Hydrologic Cycle and Human Impacts

Flashcards reviewing key concepts of the hydrologic cycle, its processes, and human impacts on it.

What drives the movements of water in the hydrosphere?

Energy from solar radiation and gravity.

What transformation requires heat in the hydrologic cycle?

Evaporation of water.

What process releases heat in the hydrologic cycle?

Condensation of water.

What force causes water to drain through soil?

Gravity.

What is excess water from precipitation called?

Surface runoff.

What is the continuous movement of water on Earth called?

The Hydrologic Cycle (or Water Cycle).

What are the main drivers of the hydrologic cycle?

Solar radiation and gravity.

What includes Precipitation, evaporation, infiltration, and transpiration?

Key processes of the hydrologic cycle.

What provides the energy for water to transform from liquid to gas?

Solar radiation.

Where does evaporation primarily occur?

Bodies of water like oceans, lakes, and rivers.

What is the process of plants releasing water vapor into the atmosphere called?

Transpiration.

What is the combined effect of evaporation and transpiration?

Evapotranspiration.

What happens to water vapor as it rises into the atmosphere?

It cools.

What forms when water vapor cools and changes back into a liquid?

Clouds.

What process releases heat when water vapor turns into liquid?

Condensation.

What transports clouds through the atmosphere?

Winds.

What is the movement of water vapor in the atmosphere called?

Advection.

What are the forms of precipitation?

Rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

What is the process of water seeping into the soil?

Infiltration.

What is the downward movement of water within the soil?

Percolation.

What does water become after percolating deep into the ground?

Groundwater.

How does groundwater make its way to bodies of water?

It flows slowly underground.

What is it called when water flows over the surface of the land?

Surface runoff.

When does surface runoff occur?

When the soil is saturated, compacted, or when precipitation is too heavy.

What is any movement of water called?

Streamflow.

What is a continuous loop where water evaporates, transpires, condenses, precipitates, etc.?

The Hydrologic Cycle.

What is the global hydrological cycle?

Describes the continuous movement of water within Earth’s atmosphere, surface, and below the ground.

Is the global hydrological cycle an open or closed system?

Closed system.

How should stores and flows be shown in water cycle diagrams?

Stores as boxes, flows as arrows.

What is the largest store of water on Earth?

Oceans (96.5%).

What percentages of Earth's water do Glaciers and ice caps store

1.7%

What percentages of Earth's water does Groundwater store

1.7%

What percentages of Earth's water does Surface freshwater store?

0.02%

What percentages of Earth's water does the Atmosphere store?

0.001%

What percentages of Earth's water do Organisms store?

0.0001%

What drives the movement of water between stores in the hydrological cycle?

Energy from solar radiation and gravity.

What is the transformation from liquid to gas called?

Evaporation.

What do plants move through their systems, eventually evaporting from the leaves?

Water.

Why does evaporating water cools spaces?

Water requires a high amount of energy to heat up.

What transformation releases heat when water turns back to a liquid?

Condensation.

What is water falling from the sky called?

Precipitation.

What are clouds of condensed or frozen water droplets moved by winds called?

Advection.

What is the transformation when water turns to a solid state?

Freezing.

What is the reverse of freezing?

Melting.

What is it called when water molecules move directly from solid to gas?

Sublimation.

Why are watersheds at higher altitudes?

Gravity means that water moves down from high to low.

What does water infiltrate and percolate through?

Soil.

What is an underground store of water called?

Aquifer.

What is underground movement of water called?

Groundwater flow.

What is water entering the soil called?

Infiltration.

What is water movement in the soil called?

Percolation.

What is any movement of water called?

Streamflow.

Why does surface runoff happen?

Soil is waterlogged, compacted, or precipitation is too heavy.

What type of surfaces increases runoff and reduces infiltration?

Impervious surfaces.

What can flow diagrams of inputs and outputs demonstrate?

The steady state of a water body

When will a water body increase in size?

If the total rate of inflow is greater than the total rate of outflow..

What indicates equilibrium/stable state/sustainable for a water body?

Inflows are balanced by the outflows.

What happens in the image if the combination of all inflows is equal to the combination of all outflows?

The volume of water in a lake will only remain constant

What causes run off to increase in urbanization?

urban (paved) surfaces/reduced veg cover

Urbanization decreases what water process flow?

infiltration of water into soils

Increasing heat/ local temperatures in urbanization lead to?

greater evaporation/downwind precipitation

Urbanization reduces vegetation causing reduced?

evapotranspiration/regional precipitation

River extraction will reduce what water flow?

river flows/increasing outputs from groundwater storages/aquifers

Meling may lead to?

increased emission of greenhouse gasses

Emission of greenhouse gasses may result in?

increased melting of glaciers/shifting precipitation patterns/increased evaporation

increased emissions of NOx/SOx lead to?

acid precipitation

When forests are cleared what is significantly reduced?

evapotranspiration

The removal of trees also increases?

surface runoff

What increases that can potientally cause flash floods?

soil erosion

Farming practices of divert water from what flows?

natural flows

What increases from farming practices?

surface runoff and reducing groundwater recharge.

Soil compaction from heavy machinery decreases what rates?

infiltration rates

What increases due to soil compaction?

more water flowing over the surface

Leching affect both which water qualities?

Surface water and groundwater

urban (paved) surfaces/reduced veg cover alter water by?

increasing runoff and reducing infiltration.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Evaporation

Transformation from liquid to gas.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Transpiration

Evaporation of water from plant's leaves.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Condensation

Transformation when water turns back to a liquid state, releasing heat.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Precipitation

Water falling from the sky.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Advection

Clouds (stores of water vapor) of condensed or frozen water droplets moved through the atmosphere by winds

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Freezing

Transformation when water turns to a solid state.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Melting

Reverse of freezing.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Sublimation

Water molecules moving directly from the solid state to the gaseous state.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Infiltration

Water entering the soil.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Percolation

Water movement in the soil.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Groundwater flow

Underground movement of water.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Streamflow

Any movement of water.

In the Hydrological Cycle what is Surface runoff

Water flowing over the surface because the soil is waterlogged, compacted, or precipitation is too heavy.

What are the main stores in the hydrological cycle?

Oceans, glaciers and ice caps, groundwater, surface freshwater, atmosphere, and organisms.

What is evapotranspiration?

The combined effect of evaporation and transpiration.

What part of the water cycle occurs when water vapor changes back into a liquid state?

Condensation.

What is the name given to water movement by winds?

Advection.

What are the two flow types that forests assist with?

Surface runoff and infiltration.

How does deforestation affect evapotranspiration?

Significantly reduces it.

How does the removal of trees affect surface runoff?

Increases it.

How do forests typically affect water flow?

Slow water flow and promote infiltration.

What can the increased soil erosion from deforestation lead to?

Potential for flash floods.

What is steady state of water calculated through?

Flow diagrams of inputs and outputs.

What is meant by the term fluxes?

movement of energy or matter

For a water body to remain constant, the inflows must be balanced by the what?

Outflows.