water and carbon cycle key words

energy

the ability to do work. In physical geography, much of this ultimately comes from the sun

flow/transfer

a form of linkage between one store/component and another that involves movement of energy or mass

input

the addition of matter and/or energy into a system

output

the results of the processes within a system

store/component

a part of the system where energy/mass is stored or transformed

system

a set of interrelated components working together towards some kind of process

atmospheric water

water found in the atmosphere; mainly wateer vapour with some liquid water (cloud and rain droplets) and ice crystals

cryospheric water

the water locked up on the earth’s surface as ice

oceanic water

the water contained in the earth’s oceans and seas but not including such inland seas as the Caspian sea

terrestrial water

this consists of groundwater, soil moisture, lakes, wetlands and rivers

hydrosphere

a discontinuous layer of water at or near the Earth’s surface. It includes all liquid and frozen waters, groundwaters held in soil and rock and atmospheric water vapour

river discharge

the amount of water in a river flowing past a particular point expressed as m³/s (cubic metres per second)

greenhouse gas

any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that allows short wave ultraviolet radiation from the Sun to pass through the atmosphere, but then prevents outgoing terrestrial infrared radiation from escaping to space

condensation

the process by which water vapour turns to liquid water

cryospheric processes

those processes that affect the total mass of ice at any scale from local patches of frozen ground to global ice amounts. They include accumulation (build up) and ablation (melting)

drainage basin

area of land drained by a river and it’s tributaries. It includes water found on the surface, in the soil and near-surface geology

evaporation

the process by which liquid water turns to gas. Requires energy provided by the sun and is aided by wind

evapotranspiration

total output of water from the drainage basin directly back into the atmosphere

groundwater flow

the slow movement of water through underlying rocks

infiltration

the downward movement of water from the surface into soil

interception store

precipitation that falls on the vegetation surfaces (canopy) or human-made over and is temporarily stored on these surfaces. Intercepted water can either be directly evaporated to the atmosphere, absorbed by the canopy layer or ultimately transmitted to the ground surface

overland flow

the tendency of water to flow horizontally across land surface when rainfall has exceeded the infiltration capacity of the soil and all surface stores are full to overflowing

perlocation

the downward movement of water within the rock under soil surface. Rates vary depending on the nature of the rock

run-off

all the water that enters a river channel nd eventually flows out of the drainage basin

saturated

his applies to any water store that has reaches it’s maximum capacity

stemflow

the portion of precipitation intercepted by the canopy that reaches the ground by lowing down stems, stalks or tree boles

storm and rainfall event

an individual storm is defined as a rainfall period separated by dry intervals of at least 24 hours and an individual rainfall event is defined as a rainfall period separated by dry intervals of at least 4 hours

throughfall

the portion of the precipitation that reaches the ground directly through gaps in the vegetation and drips from leaves, twigs and stems. This occurs when canopy-surface rainwater storage exceeds its storage capacity

throughflow

the movement of water downward through the subsoil under the influence of gravity. It is particularly effective when underlying permeable rock prevents further downward movement

transpiration

the loss of water from vegetation pores (stomata) n their surfaces

water balance

the balance in between inputs (precipitation) and outputs (evapotranspiration, run-off, soil and groundwater storage) in drainage basin

bankfull

maximum discharge that a river channel is capable of carrying without flooding

base flow

this represents the normal day-to-day discharge of the river and is the consequence of slow-moving soil throughflow and groundwater seeping into the river channel

lag time

the time between the peak rainfall and peak discharge

peak discharge

the point on the hydrograph when river discharge is at its greatest

storm flow

discharge resulting from storm precipitation involving both overland flow and flow, throughflow and groundwater flow

storm hydrograph

a graph of discharge of a river over the time period when the normal flow of the river is affected by the storm event

anthropogenic CO₂

carbon dioxide generated by human activity

carbon sequestration

the capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from that atmosphere or capturing anthropogenic CO₂ from large scale stationary sources like power stations before it is released to the atmosphere. Once captured the CO₂ gas is put into long term storage

carbon sink

a store of carbon that absorbs more carbon than it releases

weathering

the breakdown of rocks in situ by a combination of weather, plants and animals

enhanced greenhouse gas effect

impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to the increased levels of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases that humans have released into Earth’s atmosphere since the industrial revolution.

geo-sequestration

technology of capturing greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and pumping them into underground reservoirs

radiative forcing

the difference between the incoming solar energy absorbed by the Earth and the energy radiated back into space

soil organic carbon (SOC)

the organic constituents in the soil: tissues from dead plants and animals, products produced as these decompose and the soil microbial biomass