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physical geography > water cycle enquiry Eq1 > Flashcards

water cycle enquiry Eq1 Flashcards

1
Q

systems approach definition

A

a way of studying natural processes by looking at the balance of inputs and outputs and how water is being moved between stores by flows

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2
Q

stores definition

A

reservoirs where water is held, such as oceans

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3
Q

fluxes definition

A

the rate of flow between the stores

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4
Q

processes definition

A

the physical mechanisms that drive the fluxes of water between the stores

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5
Q

cryosphere definition

A

areas of the earth where water is frozen into snow or ice

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6
Q

blue water definition

A

water is stored in rivers, streams, lake and groundwater in liquid form

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7
Q

green water definition

A

water stored in soil and vegetation

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8
Q

residence time definition

A

the average amount of time a water molecule will spend in a reservoir or store

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9
Q

fossil water definition

A

ancient, deep groundwater from former pluvial (wetter) periods

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10
Q

transpiration definitio

A

the diffusion of water from vegetation into the atmosphere, involving a change from liquid to gas

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11
Q

groundwater flow definition

A

the slow transfer of percolated water underground through pervious or porous rocks

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12
Q

throughfall definition

A

when rainfall persists or is relatively intense, and the water drops from leaves, twigs, needles, etc

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13
Q

percolation definition

A

the deep transfer of water from the surface or soil into the rocks below

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14
Q

evapotranspiration definition

A

the combined effect of evaporation and transpiration

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15
Q

river regime definition

A

the annual variation in discharge or flow of a river at a particular point, usually measured in cumecs

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16
Q

how much of the world total water is stored in oceans?

A

96.5- 97%

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17
Q

what is a closed system?

A

occurs when there is a transfer of energy but no external inputs or outputs and no matter can enter the system

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18
Q

what is an open system?

A

receives inputs from and transfers outputs of energy and matter to other systems

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19
Q

how much water is stored in the cryosphere?

A

around 1.9%

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20
Q

which store has the shortest residence time?

A

atmospheric moisture, 10 days

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21
Q

which store has the longest residence time?

A

ice, 15,000 years

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22
Q

what are the four main stores of water

A

-the ocean, 96.9%
-ice, 1.9%
-groundwater, 1.1%
-rivers and lakes, 0.01%

23
Q

what is the drainage basin?

A

an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

24
Q

inputs into the drainage basin

A

-precipitation
-solar insolation

25
outputs from the drainage basin
-evaporation -transpiration -evapotranspiration
26
stores in the drainage basin
-interception -surface storage -groundwater storage -vegetation storage
27
fluxes in the drainage basin
-infiltration -groundwater flow -baseflow -river flow or discharge -stem flow -throughfall -surface run off/ overland flow -percolation
28
relief definition
can impact the amount of precipitation and slopes can affect the amount of runoff
29
climate definition
has a role in influencing the type and amount of precipitation overall and the amount of evaporation
30
vegetation definition
the presence or absence of this can have major impact on the amount of interception, infiltration and occurrence of overland flow, as well as transpiration rates
31
geology definition
can impact the subsurface processes such as percolation and groundwater flow and indirectly can alter soil formation
32
soils definition
determines the amount of infiltration and throughflow and indirectly, type of vegetation
33
convectional rainfall
-common in tropical areas or UK during summer -land becomes hot so the air above it becomes warmer, expands and rises -as it rises the air cools -its ability to hold water vapour decreases -condensation occurs and clouds form -if the air continues to rise, rain will form
34
cyclonic rainfall
-warm air that is lighter and less dense is forced to rise over cold, denser air -as it rises, the air cools and its ability to hold water vapour decreases -condensation occurs, clouds form and rain forms
35
orographic rainfall
-warm air is forced to rise over a barrier such as a mountain -cools and condensation takes place forming rain -leeward side (downslope) has little rain, the rain shadow effect
36
what is the named case study?
Amazonia, South America
37
how much of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed?
over 20% at an accelerating rate over the past 50 years
38
what has causes this deforestation?
-cattle ranching -large scale commercial agriculture for biofuels and soya beans -general development of town and roads -legal and illegal logging
39
what was the percentage increase of discharge in the Tocantins river due to reduced evapotranspiration and precipitation and increased runoff?
25% increase between 1960 and 1997
40
what percentage of the worlds forests are at the Amazon?
60%
41
why do we need the trees?
they act as 'green lungs' by removing CO2 as they photosynthesise and act as carbon sinks
42
what is the impact on water cycling?
in a forest 75% of intercepted water is returned by evapotranspiration to the atmosphere which is reduced to 25% when the forest is cleared
43
what is cloud seeding?
-dispersing silver iodide pellets or ammonium nitrate into the air -serves as cloud condensation nuclei -reliable results and affordable
44
cloud seeding case study example
-China used clous seeding before the 2008 Olympics to create rain to clear the air of pollution -Used in Texas to reduce the impact of drought in 2015
45
what is urbanisation?
-impermeable surfaces that reduce infiltration and increase surface run off -throughflow through artificial drains -increases river and stream discharges
46
urbanisation case study examples
-Winchester, Maidenhead 2014 floods -York, Manchester 2015 floods
47
dam construction explanation
-increases surface water stores and evaporation and reduces down stream river discharge
48
groundwater abstraction explanation
-groundwater is abstracted from aquifers faster then it is replaced causing reduced groundwater flow and lower water table
49
groundwater case study example
-China uses 40% of groundwater to irrigate its farmland -provides 70% of drinking water in the dry northern and north-west regions
50
water budget definition
within the drainage basin, the balance between inputs and outputs is known as the water balance or budget
51
formula for change in storage
change in storage = inputs - runoff + outputs
52
river regime definition
the annual variation in discharge or flow of a river at a particular point or gauging station, usually measured in cumecs
53
what is a storm hydrograph?
a graph showing changes in the discharge of a river over a short period of time

physical geography (10 decks)

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