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Summary AQA Alevel geography Water and Carbon cycle notes
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Full detailed notes on all of water and carbon cycles in Alevel geography
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Water and carbon Poppy StoneWater and carbon
Systems in natural cycles
Types of stores:
Atmosphere- in the air
Hydrosphere- in water sources
Lithosphere- in rocks
Biosphere- in ecosystems
Cryosphere- in ice
Aquifers
They are natural water stores in the rock
Many of these aquifers are being exploited unsustainably for irrigation
This increases the risk of them turning into saline aquifers as seawater can then infiltrate
into rocks
Example: Ogallala aquifer
It is located in central America beneath the Great Plains
Formed as it used to be a land of low hills and shallow valleys. Streams then
began depositing sand into the valleys forming aquifer
At risk of over-extraction and pollution due to agricultural irrigation
Happening as the aquifer can’t keep up with human demands due to the
increasing population. Irrigation accounts for 90% of Ogallala groundwater usage
Groundwater- water held in rocks
Young groundwater may be a more renewable resource
As it is shallower it may be vulnerable to contamination
Cryospheric processes
Accumulation- all processes that add snow or ice to a glacier/ floating ice or snow cover
Ablation- the natural removal of snow or ice from the surface of a glacier or snow cover
Sublimation- the conversion between the solid and gas phases of matter
The water cycle
Insolation- heat from the sun
Transpiration- movement of water through plants
Evapotranspiration- evaporation from any surface
Surface runoff (overland flow)- water that runs over the top of the ground
Surface storage- water stored on the earths surface in puddles or lakes
Infiltration- water moving directly down through soil
Soilwater- water held in the soil
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, Water and carbon Poppy Stone
Throughflow- water flowing through the soil parallel to the surface
Groundwater- water held in rocks
Groundwater flow- movement of water parallel to the earths surface through rocks
Dripflow- water dripping off leaves
Stemflow- water flowing down the stem of a plant
Interception- precipitation landing on plants or buildings
Types of hydrological cycles
Hillslope cycle (smallest):
Open system
Farming- ditches drain the land and encourage water to flow quickly to rivers
Urbanisation- if the slope is developed to provide more housing impermeable surfaces will
reduce infiltration
Deforestation- removal of trees reduces interception and infiltration
Seasonal change- winter snowfalls and frozen ground
Global hydrological cycle (large scale):
No inputs or outputs
Closed system
Positive feedback- effects of an action are amplified by subsequent knock-on effects
Rising sea levels and ice melt
Ice shelves become unstable leading to increased calving so increased ice melt and further
sea level rise
Negative feedback- effects of an action are nullified by its subsequent knock-on effects
Increased surface temperatures so increased evaporation from oceans
More cloud covers and clouds block out sunlight so reduced temperatures
Cloud formation
Dew point is the point where a gas turns into a liquid
Formed by water being evaporated, then the warm air rises to dew point then it cools so
condensation can happen. Water droplets form on condensation nuclei then when the cloud
is heavy enough it will rain
Types of rainfall
Relief rainfall-
Warm wet air is forced to rise over high land
Formed when air cools as it rises over relief features such as mountains, as the air rises it
cools, condenses and forms rain
Frontal rainfall-
The lighter warm air is forced to rise over the denser cold air
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