?

A
  1. Overland (Hortonian) flow; 2. Subsurface flow; 3. Saturated overland flow
84
Q

This type of runoff occurs across the soil surface once depressions are filled, and/or when precipitation exceeds infiltration capacity

A

Overland/Hortonian flow

85
Q

This type of runoff occurs as a shallow sheet of water or a series of rivulets/rills as it flows down hill

A

Overland/Hortonian flow

86
Q

Does overland/Hortonian flow decrease in depth and velocity as it flows downhill?

A

No

87
Q

Is some overland/Hortonian flow trapped as depression storage?

A

Yes

88
Q

Does overland/Hortonian flow occur anywhere infiltration is decreased?

A

Yes

89
Q

Do impermeable surfaces have low overland/Hortonian flow?

A

No

90
Q

What are three examples of surfaces that have high overland/Hortonian flow?

A

Rocks, compacted soil, urban areas

91
Q

Do non-vegetated surfaces have overland/Hortonian flow?

A

Yes

92
Q

This type of runoff is the water that flows through the soil and arrives at a discharge area, stream, or other water body, in a short enough period of time as thought to be the result of the recent precipitation event

A

Subsurface flow/interflow

93
Q

What are the three mechanisms responsible for subsurface flow/interflow?

A

Hydraulic pressure, gravity and differences in soils

94
Q

The interplay of these five ground characteristics influences subsurface flow/interflow

A
  1. Matric potential; 2. Pore space; 3. Macropores; 4. Pipes; 5. Rock fractures
95
Q

Subsurface flow/interflow can join with ground water or continue through the soil until it reaches one of these

A

Outlets

96
Q

Often, a subsurface flow/interflow can meet one of these and flow along it until it reaches an outlet

A

Impervious layer/aquitard

97
Q

When subsurface flow/interflow reaches the ground water, it often raises this so that water from the ground water flows at a higher rate into an outlet

A

Water table

98
Q

Can subsurface flow/interflow reappear at the surface and flow overland to a stream or water body?

A

Yes

99
Q

This type of runoff includes ground water or subsurface flow that is now flowing over the surface and the direct precipitation that falls in with the flowing ground water

A

Saturated overland flow

100
Q

Where litter and vegetation densely cover the ground and soils have high infiltration capability, little to no this is measurable or thought to occur

A

Overland flow

101
Q

From what do sources does runoff come in densely vegetated areas?

A

Saturated overland flow near the stream and rapid subsurface flow

102
Q

? variable source area concept

A
103
Q
A

Limnology (12 decks)

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