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Physical geography > A.1 The Water cycle > Flashcards

A.1 The Water cycle Flashcards

1
Q

What is a system?

A

a series of stores or components that have flows or connections between them and work together

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2
Q

What is a store?

A

where something is stored

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3
Q

What are components?

A

the interrelated parts of a system

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4
Q

What are elements?

A

how the components make up the system

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5
Q

What is an attribute?

A

a property or characteristic of a component and determines how the system works

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6
Q

What are relationships?

A

the relationship between components and their interaction

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7
Q

What is an open system?

A

a system that has inputs and outputs

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8
Q

What is a closed system?

A

a system that has no inputs or outputs

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9
Q

What is an isolated system?

A

a system that is self-sufficient and contained

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10
Q

What is a cascading system?

A

a system where the output of one system becomes the input in another system
(When two or more systems interact)

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11
Q

What is positive feedback?

A

feedback in which the change amplifies further change (e.g. global warming)

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12
Q

What is negative feedback?

A

feedback in which the result of the change is reduced (the change negates the change)

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13
Q

What are the four sub-systems of the earth?

A

atmosphere
lithosphere
hydrosphere
biosphere

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14
Q

List the 5 different bodies of water

A 
rivers
lakes
oceans
seas
glaciers
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15
Q

List the 2 kinds of atmospheric water storage

A

clouds

water vapour

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16
Q

List the one kind of lithospheric water storage

A

ground water

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17
Q

List the 3 kinds of terrestrial water storage

A

surface water
ground water
biological water

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18
Q

What is permafrost?

A

permanently frozen land

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19
Q

Outline water in relation to energy

A

for every gram of water that condenses, 600 calories of energy is given out

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20
Q

What is humidity?

A

how much water vapour is in the air which is recorded as a percentage;
cool air can’t hold as much moisture as warm air

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21
Q

What is condensation?

A

where excess water in the air is converted to liquid at the dew point temperature

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22
Q

What is condensation below freezing point?

A

water sublimates changing directly from gas to solid to form hoar frost

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23
Q

What is precipitation’s direct cause?

A

Condensation is the direct cause of all forms of it

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24
Q

What is the state water vapour is in dependent on?

A

the state in which water vapour is in depends on temperature and pressure

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25
Q

How is precipitation affected at a reduced air temperature?

A

volume remains constant and forms dew, fog and hoar frost

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26
Q

How is precipitation affected by adiabatic cooling?

A

volume of air increases but there is no addition of heat

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27
Q

List the 3 types of rainfall

A

relief
frontal
convectional

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28
Q

What is adiabatic cooling?

A

the cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands

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29
Q

What is relief rainfall?

A

warm, moist air is forced over a mountainous area which means it is forced to rise, cool and condense causing precipitation. the air descends, warms up and is drier

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30
Q

What is convectional rainfall?

A

formed by rising currents of warm, moist air (often from oceans and seas)

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31
Q

What is frontal rainfall?

A

(result of a weather front) formed when a warm air front meets a cold air front, the warm air goes above it and cools so the pressure drops and water vapour condenses

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32
Q

How is rain formed?

A

air is heated and rises, rising air cools, cooling air cannot hold the amount of moisture so releases it as rain

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33
Q

How is snow formed?

A

when the temperature between the ground and the clouds remains below 0°C and moisture freezes

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34
Q

How is sleet formed?

A

when snowflakes melt into raindrops in a wedge of warm air well above the ground, then refreezes before it reaches the ground

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35
Q

How is hail formed?

A

when raindrops are carried upwards by thunderstorm updrafts into the really cold part of the atmosphere making raindrops freeze on the surface of them

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36
Q

What is the similarity between dew and hoar frost?

A

hoar frost is formed in the same way as dew when temperatures are below freezing point

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37
Q

What’s different about hoar frost compared to dew?

A

hoar frost has a feather-like appearance and moisture in the air sublimates onto surfaces

38
Q

When is the most recent glacial period?

A

2.58 million years to present (quaternary glaciation)

39
Q

What is a glacial cycle?

A

the cycle in the earth’s temperature that has periods of ice ages and interglacial periods

40
Q

What is ablation?

A

the melting and removal of water from ice

41
Q

What is accumulation?

A

the input into the glacial system

42
Q

How many glacial cycles have their been in the last how many years?

A

8 in the last 740,000

43
Q

Outline positive feedback in global warming (4)

A
  • Global temperatures rise which warm the ocean.
  • Increased oceanic temperatures makes the water less able to dissolve gas.
  • Less CO2 is able to be dissolved so it goes back into the atmosphere.
  • Since there’s more CO2 in the atmosphere, global temperatures rise
44
Q

Outline negative feedback in global warming (4)

A
  • The increased use of fossil fuels (input) mean an increase in atmospheric CO2.
  • This makes global temperatures rise.
  • More plants grow with more CO2 so the level of CO2 in atmosphere goes down
  • Less CO2 reduces global temperatures
45
Q

Give 2 examples of positive feedback (2)

A

rural-urban migration

changes in ecosystem

46
Q

What is the equation for water balance?

A

P = Q + E ± change in storage

where P is the input and Q+E are the outputs

47
Q

What is soil moisture surplus?

A

excess water in the soil (saturation)

48
Q

What is soil moisture utilisation?

A

using the soil moisture present

49
Q

What is soil moisture deficit?

A

using too much soil moisture (drier weather)

50
Q

What is soil moisture ?recharge

A

replacing the water lost through evapotranspiration

51
Q

How would a desert would look on a water balance graph?

A

a desert’s evaporation will always be higher than its precipitation

52
Q

How would a rainforest would look on a water balance graph?

A

a rainforest’s evaporation and transpiration are around the same high level but are always fluctuating above and below each other

53
Q

What is a flashy hydrograph?

A

a hydrograph showing a flash flood

54
Q

What is a subdued ?hydrograph

A

a hydrograph showing a flatter discharge and much lower cumec

55
Q

What is a cumec?

A

cubic metre (1 tonne) per second

56
Q

What is a river regime?

A

how a river’s discharge changes throughout the year

57
Q

How is a river regime calculated?

A

it is calculated by multiplying the cross-sectional area of the river by the velocity at the measuring point

58
Q

What are river regimes measured in?

A

cumecs

59
Q

What’s different about dew compared to hoar frost?

A

dew forms when the temperature drops to just above freezing and the air can’t hold more moisture resulting in condensation forming on the ground and other surfaces

60
Q

What do gauging stations do?

A

measure the change in a river’s discharge throughout the year

61
Q

How many gauging stations does the UK have?

A

around 1500

62
Q

Why does the UK have so many gauging stations?

A

because of the complex nature of our drainage system and geology

63
Q

How does gradient affect discharge?

A

steeper slopes mean faster water transfer and shorter lag time whereas gentle slopes mean slower water transfer and longer lag time

64
Q

How does antecedent rainfall affect discharge?

A

wet conditions before a storm make the ground saturated - speeding up overland flow and shortening lag time, whereas drier conditions mean rainfall can infiltrate into soil slowing lag time

65
Q

How does rock/soil type affect discharge?

A

clay soils don’t drain easily and get saturated quicker, resulting in faster overland flow and shorter lag times, whereas dry soils slow water down

66
Q

How does vegetation affect discharge?

A

no vegetation means water runs into a river quicker

so has shorter lag time whereas lots of vegetation means longer lag time due to plant interception

67
Q

How does the amount/intensity of rainfall affect discharge?

A

heavy storms result in more water entering the drainage basin resulting in higher discharge and shorter lag time

68
Q

How does drainage density affect discharge?

A

high density means shorter lag time since the water has less distance to travel whereas low density means longer lag time since the water has more distance to travel

69
Q

How does basin size affect discharge?

A

smaller basins have shorter lag times whereas larger basins have longer lag times.

70
Q

What is the water table?

A

the level beneath the ground at which the rock becomes saturated

71
Q

What are aquifers?

A

permeable rocks that contain groundwater

72
Q

What is groundwater abstraction?

A

the process of taking water from a ground source

73
Q

How is water obtained through groundwater abstraction?

A

it is pumped through boreholes and wells from underground aquifers as a source of freshwater

74
Q

What is the water obtained from groundwater abstraction used for?

A

it is used for the irrigation of crops or to produce drinking water

75
Q

What happens to the water table when water is abstracted?

A

the water table is lowered around the borehole

76
Q

List the 5 kinds of cryospheric water storage

A 
sea ice
ice sheets
ice caps
alpine glaciers
permafrost
77
Q

what is the ocean thermohaline circulation?

A

how water is transferred around the world, continually replacing deep seawater with water from the surface and slowly replacing surface water elsewhere with water rising from deeper depths

78
Q

What happens if the rate of abstraction exceeds the rates of groundwater recharge within an aquifer?

A

the water table can fall across a wide area and can lead to surface rivers drying up or the level of groundwater aquifers and the water table reducing

79
Q

What are the effects of over abstraction?

A
  • wells can dry up
  • water in streams and lakes reduces
  • water quality deteriorates
  • land subsides
80
Q

Why do wells dry up after over abstraction?

A

because of the lowered water table. This can lead to water shortages

81
Q

Why does water in streams and lakes reduce after over abstraction?

A

because removing water from groundwater sources reduces the amount available for rivers and streams. This can cause some surface rivers to dry up

82
Q

Why does water quality deteriorate after over abstraction?

A

because of saltwater intrusion. When freshwater is pumped out of the ground, saline water can migrate inland and upwards

83
Q

Why does land subside after over abstraction?

A

since water is taken out of the soil and rock, it causes soil and rock to collapse, compact and drop

84
Q

How much of Europe’s total freshwater resource is abstracted annually?

A

10% (which is a sustainable portion)

85
Q

How do some areas of Europe differ with the rest of Europe in abstraction?

A

some parts of Europe pump water from the ground faster than it’s being replenished

86
Q

What is the result of abstracting water faster than it’s being replenished?

A

sinking water tables
empty wells
higher pumping costs
saltwater intrusion

87
Q

Why are issues of over-abstraction problematic in some countries?

A

because of lower precipitation and a lot of evapotranspiration. e.g. Italy, Spain, Malta and Turkey

88
Q

Describe the geology of the London Basin in relation to water sources

A

it is dominated by cretaceous chalk, which is the major aquifer that is around 60m below central London’s surface and it varies in depth

89
Q

How is the London aquifer recharged?

A

anywhere where the chalk sticks out of the surface i.e. the North Downs or the Chilterns

90
Q

Why did over abstraction occur in the 19th century?

A

because of the huge growth in population and the increased industrial, commercial and public demand for water

Physical geography (3 decks)

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