THE WATER CYCLE AND WATER INSECURITY EXAM
NEWEST 2024 ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE 150
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) | VERIFIED ANSWERS
What is the global hydrologial cycle? - ANSWER: -The global hydrological cycle is the
circulation of water around the earth.
- it is a closed system of linked processes so there are no external inputs or outputs.
- For this reason the amount of global water is finite and constant, this only thing
which does change is the state of the water e.g. liquide, ice, vapuour.
Where does the power which drives they hydrological cycle come from? - ANSWER:
1) solar energy in the form of heat
2) gravitational energy, causes rivers to flow downhill and precipiation to fall to the
ground.
What are stores in the hydrological cycle? - ANSWER: - Stores are reservoirs where
water is help, there are four main stores
(1) the oceans
(2) glaciers and ice sheets (cryosphere)
(3) Surface runoff
(4) The atmosphere
Which stores are the biggest and smallest? - ANSWER: -Oceans are the largest,
followed by the cryosphere.
-Surface runoff consits of rivers and lakes, as well as groundwater.
- Of all the freshwater stores the crypsphere is the largest, accountining for 69% of
all the global freshwater, followed by groundwater 30%
- less than 1% is stored in biosphere (vegetation, and soil moisture)
What are flows? - ANSWER: Flows are the transfer of water from one store to
another, the four main ones are precipitation, evaporation, transpiration and vapour
transport.
What are fluxes? - ANSWER: Fluxes are the rates of flow between stores, the
greatest fluxes occur over the oceans.
Surface runoff definition? - ANSWER: Surface runoff is an umbrella term for a
number of land-based stroes. These are rivers, lakes, groundwater and the moisture
held in soils and vegetation.
Groundwater definition? - ANSWER: Is the water contained within the soil and
underlying rocks, and derived mainly from the percolation of rainwater and
meltwater. It is a store, but water also moves through it hence the term
groundwater flow.
, What is the global water budget? - ANSWER: The global water budget takes into
account all the water that is held in the stores and flows of the global hyrdrological
cycle.
What is some significant facts about the global water budget? - ANSWER: Only 2.5%
of it is freshwater, the rest is in the oceans. And only 1% of all freshwater is easily
accessible surface freshwater, nearly 70% of it is locked up in ice.
Each store has a residence time, what is a residence time? - ANSWER: This is the
average time a molecule of water will spend in one of the sores.
What do residence times vary between? - ANSWER: 10 days In the atmosphere, 3600
days in the oceans and 15000 years in an ice cap.
Which two water stores are non renewable? - ANSWER: Fossil water and the
cryosphere (although if another glacial period happens more water will become
locked in ice)
fossil water defintion? - ANSWER: Ancient deep groundwater
cryosphere definition? - ANSWER: The cryosphere is made up of those areas of the
world where water is frozen inro snow or ice.
What is the drainage basin? - ANSWER: It is a subsystem within the global
hydrological cycle, its an open system with external and internal inputs.
Drainage basin definition? - ANSWER: A drainage basin is an area of land drained by
a river and its tributaries, sometimes referred to as a river catchment. The boundary
of a drainge basin is defined as a watershed.
Give an example of a drainage basin? - ANSWER: The amazon basin
What is the main input into a drainage basin? - ANSWER: precipitation
Name all the factors related to precipitation which affect the drainage basin? -
ANSWER: - Form, snow or hail, clearly snow the entry of water into the drainage
basin will be delayed.
- Amount, this will affect the amount of water in the drainage basin and fluxes within
it.
- Intensity, the greater the intensity the greater the likelehood of flooding.
- Seasonality, this is likey to results in the drainage basin operating at different flow
levels at different times of the year
- Distribution - This is significant in very large basins such as the Nile, where
tributaries start in different climate zones
NEWEST 2024 ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE 150
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) | VERIFIED ANSWERS
What is the global hydrologial cycle? - ANSWER: -The global hydrological cycle is the
circulation of water around the earth.
- it is a closed system of linked processes so there are no external inputs or outputs.
- For this reason the amount of global water is finite and constant, this only thing
which does change is the state of the water e.g. liquide, ice, vapuour.
Where does the power which drives they hydrological cycle come from? - ANSWER:
1) solar energy in the form of heat
2) gravitational energy, causes rivers to flow downhill and precipiation to fall to the
ground.
What are stores in the hydrological cycle? - ANSWER: - Stores are reservoirs where
water is help, there are four main stores
(1) the oceans
(2) glaciers and ice sheets (cryosphere)
(3) Surface runoff
(4) The atmosphere
Which stores are the biggest and smallest? - ANSWER: -Oceans are the largest,
followed by the cryosphere.
-Surface runoff consits of rivers and lakes, as well as groundwater.
- Of all the freshwater stores the crypsphere is the largest, accountining for 69% of
all the global freshwater, followed by groundwater 30%
- less than 1% is stored in biosphere (vegetation, and soil moisture)
What are flows? - ANSWER: Flows are the transfer of water from one store to
another, the four main ones are precipitation, evaporation, transpiration and vapour
transport.
What are fluxes? - ANSWER: Fluxes are the rates of flow between stores, the
greatest fluxes occur over the oceans.
Surface runoff definition? - ANSWER: Surface runoff is an umbrella term for a
number of land-based stroes. These are rivers, lakes, groundwater and the moisture
held in soils and vegetation.
Groundwater definition? - ANSWER: Is the water contained within the soil and
underlying rocks, and derived mainly from the percolation of rainwater and
meltwater. It is a store, but water also moves through it hence the term
groundwater flow.
, What is the global water budget? - ANSWER: The global water budget takes into
account all the water that is held in the stores and flows of the global hyrdrological
cycle.
What is some significant facts about the global water budget? - ANSWER: Only 2.5%
of it is freshwater, the rest is in the oceans. And only 1% of all freshwater is easily
accessible surface freshwater, nearly 70% of it is locked up in ice.
Each store has a residence time, what is a residence time? - ANSWER: This is the
average time a molecule of water will spend in one of the sores.
What do residence times vary between? - ANSWER: 10 days In the atmosphere, 3600
days in the oceans and 15000 years in an ice cap.
Which two water stores are non renewable? - ANSWER: Fossil water and the
cryosphere (although if another glacial period happens more water will become
locked in ice)
fossil water defintion? - ANSWER: Ancient deep groundwater
cryosphere definition? - ANSWER: The cryosphere is made up of those areas of the
world where water is frozen inro snow or ice.
What is the drainage basin? - ANSWER: It is a subsystem within the global
hydrological cycle, its an open system with external and internal inputs.
Drainage basin definition? - ANSWER: A drainage basin is an area of land drained by
a river and its tributaries, sometimes referred to as a river catchment. The boundary
of a drainge basin is defined as a watershed.
Give an example of a drainage basin? - ANSWER: The amazon basin
What is the main input into a drainage basin? - ANSWER: precipitation
Name all the factors related to precipitation which affect the drainage basin? -
ANSWER: - Form, snow or hail, clearly snow the entry of water into the drainage
basin will be delayed.
- Amount, this will affect the amount of water in the drainage basin and fluxes within
it.
- Intensity, the greater the intensity the greater the likelehood of flooding.
- Seasonality, this is likey to results in the drainage basin operating at different flow
levels at different times of the year
- Distribution - This is significant in very large basins such as the Nile, where
tributaries start in different climate zones
