Geo water Flashcards
(47 cards)
What is the cryosphere?
The cryosphere contains the frozen water storage of Earth
How is water stored in the atmosphere?
water vapour
What is the biosphere?
Water is absorbed by plants and stored for growth and development. Additionally, animals may drink water and also store it in them.
Hydrosphere water storage % on Earth?
Hydrosphere storage accounts for 96.5% of all water on earth
Cryosphere storage accounts for … of all water on earth
2%
Atmospheric storage accounts for … of all water on earth
0.001%
Lithosphere storage accounts for … of all water on earth
1.7%
Residence time ocean waters?
3,600 years
Ice caps residence time?
15,000
atmospheric moisture residence time?
10 days
soil moisture residence time?
2-50 weeks
Drainage basin?
Drainage basins refer to the area of land drained by a major river and its tributaries
Confluence?
A confluence occurs when two or more flowing bodies of water join together to form a single channel.
Water budget?
The water budget is the annual balance between precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff.
orographic rainfall?
produced when moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range.
Frontal rainfall?
Frontal precipitation results when the leading edge of a warm, moist air mass meets a cool & dry air mass. (Atlantic & Canada)
Convecntional rainfall?
when the energy of the sun heats the surface of the Earth, causing water to evaporate. (tropical areas)
How is infiltration affected?
Cool temps so less evaporation
Soil has to be porous and premeable
Rough texture
Gentle slope / flat
less runoff, more infiltration
Vegetation
More vegetation = more infiltration due to interception which slows precipitation
Roots break up soil, so more porous
How is through fall affected?
porous and permeable soil will have more infiltration so more water in soil to move
Relief, the steeper the more likely it is to happen as it has less time to infiltrate
Vegetation, more infiltration
Interception how is it affected?
Vegetation, if trees capture the water, they slow down the rate of water falling into the soil
Transpiration how is it affected?
Vegetation, if trees capture the water, they slow down the rate of water falling into the soil
Physical factors that affect inputs, outputs & flows?
- climate
- soils
- geology
- relief
- vegetation
How do humans disrupt the drainage basin?
- cloud seeding
- urbanisation
- dams
- ground water abstraction
Amazon rainforest deforestation statistic?
+700,000 km2 an area the size of two Germany’s
