The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
1. EQ1: What processes operate within the hydrolog-
ical cycle from global to local scales
2. Result of a saturated hydrological cycle case study
3. Describe the hydrological cycle system of a Input: precipitation.
drainage basin as a cycle the land surface char-
acteristics determine
what happens next
Throughput: local
rock types, the quan-
tity of water and the
available energy con-
trol the throughput of
water through a local
store
(Black box: drainage
basin store where
local factors and
processes are hid-
den)
Output: evaporation,
transpiration and
stream flow
Whenever the in-
puts change, there
is a knock on effect
throughout the sys-
tem, upsetting natural
balances
, The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
4. Describe where the different sources of water on - very little freshwater
Earth are from at only 2.5%: issue for
water shortages
- solar energy caus-
es water to evaporate
from both sea and
land, which then re-
turns to precipitation
- most freshwater is
locked up as either
ice or groundwater for
anything from 1,000
to 10,000years
5. Define closed system Closed system:
where inputs and out-
puts are balanced.
A system has inputs
and outputs linked by
stores and flows
6. Diagram showing the hydrological cycle as a
closed system
, The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
7. The hydrological system is a closed system". How Yes:
far do you agree? - the amount of water
in the world does not
change
- no inputs occur from
outside and nothing is
lost
- water's nature and
form changes all the
time
- The hydrological cy-
cle is driven by two
processes:
1. solar energy: as the
global climate warms,
more evaporation oc-
curs which increas-
es moisture levels in
the atmosphere. This
leads to increased
condensation as air
cools, and therefore
greater precipitation.
This explains why
some places may
experience increased
cloud cover and pre-
cipitation as climate
changes
2. gravitational poten-
tial energy: keeps en-
ergy moving through
the system in a se-
, The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
quence of inputs, out-
puts, stores and flows
No:
At a global scale,
the system is con-
tinuous, with outputs
governing inputs be-
cause nothing is lost
or gained. However,
shifts in the world's
climatic zones means
that some stores are
depleting, e.g. the
ice in the Polar re-
gions and in mountain
glaciers is melting
without being replen-
ished. In areas that
are warming, ground
surfaces dry out as
evaporation increas-
es. Global air circu-
lation then takes this
extra vapour to cool-
er areas where it con-
denses into clouds
and precipitation
8. Define: solar energy energy from the
sun, heating water
and causing evapora-
tion/transpiration
9. Define gravitational potential energy Ways in which wa-
ter accelerates un-
der gravity, thus trans-
porting it to rivers and
eventually to the sea
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
1. EQ1: What processes operate within the hydrolog-
ical cycle from global to local scales
2. Result of a saturated hydrological cycle case study
3. Describe the hydrological cycle system of a Input: precipitation.
drainage basin as a cycle the land surface char-
acteristics determine
what happens next
Throughput: local
rock types, the quan-
tity of water and the
available energy con-
trol the throughput of
water through a local
store
(Black box: drainage
basin store where
local factors and
processes are hid-
den)
Output: evaporation,
transpiration and
stream flow
Whenever the in-
puts change, there
is a knock on effect
throughout the sys-
tem, upsetting natural
balances
, The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
4. Describe where the different sources of water on - very little freshwater
Earth are from at only 2.5%: issue for
water shortages
- solar energy caus-
es water to evaporate
from both sea and
land, which then re-
turns to precipitation
- most freshwater is
locked up as either
ice or groundwater for
anything from 1,000
to 10,000years
5. Define closed system Closed system:
where inputs and out-
puts are balanced.
A system has inputs
and outputs linked by
stores and flows
6. Diagram showing the hydrological cycle as a
closed system
, The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
7. The hydrological system is a closed system". How Yes:
far do you agree? - the amount of water
in the world does not
change
- no inputs occur from
outside and nothing is
lost
- water's nature and
form changes all the
time
- The hydrological cy-
cle is driven by two
processes:
1. solar energy: as the
global climate warms,
more evaporation oc-
curs which increas-
es moisture levels in
the atmosphere. This
leads to increased
condensation as air
cools, and therefore
greater precipitation.
This explains why
some places may
experience increased
cloud cover and pre-
cipitation as climate
changes
2. gravitational poten-
tial energy: keeps en-
ergy moving through
the system in a se-
, The water cycle and water insecurity
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_77ry18
quence of inputs, out-
puts, stores and flows
No:
At a global scale,
the system is con-
tinuous, with outputs
governing inputs be-
cause nothing is lost
or gained. However,
shifts in the world's
climatic zones means
that some stores are
depleting, e.g. the
ice in the Polar re-
gions and in mountain
glaciers is melting
without being replen-
ished. In areas that
are warming, ground
surfaces dry out as
evaporation increas-
es. Global air circu-
lation then takes this
extra vapour to cool-
er areas where it con-
denses into clouds
and precipitation
8. Define: solar energy energy from the
sun, heating water
and causing evapora-
tion/transpiration
9. Define gravitational potential energy Ways in which wa-
ter accelerates un-
der gravity, thus trans-
porting it to rivers and
eventually to the sea
