Freshwater 504.02 Exam 1

Water Cycle

Is how water moves through the Earths atmosphere and surface

Consumptive Water use

Water that cannot be reused because it evaporates

Non Consumptive water use

means water returns to the environment and can be reused (but it may be degraded)

Water foot print

The amount of fresh water used to produce goods and services, or consumed by an individual or community

Heat Capacity

The amount of heat you can pump into water and not change it

Latent Heat

Temperature that stays the same

Sensible Heat (specific heat)

Heat that causes a change in an objects temperature (you can actually feel the heat)

Albedo

Proportion of total short-wave radiation reflected by an object (ex: snow 0.9)

Interception

Precipitation that is captured by vegetation and returned to atmosphere as water vapor

Stem Flow

Precipitation that strikes vegetation and runs down stems

Through-fall

Direct precipitation to ground and precipitation striking and falling off vegetation

Confluence

The location of where a tributary enters a larger stream

River discharge

The amount of water flowing through a river at a given time

Intermittent stream

flow after storm events AND during a wet season

flood

an overflow from a waterbody from its typical water body, causing potential runoff

flood plain

Are the low lying land areas around the river that are the first to flood in high-low events. Often flatter than the surrounding terrain, adjacent to main stream

Hard Path

Man-Made way of managing water

What are examples of the Hard Path

Levees, Dams, Canals, Wells

What’s the purpose of a Levee

Protection against floods, by diverting the water

Why do we manage water?

So water supply becomes predictable, to ensure there is enough if there is a drought

Hydrogen bonds

An intermolecular bond between locally positive hydrogen atom and a locally negative atom (usually oxygen)

dipole

unequal sharing of electrons, polar covalent compound

intermolecular bond

forces of attraction between 2 neighboring particles

cohesion

attraction of water molecules to each other (it self) (i.e. drops) allows for tension with water

adhesion

The attraction of water to something else (wetting a glass)

Capillarity action

water rises due to the attraction of H atoms in water to O atoms in the glass (hydrogen bonding)

Surface tension

where molecules at the top of the water create a skin like effect that allows for the surface to resist external forces

Water cycle stock

stock is storage ex:lake

water cycle flux

In which ways the water moves through the water cycle, flow, runoff, sensible and latent heat

liquid water equivalent

the amount of liquid water in frozen or frozen precipitation that has accumulated on the ground

drought

period of no water/rainfall or it being abnormally low

run off ratio

runoff/precipitation

tributary

river that flow into other rivers, usually enters a larger mainstream

rating curve

relates the stage to the discharge

perennial stream

typically flows all year round

flood frequency

the likelihood of a flood of a specific size occurring in a given area

urbanization

the building of roads/parking lots, removal of vegetation

the impacts of urbanization

increase in impervious areas, increase in overland flow quantity and velocity, change in water quality, (-) groundwater recharge, increase in erosion

soft path

conservation, habitat protection, regulation, balancing needs and demands across groups, providing water surfaces

evaporation

where liquid water turns into water vapor (gas) returning to the atmosphere

evapotranspiration

a combined processes of which liquid water is evaporating from the land surface and transpiring from plants

transpiration

the exhalation of water vapor through the stomata of the plant

long wave radiation

emitted by atmosphere and all terrestrial objects (cloudy vs.clear night)

shortwave radiation

direct solar radiation

watershed

range of area that gradually drains into a larger water body, containing several key functions with it

adiabatic lapse rate

the rate at which air temperature changes as air rises or sinks, assuming no heat exchange with the surrounding air

adiabatic cooling

no exchange of heat, cooling without heat exchange with surrounding, as air rises it expands, as it expands it cools down

catchment

the action of collecting water/rainfall over a natural drainage area

impervious surface

where water can not pass through, (roads/parking lots) impacting groundwater recharge

headwater

the highest upstream point in a watershed, the vert start of flows moving downstream

delta or distributions

where a mainstream splits into multiple channels at the mouth due to the flat terrain

Ephemeral streams

only flows after a storm event

Hydrograph

stream dischage over at a point (flow/time)

flood return period

the average number of years between floods of a specific magnitude

bankfull discharge

the flow at which water just fills a channel without overtopping the banks

room for the river to roam

giving more space to the river in order to increase velocity of the flow or to reduce the water level of excess flows and exposition of large floods

When to use latent heat of fusion (calculations)

Use when a substance changes from solid to liquid (melting) or vice versa without changing temperature.

When to use latent heat of vaporization (calculations)

Use during the phase change of a substance from liquid to gas or vice versa without temperature change.

When to use specific heat of ice (calculations)

Use when heating or cooling ice without changing its state.

When to use specific heat of liquid water (calculations)

Use when heating or cooling liquid water without a state change.

When to use dry adiabatic lapse rate (calculation)

Use when air rises or sinks without heat exchange.

When to use wet adiabatic lapse rate (calculations)

Use when air rises or sinks with heat exchange and moisture present.

When to use Environmental lapse rate (calculations)

Use for temperature changes in the atmosphere with vertical air movement.