Water And Carbon Definitions (E) Flashcards
(119 cards)
1
Q
Input
A
The matter or energy that enters the system
2
Q
Output
A
The matter or energy that leaves the system
3
Q
Flow
A
When energy or matter is moving stores
4
Q
Store
A
Where energy or matter stays ( is stored )
5
Q
Positive feedback
A
Further exaggerating the change
6
Q
Negative feedback
A
Returning the change to normal
7
Q
Dynamic Equilibrium
A
A balance of two controls
8
Q
Open systems
A
Energy and matter can enter + exit the system
9
Q
Closed systems
A
Matter cannot enter and exit the system
Energy can enter and exit the system
10
Q
Lithosphere
A
Outermost part of the earth, crust + upper mantle
11
Q
Hydrosphere
A
Includes all the water on earth, any form, fresh, salty
12
Q
Cryosphere
A
All frozen water on earth
13
Q
A
14
Q
Biosphere
A
Where living things are found
15
Q
Aquifer
A
A store of water underground
16
Q
Soil water budget
A
The annual balance between precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff
17
Q
Weather
A
Short term atmosphere conditions
18
Q
Climate
A
Weather of a specific region averaged over long periods of time
19
Q
Tricellular model
A
How energy is transferred polewards via Hadley, Feral and Polar cells
20
Q
Cyclone
A
Large mass of air rotating
21
Q
Anticyclone
A
Air moves apart and sinks
22
Q
Depression
A
Areas of low atmospheric pressure
23
Q
Convection currents
A
The movement of magma moving from hotter areas to cooler areas and to hot ones again
24
Q
Relief
A
The shape of the land ( how steep)
25
Topography
Shape of the land (mountains, valleys ect)
26
Orography
Features + formations of mountains (shape of mountains)
27
Coriolis
Circulating air is deflected toward the right and left hemisphere
28
Precipitation
Rain
29
Interception
The capture of rain by the plant canopy
30
Stemflow
Water running down a stem/ trunk
31
Infiltration
Water entering soils
32
Percolation
Water traveling through rock
33
Throughflow
Water flowing beneath the surface of the ground
34
Throughfall
Water dripping from leaf to leaf
35
Evaporation
When a liquid becomes a vapour
36
Transpiration
The process of water movement through a plant
37
Evapotranspiration
Evaporation and transpiration
38
PET
Potential evapotranspiration
Amount of water that would be lost by evaporation during the year when water availability is not limited
39
Runoff
Water flowing on the surface
40
Groundwater flow
Water moving in the ground
41
Soil water budget
Amount of water that can stored in the soil
42
Soil water recharge
As water re enters soil
43
Soil water surplus
Soil is saturated, so water flows OVER soil
44
Soil water utilisation
Water drawn to surface of soil through capillary action
45
Soil water deficit
When more water is removed than replaced
46
Drainage basin
The area of land drained by a river + its tributary’s
47
Water shed
An area of land that drains all the streams into a channel
48
Confluence
2 rivers join to form one channel
49
Tributary
A small river joins a large one
50
Source
Where the water initially starts
51
Mouth
End of the river (usually by a sea)
52
Permeable
Can travel through
53
Impermeable
Can’t travel through
54
Hydrograph
Shows how water lives through a system
55
Lag time
The delay between peak rainfall + discharge
56
Peak discharge
The highest amount of water in the river after rainfall
57
Baseflow
The water that is sustained between rainfall in a hydrograph
58
Flashy basin
Fast, short lag time
59
Antecedent rainfall
The precipitation before the one on the hydrograph - influences runoff ect
60
Cumecs
Volume of water
61
Flood
Water overflowing onto land
62
Bank full discharge
The total amount of water a river can hold without overflowing
63
Water abstraction
Taking water from a ground source
64
River regime
The annual variation in the discharge or flow of a river at a specific point
65
Insolation
The energy from the sun
66
Condensation
When vapour becomes a liquid
67
Dew point
The temperature at which dew forms (when the temperature massively drops suddenly)
68
Condensation nuclei
Tiny particles that water vapour sticks to, to condense as the water has to form droplets of a certain size
69
Carbon
CO2 pollutant
70
Carbon sink
Where carbon is absorbed/ stored = woodland
71
Carbon source
Release co2 into the atmosphere, fossil fuels
72
Marine carbon source
Ocean
73
Terrestrial carbon source
Land
74
Fossil fuels
Hydrocarbon, large contributor to atmosphere
75
Net primary productivity (NPP)
Amount of carbon absorbed by forests
76
Succession
Where a mix of species/ habitat change overtime
77
Lithosphere
Soil outer layer of the earth
78
Psammosere
A community, an ecological succession that began life on a newly exposed coastal sand
79
Halosere
An ecological succession in a saline water/ environment
80
Hydrosere
A plant succession which occurs in an area of fresh water
81
Sere
A complete succession of plant communities, which results in the climax community
82
Seral stage
Each step in plant succession
83
Climax community
The final stage of ecological succession attainable by a plant community
84
Photosynthesis
A chemical reaction in plants
85
Decomposers
Decompose natural material/ organisms once dead
86
Decomposition
The process of the plant/ animal returning to the soil
87
Respiration
Breathing
88
Combustion
Burning a substance in the presence of oxygen to release energy
89
Carbon sequestration
Capturing and storing atmosphere carbon dioxide
90
Weathering
The wearing down or breaking of rocks while they are in place
91
Erosion
Where materials are worn away
92
Quaternary period
The period of time we are living in
93
Permafrost
A later that is permanently frozen
94
Albedo
How reflective a surface is
95
Industrial Revolution
Using machines instead of handwork
96
Deforestation
Cutting down trees
97
Urbanisation
More people living in towns/ city’s
98
Biomass
The mass of a plant - water
99
Carbon budget
Amount of carbon stored in carbon cycle
100
Petagram
A billion metric tons of
101
Plankton
Small organism in the ocean
102
Volcanic winter
Earths surface cooling from Ash+ sulfer aerosols
103
Greenhouse effect
The warming of the earth as the greenhouse gasses increase in the atmosphere
104
Enhanced greenhouse effect
From human pollution and their impact
105
CH4
Methane
106
Greenhouse gases (4)
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Water vapour
Nitrous oxide
107
Carbonic acid
Chemical weathering (acid rain)
108
The Paris Agreement
Strengthen global response to climate change
109
FSC
Forestry stewardship Council
Non government organisation, promote environmentally friendly appropriate, economically viable
110
Selective tree felling
Selecting certain trees to cut down
111
Tropical rainforest
Equator, Forrest in hot humid conditions
112
Drop-Tips
Water falling of leaves with pointy leaves
113
Leaf litter
The fallen leaves on a forest floor
114
Tree canopy
The leaves + branches in the forest (high)
115
Logging
Cutting, process of processing + transport (for trees)
116
Ranching
Raising herds of animals on large land
117
Slash and burn
Removing + drying vegetation + burn to create nutrient rich ash to grow crops on
118
‘Lungs of the earth’
TREES
119
Indigenous
People or objects native to a certain region
