What is the hydrologic cycle?

1
What is the hydrologic cycle?
2
A process water follows through the atmosphere,
biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere.
3
What are the 3 main parts of the hydrologic cycle?
4

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

5
Describe the LOCAL GLOBAL water budgets.
6
Local water budget not in balance (evap. vs.
precip) Global water budget balanced
7
How do rivers streams form?
8

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

9
Describe the differences between a youthful and
old-age river.
10
YOUTHFUL OLD AGE
STEEP GRADIENT LOW ALMOST FLAT
LOW DISCHARGE GREAT
FEW, IF ANY of TRIBUTARIES MANY
NONE (straight stream) MEANDERS MANY
NONE OXBOW LAKES SEVERAL POSSIBLE
11
Name and describe the 3 types of stream load.
12

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

13
What is a rejuvenated river
14
A river that has a new steeper gradient as a
result of faulting or folding. (returns to a
youthful stream)
15
What is a delta?
16
A place where the river deposits its sediment
load into a larger body of water.
17
What is an alluvial fan?
18
Where a stream deposits its load onto land as
that stream comes out of a mountainous area and
onto flatter land.
19
When does flooding occur ?
20
When rain waters exceed the ability of the land
to absorb the excess water.
21
What are spring floods?
22
Floods caused by melting snow and ice
23
How do humans try to control floods?
24
We build dams to control the flow of water
downstream.
25
What are meanders?
26
Bends in the rivers path downstream
27
Where along a meander is the greatest
erosion? Where is the greatest deposition?
28
Greatest erosion outside edge of
curve Greatest deposition inside edge of curve
29
What is an oxbow lake and HOW does it form?
30
Oxbow lake part of the meander that gets cut
off from the rest of the stream by erosion
31
What is groundwater?
32
Water that is located below the surface
33
What is an aquifer?
34
Water that is stored below ground in the pore
spaces between rocks and sediments.
35
What is porosity?
36
Refers to how much water that sediment can hold
in its pore spaces (the spaces between the
particles)
37
What is permeability?
38
This refers to the ability of water to flow
through the rock layers sediments
39
What is the zone of aeration?
40
The area underground where the pore spaces are
filled with air.
41
What is the zone of saturation?
42
The area below ground where the pore spaces are
filled/saturated with water.
43
What is the water table?
44
Water that is contained in the uppermost region
of the zone of saturation
45
What is the difference between a well and a
spring?
46
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)
47
What is the difference between an ordinary well
and an artesian well?
48
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
49
What is a cone of depression?
50
The small funnel shape caused by the rapid
withdrawal of water from the water table
51
THE END