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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.
