Water EQ1

Question 1

define a store

Answer 1

stocks of water, places where water is held

Question 2

define a flux

Answer 2

measurement of the rate of flow between stores

Question 3

define a process

Answer 3

the physical factors which drive the fluxes of water between stores

Question 4

what kind of system is the hydrological cycle

Answer 4

closed

Question 5

what forces drive the hydrological cycle

Answer 5

solar energy and gravitational potential energy

Question 6

define cryosphere

Answer 6

frozen water in the hydrological system

Question 7

define blue water

Answer 7

freshwater stores in rivers, streams and lakes- visible componant in cycle

Question 8

define green water

Answer 8

freshwater stored in soil and vegetation- invisible componant of cycle

Question 9

What are the main stores of water in order of percentage content

Answer 9

oceans (96%)
ice caps and glaciers (2%)
groundwater (1%)
rivers and lakes (0.01%)

Question 10

What is the composition of freshwater stores

Answer 10

Ice caps and glaciers (69%)
groundwater (30%)
rivers and lakes (1%)

Question 11

define residence time

Answer 11

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

Question 12

which type of store has the longest residence time

Answer 12

ice caps- 15 000 years

Question 13

which type of store has the shortest residence time

Answer 13

atmospheric moisture- 10 days

Question 14

define drainage basin

Answer 14

a subsystem within the hydrological cycle. it is an open system with inputs and outputs

Question 15

how does climate effect the drainage basin cycle

Answer 15

influences the type of precipitation and the amount of precipitation overall and the amount of evaporation. climate can also in some locations have an impact on vegetation type

Question 16

how soil effects the drainage basin cycle

Answer 16

soil determine the amount of infiltration and throughflow and type of vegetation

Question 17

how geology effects the drainage basin cycle

Answer 17

impacts subsufrace processes like percolation and groundwater flow as well as soil formations

Question 18

how relief effects the drainage basin cycle

Answer 18

impact amount of precipitation and runoff

Question 19

how vegetation effects the drainage basin cycle

Answer 19

presence or absense of precipitation has major impact on infiltration, interception and occurrence ofoverland flow as well as transpiration rates

Question 20

human factors affecting the drainage basin cycle

Answer 20

deforestation
abstraction
construction of dams
river defences 
overpopulation
pollution (industial and agricultural)
global warming
unbanisation

Question 21

define water budget

Answer 21

annual balance between input and output

Question 22

equation to calculate water budget

Answer 22

precipitation= streamflow + evapotranspiration +/- changes in store

Question 23

define river regime

Answer 23

annuel variation in discharge or flow of a river

Question 24

major factors effecting regime of a river

Answer 24

drainage basin area
maximum altitude
variation in altitude
geology
mean annual precipitation
mean discharge
main land use

Question 25

define simple regime

Answer 25

a river which experiences periods of seasonally high and low discharge contained within one climactic zone and relief

Question 26

define complex regime

Answer 26

larger rivers cross several different relief and climactic zones and therefore experience the effects of different seasonal climactic events

Question 27

define antecedent conditions

Answer 27

ground conditions before a storm eg) dry or already saturated

Question 28

Define vegetation storage

Answer 28

Moisture taken up by vegetation and held within plants

Question 29

Define surface storage

Answer 29

Surface water in lakes, rivers and ponds

Question 30

Define groundwater storage

Answer 30

Water held within permeable rocks, also known as aquifers

Question 31

Define channel storage

Answer 31

Water held in rivers and streams

Question 32

Define infiltration

Answer 32

Water entering the top soil, most common in slow or steady rainfall

Question 33

Define through-flow

Answer 33

Also known as interflow, water seeping laterally through the soil below the surface but above the water table

Question 34

Define percolation

Answer 34

The downward seepage of water through rock due to gravity, usually in permeable rocks

Question 35

Define stem flow

Answer 35

Water flowing down plant stems or drainpipes

Question 36

Define base flow

Answer 36

Also known as groundwater flow, slow moving water seeping into a channel

Question 37

Define channel flow

Answer 37

The volume of water flowing within a river channel

Question 38

Define surface runoff

Answer 38

Also called overland flow. Flow over the surface during intense storms or when the ground is frozen, saturated or impermeable

Question 39

Define river discharge

Answer 39

The volume of water passing a certain point in the channel over a certain amount of time