Module 1: Water in the terrestrial environment

Flashcards based on lecture notes about water in the terrestrial environment, catchments, and rainfall.

Macquarie University recognises the custodianship of the land of the _

The Wallumattagal clan of the Dharug Nation

A/Prof Tim Ralph is _

A geomorphologist who likes getting dirty in rivers and wetlands

The UNSDGs recognise that _

Ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve the environment.

Assignment 1 is due _

Sunday 13th April by 11:55pm through TurnItIn

Practicals start this week (Week 3) and are also in _

Weeks 2, 3 & 4

Lecture 3 will cover _

The hydrological (water) cycle and the Earth’s water stores, what is a catchment, measuring catchment morphometrics, some processes involved in water transfer through catchments

The hydrological cycle involves _

Exchange of water occurs between various subsystems

Readily divertible (useable) water is _

<1 % of freshwater & <0.01 % of total water

The typical residence time of biological water is _

1 week

Understanding the hydrological cycle is important because it _

Fashions various biophysical fluxes … sediments, nutrients, etc.

Global water stress under climate change is caused by _

Rising global temperatures, reduced precipitation in many regions and growing demand for water

A catchment is also known as _

Basin, drainage basin, watershed

A catchment typically has one trunk stream (_) and many tributaries.

Longest stream

An interfluve is defined by _

Topographically high ridgelines that divert water into one catchment or another

There are perennial, intermittent and ephemeral streams which are defined as _

Perennial stream – a stream that flows continuously throughout the year, Intermittent stream – a stream that does not flow continuously but dries up from time to time, Ephemeral stream – a stream that has a brief life when environmental conditions are suitable

Catchment morphometrics are measures used to describe the physical characteristics of a catchment, for example _

Size, relief, shape, drainage density, drainage pattern, stream order

Catchment relief is _

How far water falls from the highest point in the catchment to its lowest point

High relief catchments – e.g. in the Himalayas or Andes have high relief ratios and are high energy rivers, while _

Low relief catchments – e.g. Murray-Darling have low relief ratios and are lower energy rivers

Drainage density = _

Total channel length basin area

Drainage density is controlled by _

Rock type (geology), rainfall amount and intensity, slope angle, amount & type of vegetation

The six main types of drainage patterns are _

Dendritic, radial, centripetal, trellised, rectangular, deranged

A popular method to measure channel size & stream size is _

The Strahler stream order method

Precipitation is defined as _

Rain, drizzle, snow, sleet and hail

What percentage of precipitation falls on oceans?

80%

Since much of Sydney's rainfall comes from easterly onshore winds, topographic features of the Sydney Basin largely determine spatial distribution – this is known as _

Orographic effect

By 2030, due to rainfall and climate change, we will experience _

Reduced average rainfall in southern Australia, increase in drought frequency and severity, increase in both frequency, severity an intensity of extreme daily rainfall events