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Environmental Science > Hydrosphere > Flashcards

Hydrosphere Flashcards

1
Q

What are the different reservoirs of water in the water cycle

A
  • oceans
  • lakes
  • rivers
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2
Q

Define the term residence time

A
  • how long water stays in a particular reservoir
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3
Q

Define the term transfer rate

A
  • how much water moves over a period of time
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4
Q

How do you work out residence time

A

residence time = volume of H2O in a reservoir/mean transfer rate

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5
Q

What is evaporation

A
  • water moves from the earths surface to the atmosphere
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6
Q

What is precipitation

A
  • water moves from the atmosphere to the ground,ocean,lakes
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7
Q

What is transpiration

A
  • water moves from plants to the atmosphere
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8
Q

What is runoff

A
  • water moves from the land to the ocean
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9
Q

What is interception

A
  • water moves from the atmosphere to the plant
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10
Q

What is infiltration

A
  • water moves from the surface to the soil
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11
Q

What is percolation

A
  • downward movement of water through the soil
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12
Q

What is ground water flow

A
  • water moving slowly through rocks towards the sea
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13
Q

What is transport by the wind

A
  • water moves over the ocean to over the land
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14
Q

What is surface flow

A
  • water flows downhill towards stream channels which join rivers and eventually reach the oceans
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15
Q

Where does the energy come from that drives the water cycle

A
  • the sun
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16
Q

Define the term abstraction

A
  • taking water from a natural reservoir for human use
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17
Q

What effects does urbanization have on the process and reservoir

A
  • reduces infiltration
  • increase interception
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18
Q

What effect does abstraction of water have on the process and reservoir

A
  • decrease water volume underground
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19
Q

What effect does agriculture have on the process and reservoir

A
  • decrease infiltration
  • increase transpiration
  • can increase and decrease interception
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20
Q

What effect does deforestation have on the process and the reservoir

A
  • decrease transpiration
  • decrease interception
  • decrease infiltration
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21
Q

What effect does afforestation have on the process and reservoir

A
  • increase transpiration
  • increase interception
  • increase infiltration
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22
Q

What effect does industry have on the process and the reservoir

A
  • slows evaporation
  • more water is being abstracted out of natural reservoirs
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23
Q

What effect does combustion have on the process and reservoir

A
  • increase evaporation
  • increase precipitation
  • increase transpiration
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24
Q

What are the 4 types of demand for water

A
  • population size
  • affluence
  • agriculture
  • industry
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25
Q

Define the term water footprint

A
  • the volume of water needed for the production of goods and services consumed by a country’s inhabitants
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26
Q

What are the uses, impacts and threats of the river nile

A

uses
- agriculture
- fishing
threats
- pollution
- climate change
impacts
- consequences for biodiversity
- decrease resources

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27
Q

What is a reservoir and why do we build them

A
  • an artificial lake where water is stored
  • to store the rain water that falls and then use it for supply’s for hotter times of the year
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28
Q

What are some advantages of using reservoirs

A
  • water store
  • flood risk management
  • for agriculture
  • healthier source of water
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29
Q

What are some disadvantages of using reservoirs

A
  • displacement of wildlife
  • impacts on fish migration
  • changes to downstream flow patterns
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30
Q

What is the ideal shape of land for a reservoir

A
  • valley with steep sides
  • river already there
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31
Q

What is the ideal geology for a reservoir

A
  • base rocks to be impermeable
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32
Q

What is the ideal catchment area for a reservoir

A
  • large catchment area
  • greater chance of creating a reservoir
33
Q

What is the ideal water supply for a reservoir

A
  • high and frequent precipitation
34
Q

What is the ideal existing land use for a reservoir

A
  • designations
35
Q

What is the ideal pollution risk for a reservoir

A
  • low pollution risk
  • can see what enters the reservoir
36
Q

What is the ideal sedimentation for a reservoir

A
  • sedimentation is low
  • low rate of soil erosion
37
Q

What is the ideal infrastructure for a reservoir

A
  • roads, power and water supply’s etc already there
  • if roads are already there, then it is cheaper
38
Q

What is an estuarine barrage

A
  • a dam built across the mouth of a river
39
Q

Problems with building an estuarine barrage

A
  • expensive
  • prevents water from flowing to the ocean
  • creates obstacles for transport systems
40
Q

Define the term aquifer

A
  • a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater
41
Q

What are the 3 main features that allow the formation of an aquifer

A
  • porosity
  • permeability
  • suitable geological structures
42
Q

What is a confined aquifer

A
  • aquifer below the land surface that is saturated with water
43
Q

What is an unconfined aquifer

A
  • where the rock is directly open at the surface of the ground and groundwater is directly recharged
44
Q

What is an artesian well

A
  • water well that doesn’t require a pump to bring water to the surface
45
Q

What is the explanation of the consequence reduced supplies

A
  • limited supplies for agriculture, industry and domestic use
  • less food production
  • migration of people
46
Q

What is the explanation of the consequence subsidence

A
  • sinking off the ground
  • makes things tilted and fractured
47
Q

What is the explanation of the consequence changes in surface hydrology

A
  • disappearance of surface water features e.g lakes
  • aquifer overused
  • water table drops
48
Q

What is the explanation of the consequence ecological impacts

A
  • loss of freshwater habitats
  • local extinction of some species
  • migration of species
49
Q

What is the explanation of the consequence saltwater incursion

A
  • we can’t drink the water or use it for agriculture
  • saltwater pollution - long residence time, so salt is harder to get out of the aquifer
50
Q

How can we monitor aquifer water levels and rates of depletion

A
  • boreholes - physically monitor the water table
  • NASA - GRACE satellites - measures gravity levels
51
Q

what is the most important aquifer in the UK

A
  • London basin
52
Q

Define the term aquifer recharge

A
  • refilling of the aquifer
53
Q

How has the north china plain been overabstracted

A
  • aquifer is unbalanced
  • due to declining groundwater levels, it can lead to drying up of streams
54
Q

How has malta overabstracted their aquifer

A
  • little lakes and rivers
  • many tunnels connecting to aquifer
  • water is being extracted quicker than its being replenished
55
Q

Explain how rainwater is harvested and used in modern/eco buildings

A
  • it can be collected from roofs of homes etc
  • installing gutters on roofs
  • sand filters are used to remove harmful particulates
56
Q

Explore new ways of exploiting water

A
  • desalination
  • sewage treatment
  • recycling water
57
Q

How are aquifers recharged artificially

A
  • take water from surplus places and move it to a place where it can infiltrate into the ground and recharge an aquifer
58
Q

Define the term inter basin transfer

A
  • moving water from a surplus area to a depleting area
59
Q

How can we reduce domestic, industrial and agricultural water consumption

A
  • a water metre
  • drip irrigation
60
Q

Impacts of turbidity

A
  • blocks out light for photosynthesising organisms
  • aesthetics - doesn’t look good
61
Q

Why do we test for ph

A
  • metals more readily go into solutions in acidic conditions
62
Q

Impact of calcium content

A
  • calcium may precipitate out and build up on pipes and appliances
63
Q

Impact of pesticide concentration

A
  • increase of it, leads to harm to non-interested pests
  • organisms will become predated upon
64
Q

Impacts of heavy metal concentration

A
  • toxic to many organisms
  • they can affect nervous system
65
Q

Impacts of dissolved oxygen

A
  • aquatic organisms require dissolved oxygen
  • supports bacteria that can help breakdown organic matter
66
Q

Impacts of chlorine retention

A
  • kills pathogens in water
67
Q

Impacts of E.coli

A
  • it makes humans sick
68
Q

What are screens and what are they used for

A
  • water is passed through metal grids
  • removes large items such as fish and plastic
69
Q

What is sedimentation and what is it used for

A
  • water is stored in sedimentation tanks
  • allows for any suspended particles to settle out
70
Q

What is aeration and what is it used for

A
  • encourage aerobic bacteria
  • they break down the organic matter
71
Q

What is flocculation/coagulation and clarification and what is it used for

A
  • some of the suspended particles don’t settle out
  • it removes the electrostatic charge of clay particles which cause them to stick together - they flock
72
Q

What is filtration and what is it used for

A
  • allow water to perculate through sand
  • removes bacteria and remaining particles
73
Q

What are activated carbon filters and what are they used for

A
  • chemicals are attracted to the carbon
  • this removes pesticides
74
Q

What is sterilisation and what is it used for

A
  • add chlorine
  • bubble ozone through the water
  • removes pathogens
75
Q

What is ph control and what is it used for

A
  • alkaline - add an acid
  • acidic - add limestone
  • maintains water
76
Q

What is fluoridation

A
  • add fluoride to water
  • this improves dental health
77
Q

What is ion exchange and what is it used for

A
  • metals adsorb to the ion exchange resins
  • removes metals
78
Q

Describe the process of reverse osmosis

A
  • use a semi-permeable membrane
  • water molecules can pass through but sand can’t
  • salty water is put back into the sea
79
Q

Describe the process of distillation

A
  • get the saltwater
  • allow for evaporation
  • collect the condensed water
  • salt is left behind in original container

Environmental Science (19 decks)

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