WATER CYCLE! Flashcards
(91 cards)
1
Q
how much of the earth’s entire water supply is found in the oceans and seas?
A
96.5%
2
Q
types of local water stores:
A
soil moisture interception groundwater surface storage vegetation storage
3
Q
where is the earth’s surface water found?
A
ground ice and permafrost lakes and rivers soil moisture swamps and marshes the atmosphere the biosphere
4
Q
what are flows?
A
how water moves from one store to another in the global hydrological cycle eg. through flow or channel flow
5
Q
human factors affecting drainage basins:
A
over abstraction
urbanisation
reservoirs
deforestation
6
Q
what does high vegetation cover increase in a drainage basin?
A
evapotranspiration
7
Q
the outputs from drainage basins:
A
channel flow
evaporation
transpiration
8
Q
what do we call it when the volume of groundwater being removed is greater than the volume being replenished?
A
over abstraction
9
Q
what is direct run off?
A
the drainage basin flows that happen when water flows across the ground’s surface
10
Q
physical factors influencing drainage basin cycle:
A
soil type rock type vegetation cover relief of the land climate
11
Q
what is fossil water?
A
untouched ancient freshwater stores
12
Q
what is another word for the polar areas of the world?
A
cryosphere
13
Q
only 2.5% of the earth’s water is:
A
freshwater
14
Q
how much of the precipitation that a rainforest receives is returned to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration?
A
50%
15
Q
tropical hydrology facts:
A
the high density of vegetation consumes the majority of precipitation
50% of the precipitation is returned via evapotranspiration
rainforests are able to generate their own water cycle due to conventional rainfall
16
Q
what is released into the atmosphere as ice and permafrost thaw?
A
biogenic gases
17
Q
why are human influences on the Yukon River minimal?
A
it is a largely natural area
18
Q
what happens to the Yukon River in summer?
A
snowmelt increases discharge
19
Q
what process happens due to the high temperatures and high levels of biodiversity found in the Amazon rainforest?
A
evapotranspiration
20
Q
what types of landscapes do the Yukon River flow through?
A
mountains and tundra
21
Q
what is river discharge?
A
the volume of water flowing in a river every second and is measured in cumecs (m3/s)
22
Q
what is river discharge measured in?
A
cubic metres per second
23
Q
how does impermeable rock and soil reduce the lag time and increase peak discharge of a river?
A
precipitation will not be able to infiltrate into the ground, increasing surface runoff
24
Q
examples of effects of humans on hydrographs:
A
urbanisation leads to an increase in impermeable surfaces e.g. tarmac + concrete
dams + reservoirs regulate flow of rivers
abstraction of aquifers lowers groundwater levels
ploughing of agricultural land increases surface runoff
25
what can be used to regulate the flow of a river by storing water before choosing when to release it downstream?
reservoirs
26
what physical factors affect storm hydrographs?
size and shape of catchment area
drainage density
rock and soil type
relief and vegetation
27
how do La Nina cycles lead to flood risk in Australasia?
because low pressure systems lead to warm rising air that produce clouds and rainfall
28
which group of people were worst affected by the Brazilian drought crisis in 2014?
poor and rural communities
29
what consequences are true during El Nino?
Australasia is at increased risk of drought
happens over South Pacific Ocean
Australasia has cooler than normal ocean temps
warm water moves to South American coastline
30
why did Brazilian residences drill wells illegally in 2014-15?
they could not afford the government charge
31
what wetland species of bird in Minsmere, Suffolk is impacted by the dry soil surface present during a drought?
Snipe and Thrush
32
what factors can turn a small fire into a wildfire?
lightening storms and high winds
33
how can a reduction in canopy cover in rainforests lead to drought?
it leads to less interception and inflitration, also decreases evapotranspiration which means water vapour and rainfall reduces
34
how does the removal of vegetation contribute to the causes of flooding?
it increases surface runoff
35
impacts of snowmelt:
increased surface runoff
| consequential flash floods
36
what are the characteristics of flash flooding?
no warning and happens quickly
37
effects of flooding on soils:
sediment from banks and beds of rivers erodes
sediment can block sections of a river
erodes fertile soil in places like Amazon
38
2015 Cumbria floods statements:
42,000 homes without power
5000 homes flooded after 3 days
damages to homes were £150 million
39
how can flooding have a devastating impact on ecosystems?
if plants, agriculture or habitats are damaged by flooding, the animals that are dependent on them for food and shelter are at risk
animals have to compete for limited resources/ migrate to other ecosystems leading to a decline in some species
40
how does climate change impact the hydrological cycle inputs and outputs?
some areas see a decrease in temperature that reduces evaporation rates
if temperatures decrease to below freezing, water may remain frozen and be stored as ice
41
what are potential effects of climate change on stores and flows?
sea ice not forming to the same extent
permafrost loss
Lake Chad drying up
42
what are the effects of climate change changing weather patterns?
it changes precipitation and evaporation which can impact a region's hydrological cycle and ecosystems
43
what year saw the smallest amount of winter Arctic ice since the 1960s?
2018
44
what are the impacts of climate change?
likelihood of tropical storms increase
sea levels rise
sea surface temps increase
higher levels of rainfall = higher precipitation rates and flood risk in tropical regions near coastline
45
what area is at increased flood risk during El Nino?
South America
46
how much of the Sahel's precipitation falls in the rainy season from July to September?
90%
47
what has the recent increase in wetter years in the Sahel been referred to as?
a re-greening opportunity
48
the use of water-consuming devices increases as countries develop, the middle classes expand and what increases?
living standards
49
what does water stress mean?
when a water supply is limited within an area, it can be seen to have water stress
can be seen where the demand is significantly above that of the available clean water supply
50
why is Greenland at low risk from water scarcity?
melted ice-sheet can produce freshwater
51
low air pressure systems area:
warm moist air rises --> warm air cools and condenses to form clouds --> precipitation e.g. Brazil
52
high air pressure systems area:
air sinks --> no clouds form --> no precipitation e.g. Morocco
53
what country is the biggest consumer of water per capita in the world?
USA
54
why are India and China at a high risk of water stress?
these countries have the fastest growing populations and an increase in middle classes using water consuming devices
55
physical components of water stress statements:
Brazil has relative water security due to their high rainfall
the Hadley and Ferrel cell meet causing an area of high pressure
countries near the equator see more rainfall and less water stress
climate change will melt Greenland's ice-sheet to produce freshwater
56
why is there a water management problem in rural Tanzania?
farmers pay a one-off annual fee to access a water source (river or well) which leads to farmers using more water than necessary because they feel like they have already 'paid for it'
57
what are human factors affecting water stress?
fast-growing populations
high living standards
industry demands
58
what is saltwater encroachment?
where groundwater near the coast is contaminated with sea water (salinisation) e.g. Tuvalu
59
what can increase the risk of saltwater intrusion to freshwater?
sea level rise, coastal erosion and local abstraction
60
human causes of water insecurity:
agricultural water contamination (agriculture)
industrial water pollution (industrialisation)
rivers and aquifers over-abstraction
population growth
increasing living standards
61
fertilisers and pesticides are examples of what?
agricultural waste products
62
physical causes of water insecurity:
climate variability
saltwater encroachment
over-abstraction of aquifers
63
what is the single largest user of water?
agriculture: 70% of the world's water, 90% in developing countries
64
water resource privatisation means that people have to what?
pay more
65
what does the Water Poverty Index determine?
the quality, quantity and accessibility of water
66
why are energy demands increasing globally?
as electricity access increases and standards of living improve = demands more energy
67
when was the Water Poverty Index developed?
2002
68
what is the volume of water being used in agriculture?
not sustainable
69
which country has had complete anonymity over developments on the Nile since 1929?
Egypt
70
concerns about water conflict in Ethiopia:
ethnic groups are threatened by poor crop yield
tribal conflict is a concern because of the minimal water supplies
potential devastation to Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana's water levels could drop 10m
71
what do those in favour of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam say about artificial floods?
that they could continue to support the indigenous population
establishing large plantations of cotton and sugar cane could economically benefit those populations
72
200,000 people downstream of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam rely on the seasonal floodwaters to replenish the dry soils for what?
subsistence farming
73
what is one of the hard scale engineering schemes that attempt to fix water disparity in China?
North-South Water Transfer Project
74
what happened to 1.3mil Chinese residents as a result of the Three Gorges Dam?
they were relocated
75
one positive and one negative of the Israel desalination plants:
:) can produce up to 600tonnes of clean drinking water in an hour
:( each plant requires its own power station
76
what are the pros of the Three Gorges Dam?
controls flooding on the River Yangtze
improve the supply of water by regulating the flow
provides HEP energy
makes the river navigable: important for economic development
77
desalination plants provide a supply of water that is what?
reliable
78
crops produced with smart irrigation produce the same quality and quantity whilst using what?
less water
79
what is smart irrigation?
a sustainable water management scheme that provides crops with below the optimum water levels during the growth stage, so they become less sensitive to the lack of water
80
why has Singapore introduced the recycling of water?
it suffers from water scarcity
high temps in Singapore mean evaporation rates are high and there is a lack of groundwater resources despite the high levels of rainfall
81
NEWater plants are currently meeting how much of Singapore's water needs?
30%
82
how do local people in Kenya extract the trapped water from behind sand dams?
piping the water through the dam to a tap
digging wells
digging holes
83
how much has the use of smart irrigation for fruit trees increased water productivity by in Australia?
60%
84
sustainable water management techniques in Singapore:
rainwater collection and treatment
NEWater plants
an agreement to import water from Malaysia until 2061
desalination plants
85
in what Kenyan district have local people started building sand dams to increase the sustainability of their water supply?
Machakos District
86
the Colorado River facts:
starts in the Rocky Mountains
flows through semi-arid areas towards Gulf of California in Mexico
233km long
97% flows through USA
87
the Helsinki Water Convention facts:
the Integrated Water Resource Management approach was established as a result
Convention entered into force in 1996
held by UNECE
held in 1992
88
what type of approach is the IWRM?
holistic
89
what do the Berlin Rules state?
how freshwater resources should be shared, whether nationally or internationally
adopts nine water management principles
90
what has climate change resulted in for the Colorado River?
lower precipitation in the Colorado River basin = increased frequency of drought = further pressure onto water source
91
when did the International Law Association approve the Berlin Rules on Water Resources?
2004
