Water and its spacial distribution Flashcards
(27 cards)
What are water stores?
Water stores are places where water is contained in.
What are freshwater stores?
Freshwater stores contain water with low amounts of salt that can be used more readily.
What are saltwater stores?
Saltwater stores contain too much salt to be used directly.
Examples of freshwater stores (GGRLS)
Glaciers, Groundwater, Rivers, Lakes, Soil
Example of saltwater stores
Oceans
What are oceans?
Oceans are large masses of water that are connected to each other.
What are glaciers?
Glaciers are large masses of ice that rest on land or float in the sea.
What are lakes?
Lakes are water bodies surrounded by land.
What are rivers?
Rivers are natural wide flows of freshwater across the land that store water temporarily, before it flows into another water body.
What are river sources and river mouths?
River sources are the point where rivers begin.
River mouths are the places where the river flows into another water body.
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water found below the surface of the Earth.
How is groundwater formed?
Water enters the ground through the pores in the soil due to gravity.
Groundwater forms when a part of this water makes its way to the rocks beneath, filling up the pores and cracks of these rocks.
What are the processes in the hydrologic cycle?
Precipitation —> Groundwater and surface runoff —> Evaporation and Transpiration —> Condensation
What is transpiration?
The process where plants give out water vapour through their leaves.
What is surface runoff?
Water flowing from the highlands over the ground surface into streams and rivers.
What are the 3 processes of groundwater?
Infiltration, Percolation, Throughflow
What is infiltration?
The process by which water enters the ground or soil
What is percolation?
When the water in the soil enters the bedrock.
What is throughflow?
The downward flow of water through soil into the groundwater due to gravity.
Where does the hydrological cycle take place?
In a water catchment.
What is a water catchment?
An area that receives water.
What is a water budget?
The flow of water in and out of a catchment area?
What is an input?
Processes that increase the amount of water in a catchment.
What is an output?
Processes that decrease the amount of water n a catchment.
