Water Cycle- 2.1.1 Concepts of system and mass balance (FULL SPEC)
- Created by: JackGarwood
- Created on: 16-10-20 22:54
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- 2.1.1- Concepts of system and mass balance
- Mass Balance :
- mass balance mean that the total volume of water is always conserved at a global scale
- At a global scale the water cycle is a closed system with a volume of water that is fixed being held in stores on or above the Earth or in flows transferring between stores.
- What is a cryosphere?
- Any area on Earth where water is frozen solid as snow or ice (caps, sheets, glaciers, permafrost etc.)
- Temporal / spatial change in the size of water stores:
- Change in cryosphere storage-
- Short-term annual changes of ice accumulation and ablation due to seasonal variation.
- Ablation- ice or snow turning into liquid and accumulation- build up of snow and ice.
- Climate change resulting in glacial and inter-glacial periods, have caused big change in the size of the cryosphere.
- The glacial periods are which result from the changes in Earths orbit called the milankovitch cycles
- Anthropogenic factors inducing global warming, increasing temp. is reducing the cryosphere by increased ablation
- Short-term annual changes of ice accumulation and ablation due to seasonal variation.
- Changing processes that transfer in the water cycle
- Seasonal variations of climatic impact
- for example, monsoon climate lasts for 3 months in mangalore, India.
- Climatic variability events lasting years which can increase/decrease precipitation.
- For example: the el nino southern osscillation causing months of dry periods.
- Global warming= increased precipitation and evaporation influencing flows between land-atmosphere.
- Seasonal variations of climatic impact
- Sea-Level change
- Eustatic (global) change in sea levels changing over time
- Climate change is increasing ablation = rising sea levels
- Glacial periods means more water is frozen, decreasing sea levels
- Change in cryosphere storage-
- Mass Balance :
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