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Physical Geography > Water and Carbon Cycles > Flashcards

Water and Carbon Cycles Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an open system

A

A system where both energy and matter can enter and leave - there are inputs and outputs of both

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2
Q

What is a closed system

A

Energy can enter and leave a closed system (as an input or output) but matter can’t enter or leave, it can only cycle between stores

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3
Q

What are inputs

A

When matter or energy is added to a system

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4
Q

What are outputs

A

When matter or energy leaves a system

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5
Q

What are stores/components

A

Where matter or energy builds up/is held

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6
Q

What are flows/transfers

A

When matter or energy moves from one store to another

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7
Q

What are boundaries

A

The limits of a system

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8
Q

What is dynamic equilibrium

A

A state of balance in a constantly changing natural system, the operation of which attempts to balance inputs with outputs

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9
Q

What is positive feedback

A

A cyclical sequence that increases or amplifies an initial change in a natural system

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10
Q

What is negative feedback

A

A cyclical sequence that decreases/diminishes an initial change in a natural system and tends to return the system to a state of equilibrium or balance

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11
Q

What are the 5 subsystems of the Earth

A

1 - Cryosphere
2 - Lithosphere
3 - Biosphere
4 - Hydrosphere
5 - Atmosphere

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12
Q

What is the cryosphere

A

The frozen water component of the Earth’s outer layers, including ice caps, glaciers and snow cover

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13
Q

What is the lithosphere

A

The lithosphere is the outermost part of the Earth. It includes the crust and the upper parts of the mantle

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14
Q

What is the biosphere

A

The biosphere is the part of the Earth’s systems where all living things are found. It includes all the living parts of the Earth - plants, animals, birds, fungi, insects, bacteria etc.

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15
Q

What is the hydrosphere

A

The hydrosphere includes all of the water on Earth, including ice (cryosphere), groundwater, lakes and rivers, oceans and water vapour and droplets in the atmosphere

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16
Q

What is the atmosphere

A

The atmosphere is the layer of gas between the Earth’s surface and space, held in place by gravity

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17
Q

What percentage of the hydrosphere is freshwater

A

Less than 3% is freshwater
The rest is saline

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18
Q

What are the stores of the Earth’s freshwater

In percentages

A

● 69% - frozen in the cyrosphere
● 30% - groundwater (stored underground in the lithosphere)
● 0.3% - liquid freshwater on the earths surface (e.g. lakes, rivers)
● 0.04% - water vapour in the atmosphere

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19
Q

What is a rivers drainage basin

A

The area surrounding the river where the rain falling on the land flows into that river. Also called the river’s catchment

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20
Q

What is the boundary of a drainage basin

A

The watershed. Any precipitation falling beyond the watershed enters a different drainage basin

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21
Q

What are the inputs into a drainage basin

A

Precipitation

Precipitation includes all the moisture that comes out of the atmosphere. Precipitation is mainly rain but also includes other types like snow, hail, dew and frost

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22
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What does the water balance show
The balance between inputs (precipitation) and outputs (channel discharge and evapotranspiration)
37
What happens to the water balance in wet seasons
Precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration. This creates a water surplus. The ground stores fill with water so there's more surface runoff and higher discharge, so river levels rise
38
What happens to the water balance in drier seasons
Precipitation is lower than evapotranspiration. Ground stores are depleted as some water is used (e.g. by plants and humans) and some flows into the river channel but isn't replaced by precipitation ## Footnote At the end of a dry season, there's a deficit of water in the ground. The ground stores are recharged in the next wet season (i.e. autumn)
39
What is river discharge
The volume of water in cubic metres that flows in a river per second (shortened to cumecs)
40
What do cumecs measure
Cubic metres per second ## Footnote used to measure river discharge
41
What is bankfull discharge
The point when the water level reaches the top of the river channel
42
What is peak discharge
When river discharge is at its greatest
43
What is lag time
The delay between peak rainfall and peak discharge
44
What factors affect runoff and hydrograph shape
● Size of drainage basin ● Shape of drainage basin ● Ground steepness ● Rock and soil type
45
How does the size of a drainage basin affect runoff and hydrograph shape
Larger drainage basins catch more precipitation, so they have a higher peak discharge. Smaller basins generally have shorter lag times because precipitation has less distance to travel
46
How do the shape of drainage basins affect runoff and hydrograph shape
Circular basins are more likely to have a flashy hydrograph than long, narrow basins. This is because all points on the watershed are roughly the same distance from the point of discharge measurement - meaning lots of water will reach the measuring point at the same time
47
How does ground steepness affect runoff and hydrograph shape
Water flows more quickly downhill in steep-sided drainage basins, shortening lag time. This also means water has less time to infiltrate the soil, so runoff is higher
48
How does rock and soil type affect runoff and hydrograph shape
Impermeable rocks and soils don't store water or let water infiltrate. This increases surface runoff. Peak discharge also increases as more water reaches the river in a shorter period
49
How does vegetation affect the water cycle in a drainage basin
● Most plants show seasonal variation (e.g. vegetation usually dies in winter). Vegetation intercepts precipitation and slows its movement to the river channel. Interception is highest when there's lots of vegetation and deciduous trees have their leaves ● The more vegetation there is in a drainage basin, the more water is lost (through transpiration and evaporation directly from the vegetation) before it reaches the river channel, reducing runoff and peak discharge
50
How can farming practices increase infiltration
● Ploughing breaks up the surface so that more water can infiltrate, reducing the amount of runoff ● Crops increase infiltration and interception compared to bare ground, reducing runoff. Evapotranspiration also increases, which can increase rainfall
51
How can farming practices decrease infiltration
● Livestock, such as cattle, trample and compact the soil, decreasing infiltration and increasing runoff ● Irrigation (artificially watering the land) can increase runoff if some water can't infiltrate. Groundwater or river levels can fall if water is extracted for irrigation
52
What is water abstraction
Water removed from stores for human use
53
What percentage of carbon on Earth is stored in sedimentary rock such a limestone (in the lithosphere)
over 99.9%
54
How much of the Earth's carbon is stored in fossil fuels (in the lithosphere)
About 0.004%
55
How much of the Earth's carbon is contained in the atmosphere
About 0.001%
56
What percentage of Earth's carbon is contained in the oceans
Approximately 0.04% ## Footnote The oceans are the second largest carbon store on Earth
57
Where is the carbon in the ocean located
● The majority of carbon is found deep in the ocean in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon ● A small amount is found at the ocean surface where it is exchanged with the atmosphere
58
Where is carbon stored in the biosphere
Carbon is stored in the tissues of living organisms. It is transferred to the soil when living organisms die and decay
59
What percentage of Earth's carbon is in the biosphere
Approximately 0.004%
60
What percentage of Earth's carbon is in the cryosphere
Less than 0.01%
61
Where is carbon stored in the cryosphere
Most of the carbon in the cryosphere is in the soil in areas of permafrost where decomposing plants and animals have frozen into the ground
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Physical Geography (8 decks)

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