water flashcards

precipitation

all liquid or solid phase water particles that originate in atmosphere and are deposited on earths surface

conditions required for precipitation…

…atmospheric saturation, condensation nuclei, coalescence around the nuclei

how does air become saturated?

air is cooled or water vapor is added to atmosphere

vapor pressure deficit

point on saturation line - current vapor pressure

vapor pressure

pressure of gas exerted on liquid or solid water

relative humidity

point on saturation line/current vapor pressure

dew point/frost point

temperature required for air saturation

frontal precipitation

air masses of different temperatures and water content collide

cold front precipitation

cold air pushes under the warm air mass. warm air cools with enough water which leads to precipitation.

characteristics of cold front precipitation

short duration and high intensity storms

warm front precipitation

warm air mass pushed up and over the cold air mass

warm front precipitation characteristics

widespread gentle rain

orographic precipitation

air mass lilted up mountain. air cools as it rises. leads to rain shadows

convective precipitation

heat released from ground pushes air mass vertically. the ground is heated by the sun (long wave radiation). common in tropical areas during the summer.

what drives air movement and circulation patterns in the US?

1. jet streams

2. latitudes

3. topography

4. pressure systems

jet streams

fast flowing, narrow air currents. boundary between air masses of different temperatures.

pressure systems

atmospheric pressure. the force upon surface by weight of air above. differs based on altitude and spatial patterns

low pressure system

air rising because pressure is low at the surface. generally warm air due to rising air mass. any precipitation will drop. associated with “bad” weather

high pressure system

air slowly descending. associated with cool and clear weather

impervious surface

water will not infiltrate

stormwater control measure (SCM)

detain and treat rainfall. have due to impervious surfaces

watershed

geographic area that flows to specific point to specific point. depends on outflow point

perennial stream

water flow year round

intermittent stream

periodic flow only during wet season

point source pollution

know the specific location of entry. typically things such as factories

riparian zone

ecological zone where water interacts with plants. serves as filtration and stabilization for creek

bio rentention cell

storage to slow down water filtration of nutrients with plants. special permeable soil with special membrane below soil

pump house

can pump water between different bodies of water and other system, such as an irrigation system

high capillarity

water can move against gravity, wicking effect

cohesion

water sticks to itself

adhesion

water is attracted to other surfaces

high specific heat

amount of energy required to raise temperature by 1 degree celsius

universal solvent

dissolves more substances naturally than ay other liquid

high surface tension

force required to break surface of liquid

high thermal conductivity

heat transfer. conducts hear more efficiently than any other substance except mercury

precipitation

all liquid or solid phase water particles that originate in the atmosphere and are deposited on the earths surface

interception

catchment, storage, and disposition of precipitation on plant and litter surfaces

canopy interception

interception in the leaves and branches of the canopy

litter interception

interception on the leaves/debris on the ground

student experiment in elon forest found that…

11% precipitation intercepted in deciduous forests and 20% intercepted in coniferous forests

throughfall

water that drips to ground

stemflow

water that flows down stems to reach ground

Net precipitation equation

Pn=Pg-I

Interception equation

I= Ic (canopy interception) + Il (litter interception)

Canopy interception equation

Ic=Pg-Th-Sf

return period

frequency on average that a precipitation event is equaled or exceeded

multi year chance of exceedance

prob of given return period store being equaled/exceeded within a given number of years

condensation

evaporation

conversion of liquid water to water vapor at the surface of the liquid water

transpiration

water lost in plants during photosynthesis and respiration

runoff

water budget

Change in S= P-R-E-T-G

Volume equation

area x depth

area equation

length x width

cross-sectional area

width x depth

discharge equation

velocity x cross sectional area

precipitation regime

evapotranspiration

PET vs. AET

potential evapotranspiration based on unlimited water. actual evapotranspiration based on limited water.

what % of precipitation is intercepted in deciduous forests?

11%

what % of precipitation is intercepted in coniferous forests?

90%

what % of precipitation is intercepted in rainforests?

20-40%

meterological factors that can influence interception

in what conditions can interception be a net input of water into the system?

when condensation adds water back into the atmosphere in rainforests, cloud forests, or fog conditions

Associated probability equation

Recurrence interval equation

Tr=1/P

infiltration

process by which water enters the ground. driven by gravity, capillarity, and porosity

infiltration rate

infiltration capacity

measurement of rate of infiltration. changes over the time of the event and typically decreases

runoff/streamflow

stream order

estimate of size of streams in network. 1st order → 2nd order → 3rd order

stream/river definitions

stream discharge

physical factors that impact shape of hydrograph

groundwater

percolation

interflow

through flow

factors controlling movement of water below ground

water layers in the ground

two types of aquifers

aquiclude 

perched aquifer

recharge zone

safe yield

aquifer mining

hydraulic head

hydraulic gradient

potentiometric surface