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Hydrological Cycle Key Terms
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- 1AfforestationThe planting of trees on land that has never had forest or has been without forest for a long period of time
- 2Agricultural droughtA rainfall deficiency from meteorological drought that leads to deficiency of soil moisture and soil water availability which has a knock on effect on plant growth and reduces biomass
- 3AquiferA permeable or porous rock which stores water
- 4Base flowThe normal day-to-day discharge of the river
- 5Blue waterWater stored in rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater in liquid form
- 6CatchmentThe area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
- 7Closed systemA sequence of linked processes with a transfer of energy but not matter between the parts of the system (inputs and outputs happen within the system) e.g. global hydrological cycle
- 8CondensationThe change from a gas to a liquid such as when water vapour changes into water droplets
- 9Convectional raindfallOften associated, moderately intensive rainfall; associated with the passage of depressions
- 10DeforestationThe cutting down and removal of all or most trees in a forested area
- 11DesalinationThe process of converting saltwater to freshwater suitable for human consumption and industry
- 12DesrtificationLand degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities
- 13Dew pointThe temperature at which dew forms; it is a measure of atmospheric moisture
- 14DroughtAn extended period of deficient rainfall relative to the statistical average for a region measured over a very long period of time
- 15Economic water scarcityOccurs when water resources are available but there is insufficient human, institutional and financial capital to access the water in order to meet demand
- 16ENSOEl Nino Southern Oscillation.
A naturally occurring phenomenon that involves the movement of a mass of very warm water in the equatorial Pacific due to changes in the surface trade winds, the atmospheric circulation and ocean currents. There are 2 phases: El Nino and La Nina - 17EutrophicationExcessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to run-off from farming land which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from a lack of oxygen
- 18EvaporationThe change in state of water from a liquid to a gas
- 19EvapotranspirationThe combined effect of evaporation and transpiration
- 20Falling or recessional limbThe part of a storm hydrograph in which the discharge starts to decrease and return to base flow.
- 21Famine droughtA humanitarian crisis in which the widespread failure of agricultural systems leads to food shortages and famines with severe social, economic and environmental impacts
- 22Flash floodA flood with an exceptionally short lag time, often minutes or hours
- 23Fossil waterAncient, deep groundwater from former pluvial (wetter) periods
- 24Frontal rainfallOccurs frequently in mid-latitudes when a warm tropical air mass meets a cooler polar air mass. The warmer air is less dense and rises over the colder air which causes the warm air to cool, leading to condensation of water vapour, clouds of different types and precipitation
- 25Green waterWater stored in the soil and vegetation
- 26Groundwater floodingFlooding that occurs after the ground has become saturated from prolonged heavy rainfall
- 27Groundwater flowThe slow transfer of percolated water underground through pervious or porous rocks
- 28Hard engineeringThe use of man-made, artificial structures to manage flooding or water supply.
- 29Hydrological droughtAssociated with reduced stream flow and groundwater levels, which decrease because of reduced inputs of precipitation and continued high rates of evaporation. It results in reduced storage in lakes and reservoirs, often with marked salinization and poorer water quality.
- 30InfiltrationThe movement of water from the ground surface into the soil.
- 31Infiltration capacityThe maximum rate at which rain can be absorbed by a soil.
- 32Integrated water resource management (IWRM)A process which promotes the co-ordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
- 33Inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ)A concentration of warm air that produces rainfall as part of a global circulation system (the Hadley cell). It moved north and south across the equator seasonally. Small shifts in location can cause drought.
- 34Meteorological droughtDefined by shortfalls in precipitation as a result of short-term variability, or longer-term trends, which decrease the duration of the dry period.
- 35MonsoonA seasonal change in the direction of prevailing winds of a region, causing wet and dry seasons in many sub-tropical areas.
- 36Orographic rainfallConcentrated on the windward slopes and summits of mountains.
- 37Peak dischargeThe time when the river reaches its highest flow.
- 38PercolationThe transfer of water from the surface or from the soil into the bedrock beneath.
- 39Potential evaporation (PEVT)The water loss that would occur if there was an unlimited supply of water in the soil for use by vegetation.
- 40PrecipitationThe movement of water in any form from the atmosphere to the ground.
- 41ProcessesThe physical mechanisms that drive the flux of material between stores.
- 42Residence timeThe average time a water molecule will spend in a reservoir or store.
- 43Rising limbThe part of a storm hydrograph in which the discharge starts to rise.
- 44River regimeThe annual variation in discharge or flow of a river at a particular point or gauging station, usually measured in cumecs.
- 45Saltwater encroachmentThe movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers due to sea level rise, storm surges and/or human abstraction of groundwater which lowers the water table.
- 46StoresReservoirs where water is held, such as the oceans.
- 47Storm hydrographShows changes in a rivers discharge at a given point on a river over a short period of time (usually before, during and after a storm).
- 48Surface run-offThe movement of water that is unconfined by a channel across the surface of the ground. Also known as overland flow.
- 49Surface water floodingFlooding that occurs when intense rainfall has insufficient time to infiltrate the soil, so flows overland.
- 50Systems approachSystems approaches study hydrological phenomena by looking at the balance of inputs and outputs, and how water is moved between stores and flows.
- 51Technological fixA human innovation using technology to solve a problem such as water supply issues.
- 52Thermohaline circulationThe global system of surface and deep water ocean currents is driven by temperature (thermos) and salinity (haline) differences between areas of oceans.
- 53ThroughfallThis is when the rainfall persists or is relatively intense, and the water drops from the leaves, twigs, needles etc.
- 54ThroughflowWater moving sideways through the soil, downslope under the influence of gravity.
- 55Transboundary waterA water resource, including rivers, lakes and aquifers, that occupies a territory shared by more than one state.
- 56TranspirationThe diffusion of water from vegetation into the atmosphere involving a change from a gas to a liquid.
- 57TreatyAn agreement signed between states, recognised under international law.
- 58Water budgetThe annual balance between inputs (precipitation) and outputs (evapotranspiration and channel flow) at a place.
- 59Water conservationStrategies to reduce water usage and demand.
- 60Water insecurityOccurs when the economic, social and environmental requirements for water supplies are not met.
- 61Water recyclingThe treatment and purification of waste water using advanced membrane technologies and ultra-violet disinfection so that it is clean and safe to be re-used for industrial or domestic purposes.
- 62Water scarcityOccurs when renewable water resources are only between 500 and 1,000m3 per capita per year.
- 63Water securityThe capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human wellbeing, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-born pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability (UN definition).
- 64Water stressWhen renewable water resources are only between 1,000 and 1,700m3 per capita per year.
- 65Water transferHard engineering projects, such as pipelines or aqueducts, that divert water from drainage basins with surplus water to those with shortages.
- 66WetlandAn area of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing fresh, brackish or salt.
- 67WatershedThe highland which divides and separates waters flowing into different rivers.
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- A level (Hydrological Cycle) Geography Fichas sobre Hydrological Cycle Key Terms, creado por Wesley Spearman el 16/05/2018.
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- Wesley Spearman
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