Water Cycle Flashcards

Question

What are the consequences of pollutant on water quality?

Answer 1

1. Eutrophication 2. Loss of biodiversity 3. Silting of fish spawning grounds 4. Risks to human health via bathing, water contact sports, and drinking waters 5. Increased water treatment costs

Answer 2

Methods include: Drip irrigation schemes for farmers replacing sprinkler and flood irrigation methods Recycling of city waste water (grey water) for agricultural use Intermediate technology systems such as ‘magic stones’ can be used to reduce surface runoff in the Sahel region, for example NGO’s train farmers in LIC’s about intercropping and utilising less ‘thirsty’ crops, e.g. growing olives instead of citrus fruits High-tech GM drought resistant crops are widely used (maize, millet and wheat)

Answer 3

A number of management strategies are being used to restore damaged rivers, lakes and wetlands The largest project of all is the restoration of the northern part of the Aral Sea (previous case-study), which is showing some successful outcomes

Answer 4

Water sanitation and hygiene Flood and droughts Water pollution Ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss

Answer 5

The management of water demands in an integrated way - integrated water resource management (IWRM) The management of the political aspects of the river basin to ensure mutual co-operation which prevent transboundary conflicts

Answer 6

As it occupies a transitional climate zone. Under so called normal conditions, the mean annual rainfall (around 85%) is nearly all concentrated in the summer.

Answer 7

Unusually warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in tropical seas favour strong convectional uplift over the ocean that, in turn, weakens the West African Monsoon and contributes to drought in the Sahel.

Answer 8

Human factors act like a feedback loop. Humans enhance the impacts of drought by the over-abstraction of surface water from rivers and ponds, and of groundwater from aquifers.

Answer 9

Key human factors encouraging this are: - Population growth: rapid population growth puts pressure on the land to grow more food. Migrants fleeing from one disaster area help to make another. - Overgrazing: too many goats, sheep and cattle destroy the vegetation cover - Overcultivation: intense use of marginal land exhausts the soil and crops will not grow - Deforestation: trees are cut down for fuel, fencing and housing. The roots no longer bind the soil, and erosion ensues.

Answer 10

The situation has been made worse by frequent civil wars. Crops, livestock and homes have been deliberately destroyed.

Answer 11

La Niña is a weather pattern that occurs when the sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean drops below average. It's the cold phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. La Niña refers to the periodic cooling of sea-surface temperatures across the east-central equatorial Pacific. Characteristics: - La Niña occurs when sea surface temperatures drop by 3–5° C - It's characterized by cooler and drier weather in the tropical eastern Pacific - It's marked by stronger eastward trade winds, which push warm water toward Asia - It's marked by increased upwelling off the west coast of the Americas, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface

Answer 12

This is the process where water changes from a liquid to a gaseous state (water vapor) due to heat, moving from bodies of water and moist surfaces into the atmosphere

Answer 13

the temporary storage of water on the surfaces of plants and buildings before it reaches the ground, impacting the hydrological cycle.

Answer 14

the flow of intercepted precipitation down the trunk or stem of a plant, contributing to the transfer of water and nutrients from the canopy to the soil.

Answer 15

the lateral (sideways) movement of water within the soil, typically along lines of seepage (percaline), towards a river or stream.

Answer 16

the process by which water on the ground surface enters and moves into the soil

Answer 17

the vertical movement of water from the soil into the permeable rock layers beneath

Answer 18

Open systems have external inputs and outputs of energy and matter exchange at its boundaries

Answer 19

Closed systems only have energy as its input and output, matter is contained within the system boundary

Answer 20

The global hydrological system is a closed system meaning there are no external inputs or outputs, water is not lost or gained from space It is defined as : 'the continuous movement of water on, above and below the Earth's surface'

Answer 21

Evaporation - the sun evaporates surface water into vapour Condensation - water vapour condenses and precipitates Flows - water runs off the surface into streams and reservoirs or beneath the surface as ground flow

Answer 22

The time water is held in a store is called the residence time The size of the stores of water along with water residence time is dictated by: Flows/transfers such as evaporation Global factors such as climate change Local factors such as human activity on a hillslope

Answer 23

Drainage basins are subsystems of the global hydrological cycle, they drain all the water which lands on the Earth's surface

Answer 24

The watershed

Answer 25

As a subsystem of the hydrological cycle, drainage basins are open systems this means that they have inputs and outputs

Answer 26

Watershed = boundary Source = where the river starts Confluence = the place where two or more rivers/streams meet Tributary = a stream/river flowing into a bigger stream/river Mouth = where the river enters the ocean or lake

Answer 27

Inputs are the addition of water to a drainage basin through precipitation Inputs vary throughout the year (rain, sleet, snow, location etc) and intensities (flood, drought, temperature etc) and frequency (seasonal, monsoon etc)

Answer 28

Climate Soils Vegetation Geology Relief

Answer 29

Deforestation Changing land use Abstraction Resevoirs

Answer 30

Rock type Soils Weather/climate Antecendent conditions Vegetation Drainage basin size Human activity

Answer 31

Steepness of the rising and falling limb The value of the peak discharge The lag time (period of time between peak rainfall and peak discharge) Time is taken to return to normal

Answer 32

Increased rainfall and flooding in South America, Africa and the south of the US Drought in Australia and Southeast Asia Has been linked to a higher risk of colder winters in the UK

Answer 33

Increased rainfall in Australia and Southeast Asia Drought conditions in the south of the US Increases the risk of tropical storms in the Atlantic

Answer 34

Over-abstraction due to population growth and over cultivation Deforestation

Answer 35

Intense storms Prolonged rainfall Snowmelt Other causes: - Geology of rocks - Tectonic activity = ice can melt, landslides block river flows - impervious surfaces in urban areas

Answer 36

Changing land use Mismanagement of a river channel = channelisation, dams, reservoirs, embankments and levees, river straightening, floodplains

Answer 37

Adds a liner to a straightened river channel (usually concrete) to reduce friction which aims to improve flow rate and therefore, reduce silting However, the method displaces the river flow downstream (increased silting or flooding) overwhelming locations during peak discharge

Answer 38

Precipitation = increase Soil moisture = increase Evapo-transpiration = increase

Answer 39

Ice = reduced due to the higher temperatures Oceans = increase evaporation, rise in sea level (warm water expands), rise in tropical storms, capacity altered by meltwater Snow = decreased length of snow seasons - economic impact on tourism revenue, spring melt starts earlier Permafrost = melts and releases methane (greenhouse effect) (positive effect) Surface runoff and streamflow = increase drought and floods, reduced infiltration with increased surface runoff Soil moisture = little chnage Reservoir, lake and wetland storage = decrease in store as the temperature rises

Answer 40

ENSO cycles result in both extreme flooding and drought in different parts of world at the same time

Answer 41

If land and sea surface temperatures continue to rise, then it is possible ENSO cycles could become more frequent rather than every 2-3 years This would lead to more periodic unusual climates for both South America and Australia

Answer 42

Water stress (below 1,700m3 per person) Water scarcity (below 1000m3 per person)

Answer 43

Water scarcity can be economic or physical: Economic scarcity occurs when there is water available but the infrastructure is not available to access the water About 1.6 billion people face economic water scarcity Physical scarcity occurs when there is greater demand for water than there is supply An estimated four billion people face severe water scarcity for at least one month a year

Answer 44

Physical - variation in climate, salt water encroachment Human - over-abstraction, water contamination, industrial pollution

Answer 45

Climate variation can lead to drought this reduces the amount of water available Salt water encroachment occurs due to sea level rise when freshwater sources are contaminated by seawater and so become saline EXAMPLE = Saltwater encroachment in the Maldives threatens drinking water supplies and has also damaged crops

Answer 46

Over-abstraction occurs when more water is taken than is naturally replaced by precipitation Many countries around the world are affected by over-abstraction: - Jakarta and Beijing are sinking as a result of past over-abstraction of groundwater which is causing subsidence Over-abstraction from lakes and rivers is also an issue - Increased abstraction of water from the Nile by Ethiopia is decreasing the availability of water for Sudan and Egypt

Answer 47

Over 2.4 billion people live without sanitation A lack of sanitation is one of the leading causes of water contamination In developing countries 90% of sewage flows untreated into water sources Agriculture discharges large quantities of agrochemicals, organic matter, drug residues and sediment into water sources In the EU almost 40% of water sources are impacted by agricultural pollution Increased nitrates from fertiliser use leads to eutrophication

Answer 48

It is estimated that 80% of China's groundwater is polluted, this has led 70% of rivers and lakes to be unsafe for human use = due to factory waste being discharged into water sources untreated This is as a result of a lack of regulations and a failure to challenge industries

Answer 49

Population growth Economic development = growing middle class Rural-urban migration Climate change Pollution

Answer 50

5 billion people or two thirds of the world population

Answer 51

20% of the Earth's land is fully irrigated, of which 30% comes from dams and their respective irrigation channels The majority though, is pumped from aquifers which is leading to irreversible groundwater depletion Areas of greatest groundwater depletion are in the United States and the Orgalla aquifer

Answer 52

Groundwater irrigation eventually discharges into the world's oceans, and contributes to sea level rise

Answer 53

As the demand for water overtakes supplies there is potential for conflict or 'water wars' Conflict for water arises between competing demands of irrigation, energy, industrial, domestic and recreation uses The semi-arid region of Sahel, Africa, sees regular clashes of herdsmen and crop farmers over scarce supplies of water needed for both animals and crops In many parts of the world, ownership is done through owning the river banks in what is called 'riparian rights' Yet water is a moving object, and it crosses borders easily It is this 'shared' river, aquifer or drainage basin that raises transboundary tensions to a level of international and even open conflict

Answer 54

Water transfer schemes Mega dams Desalination plants

Answer 55

These attempt to make up for water deficits through constructing systems of canals, pipes, and dredging over long distances to transfer water from a drainage basin of surplus supplies to areas of deficit EXAMPLE = The Kielder reservoir in Northumberland supplies water to the cities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland, Durham, Darlington and Middlesbrough via a water transfer

Answer 56

One of the largest water transfer projects in the world Planning began in 1952, with work starting in 2002, and is expected to be completed by 2050 It aims im is to divert 45bnm³ of water a year from surplus river basins in the south and east to the north where there is frequent water deficits in places such as Beijing and Tianjin The project will cost US$62 billion to complete and will involve the resettlement of people which is not popular The 3 main diverting routes: Western route - started in 2010, through difficult, high-altitude terrain. As the route will pass high industrial activity, it is feared that water will become polluted on transfer, as well as reduce the volumes in the Yangtze, causing issues with sediment and the ecosystem Central route - this is a 1267km diversion with some of the water from the Three Gorges Dam being used in order help Eastern route - this route is 1,155km long diversion from the Yangtze river next to Shanghai to Beijing and Tianjin in the north The main stakeholders are the government sponsored ‘South to North’ Water Transfer Project Company and corporate civil engineering companies building 3 major canals, pipelines, tunnels and pumping stations

Answer 57

Extracts the salt from seawater to enable it to be used for drinking and irrigation Expensive, salt waste can damage marine ecosystems and the process uses large amounts of energy As the price of freshwater increases, some countries will look to the sea for water supplies Dubai has already done this, as has Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Although it is a sustainable process, it is considered a hard engineered process due to the inputs of technology and energy and it has an ecological impact on marine life

Answer 58

Smart irrigation - replace traditional irrigation methods of sprinklers and surface flows with automated spray technology and drip irrigation systems Rainwater harvesting - precipitation is collected from roofs and stored in water butts for repurposing in toilets and watering gardens Restoration of damaged lakes, rivers and wetlands to return them to their part in the natural water system Filtration - sophisticated systems are used to remove even the finest particulates from dirty water, rendering it safe to drink again Recycle - grey water is a low cost option for use domestically and in agriculture (irrigation, flushing toilets etc.) not drinking Hydroponics - crops are grown in shallow trays that are drip fed nutrients and water, there is no soil involved

Answer 59

Integrated river basin management (IRBM) The process of coordinating conservation, management and development of water, land and related resources across sectors within a given river basin, in order to maximise the economic and social benefits derived from water resources in an equitable manner while preserving and, where necessary, restoring freshwater ecosystems.

Answer 60

the Helsinki Rules, with their 'equitable use' and 'equitable shares' concepts

Answer 61

It promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise economic and social welfare in an equitable manner, without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.

Water Cycle Flashcards

(90 cards)