Unit 7: Water Cycle & Climate Vocabulary Water Cycle Groundwater Runoff Porosity Infiltration Permeability Zone of Aeration Zone of Saturation Water Table Capillarity Water Shed Drainage Basin Insolation Climate Water Budget Evapotranspiration Usage Recharge Deficit & Drought Humid Climate Arid Climate Marine Climate Continental Climate Surface Currents El Nino Orographic Effect No other planet in the solar system has the unique combination of fluids which Earth does. Earth has a surface that is mostly covered with liquid water, water vapor in the atmosphere, and both frozen and liquid water on the land. A. Earth s Water The Water Cycle The Earth s surface. between the atmosphere and Includes the phase changes of water and. 1. : The falling of water as liquid (rain) or solid (ice, hail, and snow). It can: Be the Earth s surface from the surface into streams, lakes or ocean in the form of ice and snow back into the atmosphere from large bodies of water, soil, plants and animals 1
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B. Ground Water How does water infiltrate the ground? Before runoff and evapotranspiration,. 1. In order for water to move into the surface materials of the Earth, the materials (rocks/soil) must be. 3
2. The ratio of the volume of openings compared to the volume of the material. Depends on: How well Of the particles Of the particles the material is. a cylinder full of round beads, than a cylinder full of square blocks of the same size. 3. A material is said to be permeable if it allows water to pass through the connecting pore spaces of the material. How permeable a material is depends on the The between the particles that make up a material, the of that material. Gravel (large) = Clay (very small) = 4
Portion of ground through which water passes until the water reaches the zone of saturation. Portion of saturated ground with an upper boundary called the water table. The top of the zone of saturation Ground Water can be easily contaminated by: Herbicides Fertilizers Underground Storage Tanks (gasoline) Failed Septic Systems 4. upward movement of water against the force of gravity in a narrow space, such as a tube, plant vessel, or fine sand particles. 5
C. Surface Water & Runoff d. Surface Water e. Runoff. Occurs when rainfall exceeds permeability rate or slope of the surface is too steep to allow infiltration to occur. Climate 1. Climate is the average temperature and moisture conditions over a long period of time. a system of accounting for moisture income, storage, and outgo for the soil in a specific area. 6
A. Water Budget 1. Potential Evapotranspiration (PE): 2. Precipitation (P): Storage: Usage: Recharge: 3. : Water above what is lost naturally from the soil (when P is greater than PE) 4. are those in which the total amount of P is greater than the total amount of PE 5. : Water that would be lost above what is in the soil if it were present (when P is less than PE) 6. have significantly more total PE than P B. Climate Pattern Factors a. Latitude Most important factor in determining climate, especially temperatures 7
As, yearly temperature (difference between highest and lowest temperature). b. Elevation As elevation., average yearly temperature 8
c. Large Bodies of Water Marine Continental Location: Winds from: Summers: Winters: Example: 9
d. Orographic Effect Mountains act as barriers to prevailing winds. As the wind hits the windward side of a mountain, Side of the mountain that is exposed to the wind. Descending air warms and it holds more moisture, making it. 10
*Why does rising air cool? *As air temperature decreases, its ability to hold water *Why does falling air warm? *Adiabatic Cooling/Warming= WIND Cascade Mountains 11
Answer the following questions based on the mountain diagram. 1. On which side of the mountain is rainfall more abundant? 2. Why is precipitation more abundant on one side of the mountain? 3. What happens to the air after it crosses the peak of the mountain and begins to descend? 4. On which side of the mountain is the air drier? Explain why. 5. On which side of the mountain would you be most likely to find a forest? Explain why? 6. On which side of the mountain would you be most likely to find a desert? Explain why? 7. How might you expect the climate at the top of the mountain to differ from the climate at the base of the mountain? Explain why? 12
e. Ocean Currents The "Global Conveyer Belt" shows how the oceans move energy from the tropics to the poles and back again in order to moderate Earth's climate. This is accomplished through long-term ocean circulation. 1. Surface Currents like huge rivers in the ocean Can be found on page of the ESRT 2. El Nino A resulting from a reversal of the ocean current in the Pacific which results in. 13
f. Wind Belts Uneven heating of the Earth produces global wind belts and pressure belts. These pressure belts determine the wetness or dryness of a particular location. Low pressure occurs where air is rising and thus precipitation occurs. High pressure regions are areas that lack rainfall (DRY). Label your diagram with the prevailing winds using page 14 of the ESRT Complete the worksheet on page 15 using your ESRT page 4! 14
Ocean Currents In the 1700 s, Benjamin Franklin wondered why whaling ships crossed the oceans two weeks faster than the fastest mail ship. Franklin learned that the captains of whaling ships knew of places in the oceans where the water flowed like rivers. Using these fast ocean currents, whaler captains cut many days off their long, hard journeys. Using your ESRT page 4 complete the following Materials: Red and Blue Pencils 1. Would you expect currents along the equator and those moving away from it to be warm or cool? Shade these currents red. 2. Would you expect currents moving away from polar areas to warm or cool? Shade the currents moving away from the polar regions blue. 3. Find the Gulf Stream. Is it a warm or cool current? 4. What effect do you think the Gulf Stream has on the climate of Western Europe? 5. How do you think the Peru Current affects the climate of western South America? 6. Map B shows the global wind belt map. Using your Earth Science Reference tables Planetary Wind and Moisture Belts name the winds and show the direction of wind movement on the map. 7. Which wind belt has prevailing winds blowing in the same direction as the Gulf Stream? As the Peru Current? 8. Describe what happens to air blowing over a cold ocean current? 9. In general, how does wind direction compare to ocean current direction? 10. What happens to the direction of an ocean current when it approaches the coast of a large landmass? 15