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Core Physical Flashcards

(51 cards)

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1
Q

Water Table

A

level at which pore spaces and fractures in ground become saturated.
Above = unsaturated
Below = saturated

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2
Q

Groundwater recharge

A

recharged by precipitation & surface water bodies seeping into groundwater stores. Storm events less effective

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3
Q

Field Capacity

A

no more water can infiltrate the soil

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4
Q

Formation of springs

A

1) Permeable rock meets impermeable rock, causing infiltrated water to build up and escape as a spring
2) Water table meets surface, causing discharge of groundwater

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5
Q

Influences on Hydrographs - CLIMATE

A

Climate - Precipitation, Temperature, antecedent moisture

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6
Q

Influences on Hydrographs - TOPOGRAPHY AND RELIEF

A

Rough & Jagged - ↓ velocity

Steeper slope - ↑ velocity, less time to infiltrate = ↑overland flow

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7
Q

Types of Erosion

A

Corrasion: Scraping and Grinding along river channel
Solution: Water dissolving parts of rock/soil
Hydraulic Action: Force of water causes rocks to fragment
Cavitation: water enters small cracks, increases pressure and widens cracks

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8
Q

Transportation

A

Traction: Rolling of large rocks
Saltation: pebbles bounced along bed
Suspension: small pebbles carried
Solution: Soluble materials carried within water

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9
Q

Hjülstrom Curve

A

Graph shows how velocity affects rivers material

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10
Q

Riffle-pool sequences

A

alternating patterns of shallow and deeper water in a river channel

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11
Q

Prevention: Forecasts and warnings

A

Forecasting: precipitation forecasts - estimate level of flood risk in an area, allowing for warnings to be issued as soon as possible
UK warnings: Met Office issues flood alerts (🟠) flood warnings and severe flood warnings (🔴)

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12
Q

Predicting flood risk

A

floods modelled to show different factors that effect likelihood of flood e.g. slope, topography

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13
Q

River Don Case study

A

84mm rainfall in south yorkshire
groundwater flooding: late november, major incident declared
IMPACTS: 6 severe flood warnings issued, thousands of properties evacuated, 1,000 properties flooded
Flood defences: Put in place 2007, EA said these significantly reduced damage in 2019, sandbags on side of rivers at towns

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14
Q

shortwave radiation

A

incoming directly from sun

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15
Q

longwave radiation

A

energy received by earth stored as heat energy. when ground warms it is re-radiated as longwave radiation

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16
Q

Latent heat transfer

A

occurs when water evaporates, moving heat from surface to atmosphere

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17
Q

sensible heat transfer

A

transfer of parcels of air from point at which budget is assesed

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18
Q

Wind belts

A

wind patterns that cover the planet. Changes in air pressure make winds blow from high to low
3 main types: Polar easterlies, Prevailing westerlies, tropical easterlies

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19
Q

Jet streams

A

strong, regular winds which blow in upper atmosphere, 10km above surface as part of rossby waves. 2 each hemisphere, 100-300km/h

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20
Q

types of jet stream

A

30-50 Polar Jet, 20-20 Sub Tropical Jet

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21
Q

Absolute and Relative humidity

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A

Absolute humidity - amount of Water Vapour in atmosphere
Relative humidity - amount of Water Vapour in atmosphere, expressed as % of maximum amount of water that air can hold at temperature

22
Q

Adiabatic processes

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A

rising & sinking of air

23
Q

Radiation cooling

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A

calm, clear evenings. surface loses heat as sun goes down. Air near ground cooled & condensed, precipitation occurs

24
Q

advection fog

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A

warm, moist air moves over cold surface. Air cools and condensation takes place

25
Hail
raindrops carried up and down in vertical air currents. freezing and melting may occur several times before pellet large enough to escape cloud
26
Case Study: Vancouver
Tarmac roads absorb heat and release through night = ↑ average temperature. Dense, tall buildings create less of an angle for heat loss during nights = ↑ average temperature in downtown vancouver Central heating common in most homes, ↑ burning of fossil fuels for fires etc wind - skyscrapers decrease wind strength as they deflect air flow, create wind tunnels = ↓temperature Humidity - lower in city area than surrounding area due to drains and transpiration of plants. higher around harbour and stanley park Precipitation - buildings force moist air to rise, causing convection
27
Asthenosphere, Lithosphere and crust
Asthenosphere: the very top layer of the mantle, semi-molten, constant movement Lithosphere: broken up into plates, top layer is crust Crust: Oceanic is dense, destroyed by plate movement. Continental is less dense and not destroyed by plate movement
28
Types of Plate Boundary
Destructive →← Constructive ←→ Conservative ↑↓
29
Formations at different plate boundaries
Destructive: C+O - ocean trench, fold mountains, volcanoes. O+O - ocean trench, fold mountains, underwater volcanoes, island arcs. C+C - fold mountains Constructive: O+O - Sea floor spreading. C+C - Rift valley, volcanoes, lifted rocks (horsts) and valley (graben) Conservative: no landforms but fault lines may occur on continental crust
30
Physical and Chemical weathering
Physical - affects rock and rock formations | Chemical - caused by chenical reactions
31
Types of Physical weathering
freeze-thaw, heating/cooling, Salt crystal growth, pressure release, vegetation root action
32
Types of Chemical weathering
Hydrolysis, Hydration, Carbonation
33
Hydrolysis
Rock reacts with water and soluble rocks break down e.g. chalk
34
Hydration
water absorbed into substance, causing new substance to form. e.g. Anhydrite + Water ⇢ Gypsum. rocks expand
35
Carbonation
CO2 dissolved in water (carbonic acid) reacts with rocks & breaks them down
36
Factors affecting weathering
Climate, rock type & structure, Vegetation, Relief
37
How does climate affect weathering
Temperature & Precipitation: Alpine climates - fluctuating temperatures = ↑ freeze-thaw Dry climates - ↑ Salt crystal growth
38
Water & sediment movement
Rainsplash - Rain hits surface, displaces soil particles, moves downhill Sheetwash - Overland Flow. Sheet of water flows over surface, takes top layer Rills - Small streams develop by erosive flowing water. develop into rivines
39
Types of mass movement
Heaves - Cohesive & non-cohesive. slowest and most prevalent e.g. frost heave and soil creep Flows - Cohesive e.g. mudflow. controlled by moisture Falls - Rocks, sudden & dramatic. triggered by freeze thaw, seismic waves & gravitational stress Slides - Fast movement of rock, earth or debris down slope e.g. rockslides. triggered by seismic waves & gravitational stress
40
Decreasing stability
↑ stress or ↓ strength via mining, construction, tourism, agriculture and forestry
41
Increasing stability
afforestation, netting, pinning, grading
42
pinning
soil nailing - steel rods which carry weight drilled into soil. Rock bolting - bolts drilled in a specific pattern to transfer load from weak exterior to strong interior of the slope.
43
California Case study
Causes of mass movement: intense rainfall. 5-6mm/hour in SW california. San Gabriel mountains: 400m slides triggered by 76-100mm rainfall. Oil and water extraction, earthquakes, steep relief and construction Examples: 18 April 1906 & 3-5 Jan 1982 - landslides 10 jan 2005 - mudslide december 2020 - mudflow
44
Drainage basin is made up of
outputs, stores, flows
45
outputs
Evaporation, Evapotranspiration, River Discharge
46
stores
Interception, soil water (upper levels of soil), surface water, Groundwater (pore spaces of rock), channel storage
47
Above ground flows
Throughfall: Leaves → Ground Stemflow: Intercepted water flows down stem Overland Flow: water cannot infiltrate soil Channel Flow: Streams and Rivers
48
Below Ground Flows
Infiltration: water from above ground → soil Percolation: Ground → porous rock or rock fractures Throughflow: water floes through soil into channels Groundwater Flow: through permeable rocks below water table Baseflow: level of channel flow with no overland flow
49
Surface pressure belt
equatorial low pressure trough, sub-tropical high pressure belt, sub antarctic & sub polar areas, polar highs
50
Ocean Currents
continuous, predictable, directional movement of sea water driven by gravity, wind and water density. Horizontal movements are referred to as currents
51
Cloud Shape
Stratus: little uplift, wide area cumulus: more uplift, localised area

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