Water and Carbon Cycle Flashcards
(101 cards)
1
Q
what are interrelationships?
A
relationships that go both ways
2
Q
what is an ecosystem?
A
an area of land with similar vegetation and climatic characteristics across it
3
Q
what are some examples of inputs?
A
- precipitation
- autumn leaf fall
- seeds carried by wind and birds
4
Q
what are some examples of stores/components?
A
- water
- soil
- water soaking through the soil/rocks
5
Q
what are some examples of outputs?
A
- plants
- evaporation
- seed dispersal
6
Q
what are some examples of flows/transfers?
A
- photosynthesis
- infiltration
- transpiration
7
Q
what is a positive feedback loop?
A
where a change causes a further effect, accelerating the original change- change away from equilibrium
8
Q
what is a negative feedback loop?
A
the system acts by lessening the effect of the original change and ultimately reversing it- holds system at or near dynamic equilibrium
9
Q
what are open systems?
A
receives inputs and transfers outputs of energy or matter across the boundaries within it
10
Q
give some examples of an open system?
A
- water cycle
- carbon cycle
11
Q
what is a closed system?
A
transfers energy but not matter between system and its surroundings
12
Q
what is an example of a closed system?
A
the earth
13
Q
what are the properties of a system?
A
- elements
- attributes
- relationships
14
Q
what is an isolated system?
A
a system that has no interactions beyond its boundary layer
15
Q
what is a morphological system?
A
a system where we understand the relationships between elements and their attributes in a vague sense based only on measured features or correlations
16
Q
what is a cascading system?
A
a system where we are primarily interested in the flow of energy and/or matter from one element to another and understand the processes that cause this movement
17
Q
what is a process-response system?
A
a system that integrates the characteristics of both morphological and cascading systems
18
Q
what is a control system?
A
a system that can be intelligently manipulated by the actions of humans
19
Q
what is the hydrosphere and give examples?
A
liquid water on earths surface e.g. oceans and lakes
20
Q
what percentage of earths water is in the hydrosphere?
A
96.5%
21
Q
what is the cryosphere and give examples?
A
frozen areas of the planet e.g. glaciers and ice sheets
22
Q
what percentage of the earths water is stored in the cryosphere?
A
1.7%
23
Q
what is the lithosphere and give examples?
A
water stored in rocks e.g. aquifers
24
Q
what percentage of the earths water is stored in the lithosphere?
A
1.7%
25
what is the atmosphere and give examples?
water stored in the air e.g clouds and water vapour
26
what percentage of the earths water is stored in the atmosphere?
0.001%
27
what are surface stores?
water stored in lakes and river channels
28
what is groundwater?
water stored within porous rocks underground
29
what is the water table?
the upper level of saturated rock
30
what is interception?
when leaves, stems or trunks stop water from reaching the ground- temporarily holding water
31
what is absorption?
when vegetation takes up water through the root system
32
when does frontal rainfall occur?
when two air masses of different temperatures meet
33
how does frontal rainfall occur?
the warmer, less dense air is forced to rise over the cooler, denser air. as the warm air rises, it cools and condenses to form clouds, leading to rainfall
34
where is frontal rainfall common?
in mid-latitude regions
35
what is surface runoff?
water flowing over the earths surface- when ground is waterlogged or impermeable
36
what is infiltration?
downward movement of water into soil
37
what is infiltration affected by?
soil type, vegetation, land use etc
38
what is percolation?
downward movement of water through rocks underground- important for replenishing groundwater stores
39
what is throughflow?
the horizontal movement of water through soil to return to a river, can be accelerated by plant roots or animal activity
40
what is groundwater flow (baseflow)?
the slow, horizontal flow of water through sub-surface rock- helps maintain river flow during dry periods
41
what is stem flow?
water dripping from leaves or flowing down stems and trunks to reach the dround
42
what is channel flow?
movement of water within the river channel- driven by gravity and influenced by channel gradient, shape and roughness
43
when does convectional rainfall occur?
when the ground is heated by the sun, causing warm air to rise rapidly
44
how does convectional rainfall occur?
as the air rises, it cools and condenses to form clouds, leading to heavy rainfall
45
where is convectional rainfall common?
in tropical regions and during summer months in temperate area- associated with thunderstorms and heavy downpours
46
when does orographic (relief) rainfall occcur?
when moist air is forced to rise over a mountain range
47
how does orographic rainfall occur?
as the air ascends over the mountain range, it cools and condenses to form clouds, resulting in precipitation on the windward side of the mountains. the windward side receives heavy rainfall and the leeward wide remains dry
48
where is orographic rainfall common?
in mountainous regions
49
what is the equation for water balance?
P = Q + E +/- S
P= precipitation E= evapotranspiration
Q= run off S= changes in storage
50
what does the water balance look at?
how the amount of precipitation compares with the water leaving the system as runoff or evapotranspiration
51
what is the water balance affected by?
the overall climate of the area near to the river
52
what are the conditions for water balance?
- water surplus
- water deficit
- recharge
- field capacity
- utilisation
53
what is water surplus?
excess water available- soil is fully saturated and any additional rain leads to excess water
54
what is water deficit?
less water within the system- when evapotranspiration exceeds rain and soil moisture is depleted
55
what is recharge?
when soil moisture is replenished by rain after a dry period
56
why is recharge important?
to ensure that soil moisture levels are maintained
57
what is field capacity?
the max amount of water that soil can hold before it becomes saturated
58
what is utilisation?
the process by which plants use the available soil moisture
59
what happens during utilisation?
plants draw moisture from the soil to meet their needs
60
what does monitoring utilisation help us do?
helps in understanding plant water requirements and managing irrigation schedules
61
what is bankfull capacity?
the max amount of water that a river channel can hold before it overflows its banks
62
what are some physical factors that increase flood risk?
- precipitation
- geology
- soil type
- relief
- drainage basin shape
63
how does drainage basin shape increase the flood risk?
- circular basins- concentrate water flow quickly (flashy hydrographs)
- elongated basins- spread water flow over a longer period (subdued hydrograph)
64
what are some human factors that increase flood risk?
- urbanisation
- deforestation
- agriculture
- drainage systems
65
how does agriculture increase flood risk?
farming methods such as ploughing and crop rotation, affect soil structure and water movement
66
what are hydrographs?
graphs that show how a drainage basin responds to a period of rainfall
67
what is peak discharge?
the maximum flow rate of water passing through a river or stream at a given point in time, usually following a period of heavy rainfall or snowmelt
68
what is cumecs?
a unit of measurement for the flow rate of water, typically used to describe the discharge of a river or stream
69
what is a rising limb?
the part of a hydrograph that shows the increase in river discharge following a rainfall event
70
what does the rising limb represent?
the period when water is rapidly entering the river system
71
what is peak precipitation?
the highest amount of rainfall recorded during a specific period, usually within a storm event
72
what is lag time?
the time interval between peak discharge in a river
73
what does lag time represent?
the delay between the heaviest rainfall and highest river flow
74
how can hydrographs help predict flooding?
they show how river discharge changes overtime in response to rainfall. By analysing the shape of hydrographs, we can understand how quickly and significantly a river responds to precipitation, which helps in flood prediction and management
75
what is bankfull discharge?
the max discharge that the river channel can hold without flooding
76
what is falling limb?
the part of a hydrograph that shows the decrease in river discharge after the peak has been reached
77
what does falling limb represent?
the period when the flow is receding
78
what is storm flow?
the additional flow in a river or stream resulting from a storm event
79
what are the stores of carbon?
- atmosphere
- biosphere
- cryosphere
- pedosphere
- lithosphere
- hydrosphere
80
what is the fast carbon cycle?
cycling carbon between land and the atmosphere as living things breathe and digest food
81
what processes use the fast carbon cycle?
- photosynthesis
- respiration
- decomposition
- combustion
- ocean-atmosphere exchange
82
what is the slow carbon cycle?
operates over millions of years and cycles carbon between land and atmospheric or ocean stores due to weathering and tectonic processes
83
what are the 5 stages of the slow carbon cycle?
1) the transfer of carbon into the oceans from the atmosphere and land surface e.g weathering
2) the deposition of carbon compounds on the ocean floor
3) the conversion of ocean sediments into carbon rich rock
4) the transfer of carbon rocks to tectonic margins
5) the return of carbon compounds to the atmosphere in volcanic eruptions
84
what are some human processes in the carbon cycle?
- fossil fuel combustion
- deforestation
- agriculture
- cement production
85
how does agriculture contribute to the carbon cycle?
farming activities, such as rice paddies and livestock farming, release CH4, a potent greenhouse gas
86
how does cement production contribute to the carbon cycle?
the production of cement involves heating limestone which releases CO2 as a biproduct- a significant source of industrial CO2 emissions
87
what is dynamic equilibrium?
a state of balance between inputs and outputs in a system that is constantly changing
88
what are positive feedback loops?
the movement further away from dynamic equilibrium- an amplification or intensification of change
89
what is a tipping point?
if atmospheric carbon dioxide passes a certain level, a positive feedback cycle will be triggered and further increases of atmospheric carbon are virtually inevitable
90
what are some examples of positive feedback cycles?
- permafrost melting
- ocean warming
91
how is permafrost melting a positive feedback loop?
rising temps cause permafrost to thaw, releasing stored carbon in the form of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases contribute to further warming and more permafrost thawing
92
how is ocean warming a positive feedback loop?
warmer oceans are less able to dissolve CO2 in seawater, leading to more CO2 being released into the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect, causing further warming
93
what are some examples of negative feedback loops?
- increased photosynthesis
- ocean carbon uptake
94
how is increased photosynthesis a negative feedback loop?
higher CO2 levels can stimulate plant growth, leading to more CO2 being absorbed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. this process helps to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels and migrate warming
95
how is ocean carbon uptake a negative feedback loop?
as atmospheric CO2 levels rise, the oceans can absorb more CO2. this process helps to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, although it can also lead to ocean acidification
96
what is the carbon budget?
the max amount of cumulative net global anthropogenic (human caused) CO2 emissions that can be emitted to limit global warming to a specific temperature threshold
97
when is the carbon budget used?
in climate policy to help set emissions reduction targets in a fair and effective way
98
what are climate change conferences?
international meetings where countries discuss and negotiate actions to address climate change
99
what is an example of a climate change conference?
the Paris agreement to limit global warming to below 2 degrees above pre-industrial level-signed by 195 countries
100
what is renewable energy?
energy derived from natural sources that are replenished on a human timescale
101
what is direct air carbon capture?
technology that removes CO2 directly from the atmosphere using chemical processes
