Geography > Hydrological Cycle > Flashcards

Hydrological Cycle Flashcards

(48 cards)

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1
Q

Name the 3 parts of the hydrological cycle

A

Stores - oceans
Fluxes - rivers , water moving
Process- the mechanisms which drive the fluxes

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2
Q

What kind of cycle is it

A

Closed
What goes in must come out
One input and many outputs
Amount of water never changes

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3
Q

What happened to the hydrological cycle in the last ice age?

A

Sea levels fell by over 140 m due to more water stored in the cryosphere

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4
Q

What is isostatic rebound?

A

Land rises out of ocean due to previous ice coverage pressing it down into the ocean over the thousands of years land slowly comes back up

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5
Q

What is the biggest store of water?

A

The ocean

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6
Q

What percentage of freshwater do ice caps hold?

A

70%

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7
Q

What percentage of groundwater represents freshwater

A

30%

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8
Q

What are the smallest freshwater stores

A

One percent for rivers and soil moisture. And 0.1% for the atmosphere.

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9
Q

What is blue water

A

Visibly part of the cycle
Rivers, lakes

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10
Q

What is green water

A

Water stored in vegetation and soil generally seen as I visible

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11
Q

Describe what type of system The ground basin is

A

On a small scale the drainage basin is an open system as it has external inputs and outputs that cause the amount of water to vary over time

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12
Q

What is a confluence

A

A confluence is where a tributary meets the main flow of water

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13
Q

How does water travel

A

Downstream
The slope angle effects the speed of water

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14
Q

What is the catchment area

A

The area of land which catches the rainfall
Usually on a hill

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15
Q

What is watershed

A

The area of land which channels precipitation

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16
Q

Top of the river is the ____

A

Source

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17
Q

Top of the river is the ____

A

Source

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18
Q

Bottom of the river is the _____

A

Mouth

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19
Q

What is overland flow

A

When the water is not absorbed by the ground it goes off as overland flow

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20
Q

What is orographic rainfall

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A

Air is forced to rise over over a barrier
E.g clouds rising over Pennines
This then forms clouds and rain.
The leeward side (downwind) recipes relatively less rainfall (rain shadow )

21
Q

What are the 7 impacts on the drainage basin

Study These Flashcards
A

Amount of precipitation
Type of precipitation
Seasonality
Intensity
Variability of precipitation e.g. climate change
Distribution of precipitation e.g. larger basins localised storm events impact on only part of the basin

22
Q

What impacts the drainage basin

Study These Flashcards
A

Amount of precipitation
Type of precipitation
Seasonality
Intensity
Variability of precipitation e.g. climate change
Distribution of precipitation e.g. larger basins localised storm events impact on only part of the basin

23
Q

Name the three types of rainfall

Study These Flashcards
A

Orographic
Cyclonic
Conventional

24
Q

Cyclonic rainfall

Study These Flashcards
A

Warm air is lighter and less dense
Forced to use over cold denser air
Rises and cools can no longer hold water vapour so condenses and forms rain

Occurs when warm moist air comes into contact with cool dry air

25
Conventional rainfall
Occurs in the tropics and uk summer Heat radiation heats land, this heats the thin layer of air above land , this warms , expands and rises As it rises it cools condenses and falls as rainfall
26
Rain shadow
On the side facing away from prevailing winds (leeward side), this area of land that has relatively less rainfall
27
Infiltration
The rate at which water enters the soil/ground this varies considerably depending on the vegetation type e.g. different trees have different infiltration rates, coniferous forests intercept about 25 to 35% of annual rainfall however deciduous only intercept 15 to 25%
28
What factors affect infiltration rate
Amount of rain already in the ground Soil texture (sand and clay intercept at vastly different rates) soil compaction type of vegetation (trees versus pasture) slope angle
29
What is through flow
Flows through the land under ground
30
What is percolation
Water infiltrates ground and goes into rocks under ground
31
Channel flow
Channel flow is the main body of water
32
Describe evapotranspiration
-A combination of evaporation and transpiration -the most crucial element of moisture loss especially in areas such as arid and semi arid areas like Spain. -It is often difficult to distinguish between what is transformation and evaporation therefore they are combined.
33
Describe how soil texture impact the drainage basin
The rates of infiltration are different depending on soil types Sandy -good Clay based-poor Silt —average The porosity of these impact upon the rate at which water infiltrates
34
What factors affect infiltration rates?
Vegetation type and cover how much water is already in the soil Compact Slope angle
35
Why does Interception affect the drainage Basin
Type of vegetation and density results in different interception levels Deforestation and afforestation both have significant impacts
36
How does groundwater affect the drainage basin
Grandma is used a lot in warm countries to irrigate crops UK no longer uses much groundwater since the manufacturing moved elsewhere, meaning flooding is more common as there is more water in the groundwater
37
Five factors which impact the rate of infiltration
Climate soil geology relief Vegetation
38
Name the 4 human factors that impact the water cycle
Cloud seeding Urbanisation Dam construction Groundwater abstraction
39
Define river regime
The annual variation in discharge from a river
40
What factors influence the river regime
Climate Snowmelt Geology Human activity Dam construction Rainfall regimes Deforestation
41
What factors affect the shape of a storm hydrograph
Basin size Drainage density Precipitation intensity Precipitation duration Bain shape Natural vegetation Land use Snowfall Soli type Basin relief Rock type Evapotranspiration
42
What are the 4 drought types
Meteorological Hydrological Agricultural Food deficit
43
What is the El Niño southern oscillation
It is an oscillation of the ocean atmosphere system in the tropical pacific It has major impacts on global weather
44
What happens during El Niño
Winds across the pacific change direction They blow west to east This changes weather patterns around the pacific Occurs every 3-6 years however getting more regular
45
Describe what happens during an El Niño year
Air pressure over west coast of South America is low Air pressure over Australia is high The regular trade winds over pacific are disrupted and warm water sloshes eastwards No cold upwelling on South American coast
46
What are the consequences of an El Niño year
The warm water back eastwards prevents the cold upwelling of nutrient rich water which plankton feed off This attracts anchovy’s
47
What are the teleconections of El Niño
Reduced hurricane activity in south central America Droughts in Brazil Floods in Kenya Fires in indonisia
48
What is el Nina
It is exaggerated version of normal conditions - increased natural disasters Warm water eastwards causes sea levels to rise by 1m Strong uplift of air around Indonesia and Philippines causes heavy rain
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