Booklets 1 & 2 - The Water Cycle and Systems Geography Flashcards
(15 cards)
Anthropogenic Climate Change Definition
Human-caused changes to the climate as a result of human industry and agriculture.
Abstraction Definition
The removal of water from a natural source
5 Spheres in the Earth’s System
Atmosphere - A layer of gases and suspended solids that surrounds the earth, extending thousands of miles above the surface.
Biosphere - The region of the earth where life exists, encompassing all living organisms and their interactions with the non-living environment.
Cryosphere - The frozen components of the earth’s system, encompassing frozen rivers, lakes, snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets and frozen soil.
Hydrosphere - All the water on Earth, in any state, found in a variety of reservoirs.
Lithosphere - The Earth’s relatively hard outer layer, which includes the crust and upper mantle.
Positive Feedback Definition
Where the effects of an action are amplified by subsequent knock-on effects.
Negative Feedback Definition
Where the effects of an action are nullified by its subsequent knock-on effects.
Dynamic Equilibrium Definition
When the inputs and outputs of a system are balanced, flows and processes continue to occur, but in the same way at all times, so there are no overall changes to the system.
Cascading System
Input —> Store —> Output
I
I
Input —> Store —> Output
Example of a Positive Feedback Cycle
Melting Permafrost (ground that remains below 0 degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive years) releases methane, which raises the temperature through contributing to global warming and amplifying the melting of the permafrost.
Example of a Negative Feedback Cycle
Carbon Dioxide is emitted, which leads to increased plant growth as they take up for C02. This means takes C02 out of the atmosphere and the original increase s nullified.
Water Storage by Sphere
Hydrosphere - 96.5%
Cryosphere - 1.7%
Lithosphere - 1.7%
Atmosphere - 0.001%
Biosphere <1%
Hill Slope Water Cycle Flows and Stores
STORES:
- river
- interception
- groundwater
- surface
- soil
- cloud
FLOWS:
- streamflow
- precipitation
- evapotranspiration
- percolation
- groundwater flow
Outline how clouds are formed
1) Cooling air that can cause the vapour molecules in the air to slow down
2) Molecules cluster (condense) as they slow down to form tiny liquid droplets
3) They normally need some sort of particles (dust) to condense- called condensation nuclei
4) A cloud is composed of tiny water droplets
What is latent heat?
The energy needed to change the state of a substance
What are Aquifers
Vast Underground Reservoirs which hold 30% of all freshwater
What is a Soil Water Budget
The changes in the soil water store during the course of a year
