Exam 1: Water Resources

What is the distribution of water on Earth?

How Earth's water is divided among oceans, ice, groundwater, and surface water.

What are culture hearths?

Regions where major cultural developments (including water systems) originated.

What are qanats?

Ancient underground tunnels that move groundwater by gravity from a mother well to farmland.

What are aqueducts?

Engineered channels or bridges that transport water long distances using gravity.

What is rainwater harvesting?

Collecting and storing rainfall for later use in agriculture or domestic supply.

What are locks and dams?

Structures that control water levels and allow boats to move between different elevations.

What are canal systems?

Man‑made waterways used for transportation, irrigation, and water management.

What is the hydrologic cycle?

Continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and groundwater flow.

What are the unique properties of water?

Cohesion, adhesion, high surface tension, high specific heat, ice being less dense than liquid water.

What is residence time?

How long water stays in a reservoir (atmosphere, rivers, groundwater, oceans).

What is runoff?

Water flowing across land after precipitation due to limited infiltration.

What are storage points?

Places water is held: lakes, wetlands, groundwater, glaciers, soil moisture.

What is evaporation?

Liquid water turning into vapor due to heat energy.

What is transpiration?

Water released from plant leaves into the atmosphere.

What is evapotranspiration?

Combined evaporation + transpiration from land and vegetation.

What is condensation?

Water vapor cooling and forming liquid droplets (clouds).

What are the main fog types?

Advection fog (warm air over cool surface) and orographic fog (air forced up mountains).

What is the difference between climate and weather?

Climate = long‑term patterns; Weather = short‑term atmospheric conditions.

What are the controls of climate?

Air currents, ocean currents, and Earth's axis tilt.

What is the Coriolis effect?

Deflection of moving air due to Earth's rotation (right in NH, left in SH).

What are gyres?

Large circular ocean current systems driven by wind and Earth's rotation.

What is dendrochronology?

Using tree rings to study past climate conditions.

What are ice cores used for?

Glacial ice samples revealing past CO₂ levels and temperature history.

What do corals tell us?

Growth bands recording ocean temperature and chemistry.

What is an urban microclimate?

Cities are hotter due to concrete, low vegetation, and heat retention (urban heat island).

What factors control weather?

Temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed/direction.

What is the greenhouse effect?

Heat trapped by CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone.

What is air pressure?

Force exerted by the atmosphere; differences create wind.

What is relative humidity?

Amount of water vapor in air compared to the maximum possible at that temperature.

What is the dew point?

Temperature where air becomes saturated and condensation begins.

What are the five cloud‑formation processes?

Convection, warm front, cold front, orographic lifting, convergence.

What is ENSO?

El Niño & La Niña: shifts in Pacific Ocean temperatures that change global weather.

How do isobars relate to wind speed?

Close isobars = strong winds; far apart = weak winds.

What is weather modification?

Cloud seeding to increase rainfall; drawbacks include hail, reduced downwind rain, and environmental concerns.