Water Resources and Atmospheric Disturbances

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to water resources, atmospheric lifting mechanisms, air masses, weather fronts, tropical cyclones (hurricanes), thunderstorms, tornadoes, hydrologic cycle components, water budgeting, and water pollution as discussed in the lecture notes.

Convectional Lifting

An atmospheric lifting mechanism where air rises due to surface heating, leading to cloud formation and precipitation.

Orographic Lifting

An atmospheric lifting mechanism where air is forced to rise over topographic barriers, such as mountains, causing cooling and condensation.

Cyclonic (Convergence) Lifting

An atmospheric lifting mechanism involving air converging into a low-pressure area and being forced to rise.

Cyclonic (Frontal) Lifting

An atmospheric lifting mechanism where warmer air is forced to rise over denser, colder air masses along a weather front.

Air Mass

A large body of air with relatively uniform temperature and moisture characteristics.

Midlatitude Cyclones

Large-scale low-pressure weather systems that form in the middle latitudes, often associated with weather fronts.

cP Air Mass

Continental Polar air mass, characterized by cold-dry conditions.

mP Air Mass

Maritime Polar air mass, characterized by cool-wet conditions.

mT Air Mass

Maritime Tropical air mass, characterized by warm-wet conditions.

cT Air Mass

Continental Tropical air mass, characterized by hot-dry conditions.

Weather Front

A boundary zone between two different air masses.

Cold Front

A weather front characterized by a steep frontal slope, rapidly rising air, vertically developed (cumuliform) clouds, and intense, brief precipitation.

Warm Front

A weather front characterized by a shallow frontal slope, gently rising air, shallow (stratiform) cloud development, and light, long-lasting precipitation.

Tropical Cyclones

Large rotating storm systems that form over tropical or subtropical waters, including hurricanes.

Hurricanes

A type of tropical cyclone requiring warm water (26.5°C or 80°F) to a sufficient depth, the Coriolis effect (8 to 10 degrees N/S from the equator), a pre-existing disturbance (area of low pressure), and no significant wind shear with height for formation.

Storm Surge

An abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, beyond the predicted astronomical tides, associated with hurricanes and causing significant damage.

Wave Setup

An associated damage factor during hurricanes, distinct from storm surge or high winds.

Flooding

The inundation of land by water, commonly associated with heavy rains from weather systems like hurricanes or thunderstorms.

Thunderstorms

Atmospheric disturbances involving lightning and thunder, often forming under unstable atmospheric conditions and enhanced by convective lifting.

Convective Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms formed primarily by convective lifting, often in warmer latitudes/seasons, fueled by latent heat of condensation from mT airmasses, and progressing through three stages.

Cumulus Stage (Thunderstorm)

The initial stage of a convective thunderstorm, characterized by rising warm air and latent heat release.

Mature Stage (Thunderstorm)

The second stage of a convective thunderstorm, marked by both updrafts and downdrafts, and heavy precipitation.

Dissipating Stage (Thunderstorm)

The final stage of a convective thunderstorm, dominated by downdrafts and decreasing precipitation.

Tornadoes

The most violent storms on Earth, characterized by extreme low-pressure cells and powerful rotating winds (65-318+ MPH).

Tornado Formation Conditions

Requires severe thunderstorms associated with strong cold fronts, warm/moist/very unstable air, and latent heat of condensation providing 'fuel'.

Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous circulation of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, involving processes like atmospheric advection, cloud formation, precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, runoff, and groundwater flow.

Evaporation (Hydrologic Cycle)

The process by which liquid water is converted into water vapor and rises into the atmosphere.

Precipitation (Hydrologic Cycle)

Any form of water (rain, snow, sleet, hail) that falls from the atmosphere to Earth's surface.

Transpiration (Hydrologic Cycle)

The process by which moisture is released into the atmosphere from plants through their leaves.

Runoff (Hydrologic Cycle)

Water that flows over the land surface, eventually making its way to streams, rivers, and oceans.

Groundwater Flow (Hydrologic Cycle)

The movement of water beneath the Earth's surface through soil and rock layers.

Interception (Hydrologic Cycle)

The process where precipitation is caught and temporarily held by vegetation or other surfaces before reaching the ground.

Infiltration (Hydrologic Cycle)

The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.

Percolation (Hydrologic Cycle)

The downward movement of water through soil and rock, beyond the root zone, into deeper layers.

Water Budgeting

The accounting of inputs (precipitation) and outputs (evapotranspiration, runoff) of water for a specific area, influencing moisture status (deficit, surplus, storage changes).

Potential Evapotranspiration (PE)

The maximum amount of water that would evaporate and transpire from a surface if there were an unlimited supply of water; represents the atmospheric moisture demand.

Actual Evapotranspiration (AE)

The actual amount of water that is evaporated and transpired from a surface, limited by the available moisture.

Deficit (Water Budget)

A condition in the water budget where the potential evapotranspiration exceeds the actual evapotranspiration, indicating a moisture shortage.

Surplus (Water Budget)

A condition in the water budget where precipitation exceeds the actual moisture demand and soil-moisture recharge, resulting in surface runoff.

Soil-Moisture Utilization

The process where plants and evaporation draw upon stored water in the soil, leading to a decrease in soil moisture levels.

Soil-Moisture Recharge

The process where precipitation replenishes stored water in the soil, leading to an increase in soil moisture levels.

Earth's Largest Streamflow Volumes

Occur within and just adjacent to the tropics, reflecting the continual rainfall associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Regions of Low Streamflow

Coincide with Earth's subtropical deserts, rain-shadow areas, and continental interiors, particularly in Asia.

Lake Poopó

Bolivia's second-largest lake that entirely evaporated in 2016 due to rising temperatures, drought, and water diversions.

Three Gorges Dam (China)

A major surface water resource management project in China, used for various purposes including hydroelectricity and flood control.

California Aqueduct

A 1207-km-long canal system that transfers water to Southern California from central California and the Sierra Nevada.

Colorado River Aqueduct

A system used to transfer water from the Colorado River to Southern California.

Groundwater Resources

The total supply of water that exists beneath the Earth's surface in aquifers.

Aquifer

An underground layer of permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (like sand and gravel) that can store and transmit groundwater.

High Plains Aquifer (Ogallala Aquifer)

A major regional aquifer system in the central United States that has experienced widespread water-level declines since 1950 due to groundwater reduction.

Groundwater Reduction

A decrease in the water levels within an aquifer, often due to excessive pumping for irrigation or other uses, as seen in the High Plains Aquifer.

Water Vulnerability

The degree to which a region or population is susceptible to negative impacts from water-related issues, such as scarcity or contamination.

Water Stress

Occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available supply during a certain period, or when poor water quality restricts its use.

Water Scarcity

A lack of sufficient available fresh water resources to meet demand, often leading to severe consequences for human and ecological systems.

Colorado River Drainage Basin

A significant case study region for water supply, facing challenges with freshwater availability due to high demand and drought.

Lake Mead

A large reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, which has experienced significant drops in capacity, evidenced by a 'bathtub ring'.

Lake Mead 'Bathtub Ring'

Visible mineral deposits on the reservoir's banks that mark former, higher water levels, indicative of declining water capacity.

Water Pollution

The contamination of water bodies, often categorized as originating from point sources or nonpoint sources.

Point Source Pollution

Water pollution discharged from a single, identifiable location, such as a factory pipe, a wastewater treatment plant, or the Gold King Mine spill.

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Water pollution that originates from diffuse sources over a wide area, such as runoff from city streets, suburban developments, cropland, or animal feedlots.

Gold King Mine Spill (2015)

An accidental release of over 3 million gallons of contaminated water from an abandoned mine, contaminating the Animas River as a point source pollution event.