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Geography Key Terms > Water > Flashcards

Water Flashcards

1
Q

what is a closed system

A

where energy can travel into, within, and out of the system

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2
Q

what is an open system

A

where energy and matter can travel into, within, and out of the system

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3
Q

what is a store/resevoir

A

a place where water is stored

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4
Q

what are flows

A

the processes that move water from one store to another

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5
Q

what is a flux

A

a flow with a quantity

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6
Q

what system is the hydrosphere

A

a closed system

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7
Q

what powers the global hydrological cycle

A

solar radiation and gravity

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8
Q

what are the top 3 stores of water on Earth

A
  1. oceans
  2. ice caps and glaciers
  3. groundwater
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9
Q

what is an aquifer

A

a manmade underground water store

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10
Q

what is inflitration

A

when water travels through soil

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11
Q

what is percolation

A

when water travels through rocks due to gravity

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12
Q

what is the cryosphere

A

the frozen parts of the planet

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13
Q

what is permafrost

A
  1. soil that has been frozen for more than 2 years in a row
  2. may be in patches or large areas
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14
Q

what are proportional flow lines

A

lines where as the quantity of water increases, so does its size and/or width

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15
Q

what are residency times

A

the average amount of time water molecules stay in a store

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16
Q

where are the longest residency times found

A
  1. ice caps and glaciers
  2. groundwater
  3. deep oceans and seas
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17
Q

where are the shortest residency times found

A
  1. biospheric water
  2. atmospheric water
  3. soil
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18
Q

why are residency times important

A
  1. help to manage water supplies
  2. increases the vulnerability of an area
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19
Q

what is a drainage basin

A

the area of land being drained by a river system

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20
Q

what is a watershed

A

the boundary of the drainage basin

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21
Q

What factors affect the inputs, stores, flows, and outputs of a drainage basin

A
  1. climate
  2. soil effects
  3. relief
  4. vegetation
  5. geology
  6. human impacts
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22
Q

What factors affect Precipitation (drainage basins main inputs)

A
  1. form
  2. amount
  3. intensity
  4. seasonality
  5. distribution
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23
Q

what is orographic rainfall

A
  1. when the relief of the land forces water to rise and fall
  2. usually has a wetter side
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23
Q

what is convectional rainfall

A
  1. buoyant parcels of humid air rise as the surface is heated
  2. warm air cools, condenses, forms clouds, and precipitates
  3. dry mornings and wet afternoons
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24
Q

What is frontal rainfall

A
  1. warm air masses rise above cold, denser air
  2. cold air moves one way and precipitates
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25
Q

what are the 3 main causes of precipitation

A
  1. orographic
  2. convectional
  3. frontal
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26
Q

what influences the amount of precipitation

A
  1. rates of convection (climate, pressure belts)
  2. monsoon climate
  3. continentality
  4. mountains (orographic rainfall)
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27
Q

what is a monsoon climate

A

distinctive wet seasons (2-3 months)

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28
Q

what is continentality

A

distance from the sea

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29
Q

which places are usually wet

A

places where air meets and rises

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30
Q

which places are usually dry

A

places where air meets and falls

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31
Q

How can humans disrupt the flows and stores within a drainage basin

A
  1. infrastructure (sewage, HEP, irrigation)
  2. groundwater extraction
  3. deforestation
  4. arable farming
  5. pasture farming
  6. urbanisation
  7. global warming
  8. lakes and resevoirs
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32
Q

How does deforestation impact the hydrological cycle

A
  1. increase in throughfall + decerase in interception = more overland flow
  2. decrease in evapotranspiration = less humidity and atmospheric moisture
  3. soil compaction = impermeable soil
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33
Q

what does soil moisture surplus mean

A

there is more rainfall arriving than leaving

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34
Q

what does soil moisture saturation mean

A

water is used up and decreases

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35
Q

what does ‘maximum annual temperatures’ mean

A

the hottest time and increased rates of evapotranspiration

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36
Q

what does soil moisture deficiency mean

A

all the water is used up and there are more outputs than inputs

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37
Q

what does soil moisture recharge mean

A

more rainfall is arriving than leaving

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38
Q

what does field capacity mean

A

soil is full and can’t store anymore

39
Q

what is a river regime

A

the difference in the discharge of the river through the year

40
Q

what does discharge mean

A

the volume of water that flows past a point in a river per second

41
Q

what facotrs affect a river regime

A
  1. geology
  2. altitude
  3. land use
  4. climatic differences
42
Q

what is a simple river regime

A

when a river has a high flow in one part of the year and a low flow in the other

43
Q

where are simple river regimes found

A

in smaller rivers or climate zones

44
Q

what are complex river regimes

A

rivers with multiple high and low flow periods

45
Q

where are complex river regimes found

A

larger rivers or rivers than run through multiple climate zones

46
Q

what factors influence the shape of a hydrograph

A
  1. geology
  2. shape
  3. relief
  4. land-use
  5. vegetation
47
Q

what are the characteristics of flat hydrographs

A
  1. gentle rising limb
  2. long lag time
  3. low peak discharge
48
Q

what are the characteristics of flashy hydrographs

A
  1. steep rising limb
  2. short lag time
  3. high peak discharge
49
Q

what factors in flashy rivers determine the shape of their storm hydrographs

A
  1. passes through multiple climate zones
  2. intense rainfall
  3. impermeable rocks
  4. non-absorbant and hard soil (clay based)
  5. high altitude and relief (mountainous, steep)
  6. circular shape
  7. tributaries meet at one point
  8. a lack of vegetation
  9. saturated antecedent conditions
  10. more urban areas
50
Q

what factors in flat rivers determine the shape of their storm hydrographs

A
  1. prolonged low intensity rainfall
  2. permeable rocks
  3. absorbant/porous and soft soil
  4. low altitude and relief (gentle plane)
  5. long shape
  6. tributaries meet at different points
  7. trees, shrubs, etc. in the area
  8. unsaturated and dry antecedent conditions
  9. less urban areas
  10. more dams/river management
51
Q

why were Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS’s) introduced

A

introduced to reduce surface runoff produced by rainfall

52
Q

what are meterological droughts

A

shortfalls in precipitation due to short-term variability in the long term average

53
Q

what are hydrological droughts

A

reduced stream flow and groundwater levels due to reduced inputs of precipitation and high rates of evaporation

54
Q

what do hydrological droughts cause

A
  1. reduced storage in lakes and resevoirs
  2. salinization
  3. poorer water quality
55
Q

what are agricultural droughts

A

when rainfall deficiency from meterological drought leads to a deficiency in soil moisture and soil water availability

56
Q

what do agricultural droughts affect

A
  1. plant growth
  2. reduction in biomass
57
Q

what are famines

A

a humanitarian crisis where widespread failure of agricultural systems lead to food shortages, leading to severe environmental, social, and economic impacts

58
Q

what can be measured to monitor and record droughts

A
  1. rainfall
  2. temperature
  3. soil moisture
  4. river flow
  5. surface and groundwater storage extraction rates
  6. time scale of drought
59
Q

what are the physical causes of drought

A
  1. short fall in rainfall
  2. heatwaves
  3. late monsoon seasons
  4. ENSO cycles
  5. climate change
60
Q

what are the human causes of droughts

A
  1. populaiton increase
  2. growth of industry
  3. deforestation
  4. contamination
  5. soil degredation
  6. salt water encroachment
  7. over abstraction
  8. climate change
61
Q

WHat happens during El Nino Southern Oscillation cycles

A
  1. trade winds either flip or weaken
  2. this causeshot water to move towards S.America and make it wetter
  3. cold water upwells and is pushed towards SE Asia and Australia, making it drier
62
Q

what happens during La Nina Southern Oscillation cycles

A
  1. usually occur after ENSO (lasts for 1 year)
  2. trade winds become more intense
  3. hot water is pushed owards SE Asia and Australia and causes intense rainfall
  4. cooler water upwells at S.Americamaking it cooler and causes more rainfall
63
Q

what are ENSO cycles

A

a natural climatic cycle (2-7 years) where surface temperatures in the South Pacific change

64
Q

what does the atmospheric circulation model show

A
  1. hot air meets at ITCZ and rises (wet)
  2. hot air meets cold air and sinks (dry)
  3. cold air meets and rises (wet)
65
Q

what is the Intertropical Convergance Zone

A

the place where trade winds meet (near the equator)

66
Q

what are the implications of the ITCZ

A
  1. places can be without rain if the ITCZ drifts or is late
  2. rainfall in equitorial nations are affected by seasonal shifts
  3. there are possiblities of severe droughts and floods in nearby areas
67
Q

what is a monsoon

A
  1. a particularly wet season that lasts for around 7 months
  2. hot air rises and cold moisture replaces it
68
Q

what is a blocking high pressure system

A
  1. when a high pressure system stays stationary over a place for a prolonged period of time
  2. causes a lack of rainfall
  3. can block more unstable weather moving in
  4. low pressure systems move around them causing other places to experience the rain
69
Q

what is the Indian Ocean Dipole

A

the difference in sea surface temperature on either side of the Indian Ocean, altering rainfall patterns in the region

70
Q

what happens during a positive IOD

A

waters in the Eastern Indian Ocean become cooler than normal, while waters in the west become warmer

71
Q

what are the effects of positive IOD

A
  1. warmer water = rising warm, moist air = intense rainfall and flooding in E.Africa
  2. reduced atmospheric moisture over cooler waters of the eastern Indian Ocean turns off one of Australia’s most important rainfall sources
72
Q

what is an ecosystem

A

a community of organisms that interact with each other and their environment

73
Q

what are the impacts of droughts on forests

A
  1. foliage loss
  2. impaired growth
  3. increased forest fire rates
  4. turn from carbon sinks to sources
  5. crop failure
  6. biodiversity decline
74
Q

what are the value of wetlands

A
  1. water sponges (slow releases = slow flood hydrographs)
  2. filter and clean water
  3. critical habitats
  4. stores carbon
  5. protects coasts from ice and storms (absorbs wave energy)
75
Q

how do droughts impact storms

A
  1. increased tree mortality rates
  2. reduced biodiversity and habitats
  3. deliberate fires spread out of control
  4. acidification
  5. severe cracking and compaction
  6. loss of organic matter
  7. enhanced GHG emisions
76
Q

what meterological causes make some areas experience surpluses in water

A
  1. intense storms
  2. flash flooding
  3. extreme monsoonal rainfall
  4. extreme snowmelt
77
Q

what human causes make some areas experience surpluses in water

A
  1. land use within cathcment area
  2. mismanagement of rivers through hard engineering
78
Q

What are some human causes of flooding

A
  1. mismanagement of hard engineering
  2. deforestation
  3. agriculture
  4. land use
  5. urbanisation
79
Q

What are some physical causes of flooding

A
  1. multiple low pressure systems
  2. monsoons
  3. rainfall
  4. ENSO
  5. IOD
  6. shape of drainage absins
  7. relief
  8. soil and rock permeability
  9. snow/ice melt
80
Q

what is the jet stream

A
  1. fast moving air which moves north and south
  2. a driving force which determines the direction of depressions and their speed of movement
81
Q

how is climate change influencing the hydrological system

A
  1. reduction of cryospheric water
  2. increasing evaporation events and rainfall events becoming more intense
  3. more frequent, severe, and longer droughts in some places
82
Q

what is water security

A

the capacity of a population to sustainably access adequate quantities of acceptable qualities. Water which is potable and unpolluted. Water which is preserving the ecosystem in a way that is politically peaceful and stable

83
Q

what is absolute water scarcity

A
  1. if a nations renewable water resources are less than 500m^3/capita(year)
84
Q

what is water stress

A
  1. if a nations renewable water resources are between 1,000 and 1,700m^3/capita
85
Q

what are renewable water resources

A

the long-term average total of internal and external renewable water resources

86
Q

what are internal water resources

A

the discharges or rivers and the recharge of aquifers generated from precipitation

87
Q

what are external water resources

A

generated outside a country and include inflows from upstream countries and parts of a water body divided by a border

88
Q

what is water scarcity

A
  1. if a nations renewable water resources are between 500 and 1,000m^3/capita
89
Q

what are the human causes of water stress/scarcity

A
  1. industry dominance
  2. unequal disrtibution
  3. salt water encroachment
  4. development and infrastructure levels
  5. political tensions and conflict
  6. river management
  7. pollution and contamination
  8. over-use (population changes, industrialisation)
  9. changes in living standards
  10. water system and usage inefficiency
90
Q

what are the physical causes of water stress/scarcity

A
  1. prolonged droughts and heatwaves
  2. ITCZ changes
  3. climate cycles and variability
  4. contenentality
  5. seasonality
  6. high pressure blocking systems
  7. ENSO
  8. bacteria growth in hotter waters
91
Q

what is desalination

A

the extraction of salt from sea water to create potable water

92
Q

what are the costs of desalination

A
  1. creates brine
  2. chemicals are dumped into the sea
  3. lacks key minerals
  4. high energy cost
93
Q

What are some soft engineering strategies that maintain water supplies

A
  1. drip and smart irrigation
  2. nutrigation and fertrigation
  3. waste water mangement
  4. rainwater harvesting
  5. protecting and enhancing water storing ecosystems
  6. preventing leakages
  7. national education schemes
  8. scaled pricing
  9. adapted agriculture
  10. importing water storing foods
94
Q

what is Integrated Water Resource Management

A
  1. a policy setting out that water resources are an integral component for ecosystems, a natural resource and a socio-economic good
  2. promotes the coordinated management of water, land and related resources in a sustainable way

Geography Key Terms (8 decks)

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