Geography 1.1 Hydrological Cycle - Closed system

Define the Hydrological Cycle (and what it consists of on earth)

Global movement of water between the air, land and sea. The hydrological cycle on earth is a giant closed system comprising of multiple open systems. There is a fixed amount of water on earth because water neither enters nor leaves the Earth and its atmosphere.

What are the different stores in the hydrological cycle

1. The atmosphere where water exists as water vapor or droplets in the cloud

2. The land, in the surface in rivers, lakes and reservoirs

3. In plants and vegetation (for short periods of time)

4. As groundwater in bedrock

5. In solid forms as ice sheets, glaciers and snowfieldS

6. 95 percent in the sea, mostly water but also icebergs in high latitude seas

What is the factor causing the changes in proportions held in stores, and how

The suns energy is the main factor, with an increase in it leading to more evaporation and melting of ice sheets and glaciers.

What are transfers in the hydrological system