What is the hydrologic cycle?

A process water follows through the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere.

What are the 3 main parts of the hydrologic cycle?

1.Precipitation: liquid water falling from atmosphere onto geosphere or hydrosphere 2.Condensation: gaseous water that enters the atmosphere and is converted to liquid water 3.Evaporation: liquid water from the geosphere or hydrosphere that is converted to gaseous water in the atmosphere

Describe the LOCAL & GLOBAL water budgets.

Local water budget: not in balance (evap. vs. precip) Global water budget: balanced

How do rivers & streams form?

1.Small rivulets of water gather together to form mountain streams. 2.These will gather together to create a larger stream called a river.

Describe the differences between a youthful and old- age river.

YOUTHFULOLD AGE STEEPGRADIENTLOW … ALMOST FLAT LOWDISCHARGEGREAT FEW, IF ANY# of TRIBUTARIESMANY NONE (straight stream) MEANDERSMANY NONEOXBOW LAKESSEVERAL POSSIBLE

Name and describe the 3 types of stream load.

1.Dissolved load – particles too small to see 2.Suspended load – particles of small sediment, can be seen as cloudy water 3.Bed load – larger particles such as small pebbles or rocks that are carried along the bottom

What is a rejuvenated river:

A river that has a new steeper gradient as a result of faulting or folding. (returns to a youthful stream)

What is a delta?

A place where the river deposits its sediment load into a larger body of water.

What is an alluvial fan?

Where a stream deposits its load onto land as that stream comes out of a mountainous area and onto flatter land.

When does flooding occur?

When rain waters exceed the ability of the land to absorb the excess water.

What are spring floods?

Floods caused by melting snow and ice

How do humans try to control floods?

We build dams to control the flow of water downstream.

What are meanders?

Bends in the river’s path downstream

Where along a meander is the greatest erosion? Where is the greatest deposition?

Greatest erosion: outside edge of curve Greatest deposition: inside edge of curve

What is an oxbow lake and HOW does it form?

Oxbow lake – part of the meander that gets cut off from the rest of the stream by erosion

What is groundwater?

Water that is located below the surface

What is an aquifer?

Water that is stored below ground in the pore spaces between rocks and sediments.

What is porosity?

Refers to how much water that sediment can hold in its pore spaces (the spaces between the particles)

What is permeability?

This refers to the ability of water to flow through the rock layers & sediments

What is the zone of aeration?

The area underground where the pore spaces are filled with air.

What is the zone of saturation?

The area below ground where the pore spaces are filled/saturated with water.

What is the water table?

Water that is contained in the uppermost region of the zone of saturation

What is the difference between a well and a spring?

Well – water is pumped from the ground Spring – water naturally flows from below ground onto the surface (formed when the water table intersects with the surface of the land)

What is the difference between an ordinary well and an artesian well?

Ordinary well – water must be pumped from the water table to the surface Artesian well – water is held under pressure (cap rock above) and once that pressure is released (with a well), the water flows freely up to the surface

What is a cone of depression?

The small funnel shape caused by the rapid withdrawal of water from the water table

THE END