Summary
Summary Detailed notes for water and carbon
- Module
- Water and carbon (7037)
- Institution
- AQA
Complete detailed notes and case studies for water and carbon physical geography topic
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
3.1.1 Water and carbon key termsFlow/transfer A form of linkage between one store/component and another that involves
movement of energy or mass
Input The addition of matter and/or energy into a system
Store/component A part of the system where energy/mass is stored or transformed
System A set of interrelated components working together towards some kind of
process
Atmospheric water Water found in the atmosphere; water vapour with some liquid water
(cloud and rain droplets)and ice crystals
Cryospheric water Water locked up on the earths surface as ice
Hydrosphere Discontinuous layer of water at or near the Earth’s surface. Includes all
liquid and frozen surface water, groundwater help in soil and rock and
atmospheric water vapour
Oceanic water Water contained in the Earth’s oceans and seas but not including such
inland seas like the Caspian Sea
Terrestrial water Consists of groundwater, soil, moisture, lakes, wetlands and rivers
Condensation Process by which water vapour changes to liquid water
Cryospheric Processes that affect the total mass of ice at any scale from local patches to
processes global ice amounts.They include the accumulation(build up) and ablation
(loss) of ice
Drainage basin Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. It includes surface water,
soil water and near-surface geology
Evaporation Process by which liquid water changes to a gas, needs energy which is
provided by the sun and aided by wind
Evapotranspiration The total output of water from the drainage basin directly back into the
atmosphere
Groundwater flow The slow movement of water through underlying rocks
Infiltration The downward movement of water from the surface into soil
Interception storage The precipitation that falls on the vegetation or man-made cover is
temporarily stored on these surfaces, its then evaporated to the
atmosphere, absorbed by the canopy or transmitted to the ground surface
Overland flow The tendency of water to flow across land after rainfall has exceeded the
infiltration capacity of the soil and surface stores are overflowing
Percolation Downward movement of water within the rock under the soil surface, rates
vary depending on the nature of the rock
Run-off Water that enters the river channel and flows out of the drainage basin
,Saturated Any water store that has reached its maximum capacity
Stem flow Portion of precipitation intercepted by the canopy that eventually reaches
the ground after flowing down stems, stalks or tree bole
Storm and rainfall An individual storm is defined as a rainfall period separated by dry intervals
event of at least 24 hours, individual rainfall event is a rainfall period separated
by dry intervals of at least 4 hours
Throughfall Portion of precipitation that reaches the ground directly through gaps in
the canopy and drip from leaves, twigs and stems, happens when canopy-
surface exceeded its storage capacity
Throughflow Movement of water down-slope through the subsoil due to gravity,
effective when permeable rock prevents further downward movement
Transpiration Loss of water from vegetation through pores (stomata) on the surface
Water balance Balance between inputs (precipitation) and outputs (run-off) in a drainage
basin
Bankfull Maximum discharge that a river channel is capable of carrying without
flooding
Base flow Represents the normal day to day discharge of the river and is the
consequence of slow moving soil throughflow and groundwater seeping
into the river channel
Discharge Amount of water in a river flowing past a particular point expressed as
m3/s
Lag time Time between the peak rainfall and peak discharge
Peak discharge Point on a hydrographic when river discharge is at its greatest
Storm flow Discharge resulting from storm precipitation involving both overland flow,
though flow and groundwater flow
Storm hydrograph A graph of discharge of a river over the time period when the normal flow
of the river is affected by a storm event
Anthropogenic CO2 Carbon dioxide generated by human activity
Biosphere Total sum of all living matter
Carbon sequestration Capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or capturing
anthropogenic CO2 from large scale stationary sources before its released
to the atmosphere, once its captured the CO2 is put into long-term storage
Carbon sink Store of carbon that absorbs more carbon than it releases
Greenhouse gas Any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that can absorb infrared
radiation, so traps and holds heat in the atmosphere
Lithosphere Crust and uppermost mantle, constitutes the hard and rigid outer layer of
the earth
, Weathering Breakdown of rocks in situ by a combination of weather, plants and
animals
Enhanced Impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to increases
greenhouse effect carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which humans have released
into the atmosphere
Geo-sequestration Technology of capturing greenhouse gas emission from power stations and
pumping them into underground reservoirs
Radiative forcing Difference between incoming solar energy absorbed by the Earth and
energy radiated back into space
Soil organic carbon Organic constituents in the soil; tissues from dead plants and animals,
produces produces as these decompose and the soil microbial mass
3.1.1.1 Water and carbon cycles as natural
systems
Systems frameworks and application
A system is an assemblage of interrelated parts that work together by a driving process. They are a
series of stores or components that have flows or connections between them. There are three types:
• Elements- things that make up the system
• Attributes- perceived characteristics of the element
• Relationships- descriptions of how various elements work together
Most systems have the characteristics of a structure that lies within a boundary, function by having
inputs and outputs of material that is processed within the components causing it to change in some
way, and involve a flow of material between components
Systems can be classified as:
• Isolated systems- no interactions with anything outside the system boundary, no input of
output of energy or matter, e.g. controlled lab experiments as they are rare in nature
• Closed systems- transfers of energy into and beyond the system boundary, not a transfer of
matter
•
• Open systems- matter and energy can be transferred from the system across the boundary
into the surrounding environment eg.most ecosystems
•
When there is a balance between inputs and outputs, its in a state of dynamic equilibrium. The
stores stay the same unless one element changes e.g increased input without a corresponding
change in the outputs. There are two types of feedback:
• Positive feedback- The effects of an action are amplified or multiplied by subsequent knock-
on or secondary effects
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller daniellamcarr. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53340 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now