A-Level Geography > Water Cycle > Flashcards

Water Cycle Flashcards

(90 cards)

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1
Q

Precipitation

A

The input into a drainage basin system. It includes all forms of moisture entering: hail, snow, dew, frost, sleet and rain

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2
Q

Interception

A

The storage of water when it lands on vegetation (or structures like buildings) before it reaches the soil. It is a temporary store before evaporation of stemflow

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3
Q

Surface Storage

A

The storage of water on the surface including puddles, ponds and lakes

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4
Q

Soil Moisture

A

The storage of water in soil. Water is held in the small gaps between soil particles

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5
Q

Groundwater Storage

A

The storage of water in the ground rocks of permeable rock. The water is held in cracks (limestone) bedding planes (sedimentary rock) or pores (chalk). Rocks with lots of water storage are called aquifers

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6
Q

Channel Storage

A

The storage of water in the river channel. As water is being transported to the sea, it is a store of water

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7
Q

Vegetation Storage

A

The storage of water in vegetation. Plants and trees take up water through their roots and water is stored here.

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8
Q

Surface Runoff / Overland Flow

A

The horizontal flow of water over the surface of the land either in little channels or over the whole surface - this is usually a quick flow

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9
Q

Stem Flow

A

The downwards flow of water moving downwards from interception storage to the surface

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10
Q

Throughfall

A

The downwards movement of water as it drips from one leaf to another

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11
Q

Throughflow

A

The horizontal flow of water moving through soil (between the particles) towards the river

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12
Q

Interflow

A

The horizontal movement of water through rock above the water table

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13
Q

Infiltration

A

The downwards movement of water from the surface into the soil

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14
Q

Percolation

A

The downwards movement of water from the soil to the permeable ground rock

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15
Q

Groundwater Flow

A

The horizontal movement of water through the rocks below the water table

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16
Q

Baseflow

A

Groundwater flow that feeds into rivers

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17
Q

Channel Flow

A

The movement of water in the river channel moving towards the sea

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18
Q

Evaporation

A

The output of water when water is heated and turned from a liquid into a gas. Rates are affected by temperature, wind, humidity and water availability

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19
Q

Transpiration

A

The output of water where moisture is taken into plants through their roots, moved to the leaves by capillary action and then evaporates from the leaves into a gas

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20
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

The combined output of water from evaporation and transpiration. Potential - is the amount that could occur if water were available. Actual - is the amount that actually occurs. E.g. deserts have a very high potential - due to high temperature, however, actual - is low as there is very little water available

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21
Q

Condensation

A

Transfer of water from a gaseous state to a liquid state, for example, the formation of clouds

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22
Q

Condensation Nuclei

A

Microscopic particles on which water vapour condenses to form cloud droplets e.g. dust or smoke

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23
Q

Dew Point

A

The temperature at which water vapor in the air becomes saturated and condensation begins

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24
Q

Sublimation

A

Transfer from a solid state (ice) to a gaseous state (water vapor)

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25
Deposition
Transfer from a gaseous state (water vapor) to a solid state (ice) e.g. hoar frost
26
Latent Heat
The heat required to convert a solid into a liquid or vapor, or a liquid into a vapor, without a change of temperature
27
Discharge
The output of water from a river channel out to sea
28
Aquifer
A vast underground reservoir most commonly formed in rocks such as chalk and sandstone
29
Impermeable Surface
Does not allow water to pass through
30
Permeable Surface
Allows water to pass through
31
Urbanisation
The increasing proportion of people living in towns and cities as opposed to the countryside, leading to the replacement of vegetated ground with impermeable concrete and tarmac
32
Deforestation
The removal of trees, leading to surface runoff and soil erosion and reducing soil water stores
33
Drainage Basin
The area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries
34
Source
The point where the river begins. The river is both narrow and shallow here, and discharge is high
35
Mouth
The point where the river meets the sea. The river is wide and deep here, and discharge is high
36
Watershed
The edge of a drainage basin
37
Tributary
Smaller rivers that feed into the main channel
38
Confluence
The point where two rivers meet
39
Flood (storm) hydrograph
A graph showing the discharge of a river following a particular storm event
40
Lag time
Time between peak rainfall and peak discharge. Longer lag time = less likely to cause a flood
41
River Regime
The pattern of discharge over the course of a year. Affected by geology, vegetation, urbanisation, size / shape of drainage basin, rainfall intensity etc.
42
Soil Moisture (water) budget
Describes the changes in the soil water store over the course of a year. It is determined by precipitation and evapotranspiration. There are several stages in a soil moisture budget graph including: soil moisture utilisation; soil moisture deficit; soil moisture recharge; field capacity; soil moisture surplus
43
Soil Moisture Utilisation
The extraction of soil moisture by plants for their needs; efficiency of withdrawal decreases as the soil moisture storage is reduced
44
Soil Moisture Deficit
The point at which soil moisture falls below field capacity - caused by a lack of precipitation and large amounts of evapotranspiration.
45
Soil Moisture Recharge
Following soil moisture deficit, precipitation is greater than potential evapotranspiration moisture will be added to the soil
46
Field Capacity
The point at which soil becomes saturated
47
Soil Moisture Surplus
The period when soil is saturated and water cannot enter, and so flows over the surface - caused by low levels of evapotranspiration and high levels of precipitation
48
Soil Porosity
Pores or spaces in the soil. The greater pores or spaces, the greater the water holding ability
49
Water Balance
An equation used to express the relationship between the main water stores - the lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and atmosphere
50
Hillslope System
The way in which water moves down a typical hill slope towards a river, involving stores and transfers
51
Irrigation
The supply of water to the land by means of channels, streams and sprinklers in order to permit the growth of crops
52
Water Table
The upper level of saturated rock
53
Water Abstraction
The extraction of water from rivers or groundwater aquifers
54
Saltwater Intrusion
The movement of saltwater into an aquifer, which may cause contamination. Often caused by over abstraction of groundwater from an aquifer
55
Relief / Orographic Rainfall
Rainfall formed due to warm moist air being forced to rise by the relief of the land. Once risen, the air cools and condenses forming rain
56
Conventional Rainfall
Rainfall formed when heat from the sun heats the ground. The warm ground heats the air above causing it to rise, cool, condense and form rain
57
Ablation
Outputs from a glacial system due to melting (size of glacier decreases)
58
Accumulation
Inputs to a glacial system due to snowfall (builds a glacier)
59
Frontal Rainfall
Rainfall formed when warm air meets cold air. Warm air is less dense and therefore rises above the cold air, cooling, condensing and forming rain
60
What are the five subsystems on Earth?
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, biosphere
61
What percentage of the Earths water is salty vs fresh
97.5% is salty. 2.5% fresh
62
Of all the fresh water, what percentage is frozen
Around 70%
63
What is the largest store of water and what percentage is stored here.
Oceans - around 96.9%
64
What is the second largest store of water and what percentage is stored here
Cryosphere - 1.9%
65
What percentage of water is stored in terrestrial stores?
Around 1.1%
66
Which store only holds 0.001% of all water?
Atmosphere
67
Which store has the longest residency time and for how long?
Cryosphere - ice caps and sheets can hold water for up to 15,000 years
68
Which store has the second longest residency time and for how long?
Oceans - 3600 years
69
How long does water stay in the atmosphere?
Around 10 days
70
What are the 5 stores within the cryosphere?
Permafrost Ice sheets Ice caps Ice shelves Sea ice
71
Where is water stored in the terrestrial store?
Rivers, lakes, swamps, marshes, soil water, groundwater, biological water
72
What is latent heat?
Latent heat is energy released or absorbed by a substance during a change of state. For example when water changes from gas to liquid.
73
What happens to latent heat when evaporation occurs?
When water evaporates from liquid to gas, latent heat is absorbed and therefore cools the surroundings.
74
What happens to latent heat when condensation occurs?
When water condenses from gas to liquid, latent heat is released and therefore warms the surroundings
75
What are the factors affecting evaporation?
Evapotranspiration is affected by the amount of solar energy, the temperature of the air, the humidity of the air, and the amount of water available.
76
How does evaporation vary over space and time?
Evapotranspiration is highest near the tropics where sunlight, temperatures and water availability are high. It is highest during summer months when there are warmer temperatures.
77
What is the process of condensation and what causes it?
Condensation is when water turns from gas to liquid water droplets. This occurs when air becomes cooler, saturated and can no longer hold water vapour. The temperature at which this happens is called the dew point temperature. There needs to be the presence of a condensation nuclei such as dust, soot or a blade of grass, the water vapour will condense onto this.
78
Where does cloud formation occur and why?
Cloud formation occurs when air rises and condenses. This mostly happens in belts along 0o and 60o latitude, due to air converging at the surface and rising.
79
What is adiabatic cooling?
Adiabatic cooling is a change in temperature due to a change in volume. As air rises it expands due to there being less pressure, the air is now cooler.
80
What are cryospheric processes?
Cryospheric processes are to do with the volume of water stored in ice. There have been 5 major glacial periods in which the world’s water cycle has essentially been halted due to water being stored as ice and therefore not available to cycle through the other four subsystems. Accumulation is when ice sheets are expanding, ablation is when ice sheets are melting. Cryospheric processes directly control global sea level, with it being as much as 120m below current levels during the last glacial maximum.
81
Which factors increase discharge in a drainage basin?
Impermeable surfaces – restricts infiltration Steep slopes – increases surface runoff Heavy rainfall/antecedent rainfall – saturates the soil Round drainage basin – all water will reach the main channel at a similar time Low vegetation density – less interception Snow melt – High volume of water at one time, if soil is still frozen this will restrict infiltration
82
Which factors would decrease discharge in a drainage basin?
Permeable surfaces – water can infiltrate and be stored in rocks / travel slowly towards a river through groundwater flow Gentle slopes – allows for infiltration to take place Long, thin drainage basin – water will enter channel at a steadier rate Dense vegetation – intercepts rainfall
83
What does base flow on a hydrograph represent ?
Base flow on a hydrograph represents the normal amount of water in the river.
84
What would lead to a flashy hydrograph?
1. Impermeable surfaces 2. Steep slopes 3. Heavy rainfall/antecedent rainfall 4. Round drainage basin 5. Low vegetation density
85
What would lead to a subdued hydrograph?
1. Permeable surfaces 2. Gentle slopes 3. Long, thin drainage basin 4. Dense vegetation – intercepts rainfall
86
How does drought affect the water cycle?
Drought causes a reduction in terrestrial water storage, dieback of vegetation, and soil to dry out reducing throughflow.
87
How do seasonal changes affect the water cycle?
Seasons cause variation as in summer there is more evapotranspiration as temperatures and warmer and there are more leaves on the trees. Winter has more precipitation which will increase the terrestrial store.
88
How does urbanisation affect the water cycle?
Urbanisation replaces permeable surfaces with tarmac and concrete, increasing surface runoff and river discharge. Drainage systems channel water quickly into rivers, reducing lag time and increasing flood risk.
89
How does deforestation affect the water cycle?
Deforestation reduces interception rates allowing rainwater to hit the surface directly. The lack of vegetation roots reduces the infiltration rates into the soil. This results in flashy hydrographs. In addition, if soil is washed into river channels the risk of flooding is increased. Another impact of deforestation is the reduction in transpiration meaning that less moisture is returned to the atmosphere.
90
How does farming affect the water cycle?
1. Ploughing breaks up the topsoil and allows greater infiltration resulting in less runoff and longer lag times. Irrigation by farmers can deplete ground water stores Where grass crops replace more dense vegetation like forest there may be a reduction in transpiration and an increase in infiltration. Large numbers of livestock on small areas can result in soils becoming compacted and can lead to greater overland flow.
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