Water Cycle

Question 1

What’s is a drainage basin

Answer 1

An area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 2

What is interception

Answer 2

Precipitation is prevented from reaching the ground by vegetation

Question 3

What is through fall

Answer 3

The water that drips off of vegetation toward the ground

Question 4

What is stem-flow

Answer 4

The water that flows down the stems of plants and trunks of trees into the soil below

Question 5

What is infiltration

Answer 5

The downward movement of water from the surface into the soil below

Question 6

What is percolation

Answer 6

Downward movement of water through porous rock

Question 7

What is groundwater flow

Answer 7

The slowest transfer of percolated water over permeable rock

Question 8

What is overland flow

Answer 8

The movement of water of saturated or impermeable land

Question 9

What is through flow

Answer 9

The downslope movement of water through soil

Question 10

What is runoff

Answer 10

All the water that flows out of a drainage basin

Question 11

What is groundwater store

Answer 11

Water that collects underground in the pore spaces of rock

Question 12

What are the major stores of water

Answer 12

Hydrosphere

Biosphere

Atmosphere

Lithosphere

Cryosphere

Question 13

What sphere stores the most water

Answer 13

Hydrosphere - 96.5% of all water

Question 14

What is evaporation

Answer 14

The process of liquid chaining to a gas

Can happen on land a sea

70% ocean
30% land

Question 15

What is transpiration

Answer 15

The transfer of water vapour from vegetation to the atmosphere

Question 16

What is condensation

Answer 16

When a gas turns into a liquid

Question 17

What are the main processes in the water cycle

Answer 17

Evaporation

Transpiration

Evapotranspiration

Condensation

Precipitation

Infiltration

Percolation

Runoff

Groundwater flow

Question 18

What are the main flows in the water cycle

Answer 18

Precipitation

Evaporation

Transpiration

Evapotranspiration

Infiltration

Percolation

Overland flow

Through flow

Groundwater flow

Question 19

What are the inputs into the water cycle

Answer 19

Precipitation

Question 20

What are the outputs of the water cycle

Answer 20

Evaporation

Transpiration

Question 21

How do humans affect the water cycle

Answer 21

S - soil drainage - removes water so plants can no longer grow

A - abstraction of water - causes droughts

D - deforestation - less transpiration

Burning fossil fuels - increases evaporation

Question 22

What percentage of water is on earth

Answer 22

Fresh water - 3%
Saline water - 97%

Question 23

What percentage of water is in fresh water

Answer 23

Glaciers and ice caps - 69%
Groundwater - 30%
Surface water - 1%

Question 24

What percentage of water is in surface water

Answer 24

Ground ice and permafrost - 70%
Lakes - 20%
Soil moisture - 4%
Atmosphere - 3%
Other 3%

Question 25

What affects the rate of infiltration

Answer 25

Through fall - vegetation prevents water reaching the soil Percolation - the less permeable a rock is, the harder it is for water to travel down through it

Question 26

What are the different types of floods

Answer 26

Flash flood Single event flood Multiple event flood Seasonal flood

Question 27

What is a flash flood

Answer 27

Occurs due to an excess of water over a short period of time

Question 28

What is a single event flood

Answer 28

Occurs due to a single input of additional water

Question 29

What is a multiple event flood

Answer 29

Occurs due to many single event floods closely spaced together

Question 30

What is a seasonal flood

Answer 30

Occurs more in winter as snow melting meaning there is more water

Question 31

What are natural variations that affect the water cycle

Answer 31

Air temperature - hotter conditions mean more evaporation-less water Wind - transports water Storm events - some areas receive more water

Question 32

What is positive feedback in the water cycle

Answer 32

Burning fossil fuels Increases global temps Increases evaporation Means more water vapour in the atmosphere Increases global temps

Question 33

What is negative feedback in the water cycle

Answer 33

Precipitation Increases plant growth Increases transpiration, due to more plants Less surface runoff

Question 34

What are the different types of rainfall

Answer 34

Frontal Relief Connectional

Question 35

What is frontal rainfall

Answer 35

Warm air meets cool air Warmer less dense air rises Warm air cools The cooling in the air causes the water vapour to condense into droplets forming a cloud When the water droplets becomes to heavy it falls as precipitation

Question 36

What is relief rainfall

Answer 36

Warm air meets with mountain Warm air rises up the maintain The air cools and condenses due to altitude, forming a cloud When water droplets become to heavy they fall on the opposite side of the mountain

Question 37

What is conventional rainfall

Answer 37

Sun heats the ground Causes rapidly rising pockets of warm air, know as convention currents Air cools and condenses into water droplets forming a cumulonimbus cloud When the water droplets become too heavy they fall as heavy rainfall, often with thunderstorms