Geography A-Level - Physical - Variations in the Water Cycle
- Created by: Noah_S
- Created on: 26-10-21 13:31
View mindmap
- Variations in the Water Cycle
- Physical Factors
- Precipitation
- Intense storms will generate more precipitation and greater peak discharges
- Larger inputs into a drainage basin will increase the size of flows and stores of water
- If the input is too great for the rate of some flows, it might cause other affects in the drainage basin
- If the rate of infiltration isn't high enough, surface runoff will increase
- Seasonal Changes
- The size of inputs, flows and stores will vary with the seasons
- During winter, the ground might become frozen, storing frozen water. When temperatures increase, it will melt the frozen water and increase flows briefly
- Can cause flash floods during Spring
- Moist air, when cooled, can release precipitation, as cool air cannot hold as much water
- Vegetation
- Plants causes interception and evapotranspiration in a drainage basin
- Vegetation intercepts and slows movement to a river channel when there is lots of vegetation, and when deciduous trees have their leaves
- A lack of vegetation will mean some flows and stores will increase like surface processes
- More vegetation will increase the evapotranspiration in the area
- More vegetation will reduce the surface runoff of a drainage basin, and the peak discharge of a river
- Precipitation
- Human Activity
- Land Use Changes
- Deforestation reduces interception by vegetation
- Dead plant material in forested areas help to hold the water, allowing it to infiltrate
- Deforestation will remove this material, causing the rate of infiltration to decrease
- Construction of buildings and roads create impermeable surfaces, preventing infiltration
- Massively increases surface runoff, increasing the risk of flooding
- Farming Practices
- Farming practices can affect infiltration rates, which affects surface runoff
- Ploughing breaks up the surface, increasing infiltration rates
- Crops increase infiltration and interception rates compared to bare ground, however it will reduce this when crops are not planted
- Evapotranspiration will also increase when crops are planted
- Livestock compacts the soil, decreasing infiltration
- Irrigation can decrease infiltration, and also will impact groundwater or river levels if the water is extracted for irrigation
- Water Abstraction
- Water abstracted for populations will reduce the amount of water in stores
- Abstraction is increased during dry seasons for consumption and irrigation, depleting stores further
- Land Use Changes
- Physical Factors
Comments
No comments have yet been made