Water cycles

Question 1

What is an input?

Answer 1

matter & energy added to the system

Question 2

What is an output?

Answer 2

matter & energy leaves the system

Question 3

What is a store?

Answer 3

matter or energy building up in the system

Question 4

What is a flow?

Answer 4

matter or energy moving in the system

Question 5

What is an open system?

Answer 5

matter & energy transferred from the system into the surrounding environment

Question 6

What is a boundary?

Answer 6

limits to the system

Question 7

What is a closed system?

Answer 7

only energy transferred in and out of the system (not matter)

Question 8

What is an isolated system?

Answer 8

no interactions with anything outside the system boundary, a system where neither matter or engergy can enter or leave

Question 9

What is equilibrium?

Answer 9

inputs = outputs

Question 10

What is dynamic equilibrium?

Answer 10

when (almost) inputs=outputs

Question 11

Definition of positive feedback:

Answer 11

mechanisms that amplify the change in inputs and outputs

Question 12

Example of positive feedback:

Answer 12

when surface temperature rises, part of the ice and snow melts, leading to an increase in the solar radiation

Question 13

Definition of negative feedback:

Answer 13

mechanisms that counteract/nullify the change in inputs and outputs

Question 14

What is the cryosphere?

Answer 14

glacial landscapes (cold enough for water to freeze)

Question 15

Example of negative feedback:

Answer 15

an increase in temperature increases the amount of cloud cover, reducing incoming solar radiation which limits global warming

Question 16

What is the lithosphere?

Answer 16

the outermost part of the earth, including the crust and upper parts of the mantle

Question 17

What is the biosphere?

Answer 17

living things (plants & animals)

Question 18

What is the hydrosphere?

Answer 18

all water on the earth

Question 19

What is the atmosphere?

Answer 19

a layer of gas between Earth’s surface and space

Question 20

Why are the sub-systems cascading?

Answer 20

because one effects another

Question 21

How much freshwater is in the lithosphere?

Answer 21

30%

Question 22

How much freshwater is in the hydrosphere?

Answer 22

0.3%

Question 23

How much freshwater is in the atmosphere?

Answer 23

0.04%

Question 24

How much freshwater is in the cryosphere?

Answer 24

69%

Question 25

How much freshwater is in the biosphere?

Answer 25

0.26%

Question 26

How much of the earth's water is freshwater?

Answer 26

2.5%

Question 27

What are the 3 types of precipitation? (Inputs)

Answer 27

relief, convectional, frotal

Question 28

Name 2 outputs

Answer 28

evapotranspiration and streamflow

Question 29

Name 7 flows

Answer 29

infiltration, percolation, throughflow, surface runoff, groundwater flow, streamflow, stemflow

Question 30

Name 5 stores

Answer 30

soil water, groundwater, river channel, interception, surface storage

Question 31

Example of a boundary:

Answer 31

watershed

Question 32

What is the equation for the water balance?

Answer 32

precipitation = total runoff + evapotranspiration +/- (change in) storage

Question 33

What are changes to the drainage basin?

Answer 33

urbanisation, agriculture, seasonal change, deforestation, storms

Question 34

What are cryospheric processes on a local scale?

Answer 34

snow builds up overtime, compressed onto ice, held in storage (the glacier) then as the altitude increases, the temperature decreases melting the glacier

Question 35

What are cryospheric processes on a global scale?

Answer 35

"Albedo effect", snow and ice reflects the suns energy, land and oceans absorb the suns energy

Question 36

What are cryospheric processes in the long term?

Answer 36

ice melts quickly, water "locked up" in ice sheets and glaciers, means sea levels decrease by 100m compared to present day (during the ice age)

Question 37

What are short term cryospheric processes?

Answer 37

winter = snow is accumulated, summer = melting occurs, the equilibrium line means glaciers are shrinking as it moves higher

Question 38

What is the Gulf Stream?

Answer 38

thermohaline circulation example

Question 39

What does warm water do (gulf stream)

Answer 39

lower density = rises = more salty

Question 40

What does cold water do (gulf stream)

Answer 40

higher density = sinks = less salty

Question 41

Examples of human and physical changes to the water cycle:

Answer 41

- deforestation - storm events - seasonal changes - agriculture - urbanisation

Question 42

What is soil recharge?

Answer 42

when the water table increases in response to high rates of precipitation, following a period of water deficit

Question 43

Examples of natural processes (changes overtime of the water cycle):

Answer 43

- seasonal changes - storm events - droughts - El Nino effect - La Nina effect

Question 44

What is the El Nino effect?

Answer 44

2-7 year occurance, warm temperatures in a predictable way

Question 45

What is the La Nina effect?

Answer 45

2-7 year occurance, cold temperatures in a predictable way

Question 46

What is peak discharge?

Answer 46

the point of greatest discharge

Question 47

What is lag time?

Answer 47

the difference between peak rainfall and peak discharge

Question 48

What is peak rainfall?

Answer 48

greatest point of rainfall

Question 49

What is the rising limb on a flood hydrograph?

Answer 49

the discharge increasing

Question 50

What is the falling limb on a flood hydrograph?

Answer 50

the discharge decreasing

Question 51

What is bankfull discharge?

Answer 51

the level of discharge where the river has reached its peak (if more rainfall happens, the river will flood)

Question 52

What is storm flow?

Answer 52

water in the river that is above the base flow

Question 53

What is baseflow?

Answer 53

the standard level of water (discharge) that a river has

Question 54

What makes a river "flashy"?

Answer 54

when it is likely to flood e.g. river rother

Question 55

Factors effecting short lag time:

Answer 55

- steep slopes - urbanisation - small drainage basin - saturated soil - heavy prolonged rainfall - low drainage density

Question 56

Factors effecting long lag time:

Answer 56

- dry soil - gentle slopes - high drainage density - large drainage basin - permeable rocks - woodland / forest - light rain over a long period of time

Question 57

Physical factors effecting flood hydrographs:

Answer 57

- size of drainage basin - shape of basin - ground steepness - soil and rock type

Question 58

Water cycle factors effecting flood hydrographs:

Answer 58

- intense storms - large inputs - infiltration - changes in vegetation

Question 59

Human factors effecting flood hydrographs:

Answer 59

- ploughing - livestock - irrigation - new buildings / urbanisation - abstraction