Unit 1

• What are the main stores ?

  Atmosphere, Ocean, Surface Store, Cryosphere, Groundwater
• What are the flows in a drainage basin?

  Infiltration, Percolation, Stem Flow, Vapour Transport
• What are the inputs and outputs in a drainage basin?


  Inputs are Precipitation and outputs are Evapotranspiration
• What does the amount in each store of a drainage basin depend on?

  The amount in each store depends on mass balance
• How do drainage basins function as open systems?


  Drainage basins are open systems where the quantity of water varies over time
• How much have global sea levels risen since 1880?


  Global sea levels have risen 25 cm since 1880
• What are the causes of the rise in global sea levels?

  The rise is due to runoff meltwater from glaciers and thermal expansion of seawater as it warms
• What does the water balance or budget affect?


  It affects how much water is stored
• What is the equation for water balance in a drainage basin?

  Precipitation = Stream/River flow + Evapotranspiration
• How does the global water cycle function as a closed system?

  In a closed system, the quantity of water is fixed
• What percentage of water is found in the oceans?

  97.4%
• What percentage of water is found on land?

  1. 6%
• What percentage of global water is drinkable?

  Less than 1%
• What is the state of water in the tundra?

  Water is frozen in the tundra
• What is the availability of fresh water in the tropics?

  Fresh water is limited in the tropics
• How much rainfall does the equator receive?


  2000 mm of rain
• What is Arctic Amplification?


  Arctic Amplification refers to the Arctic warming twice as much as the rest of the world
• What is the ice albedo mechanism?


  The ice albedo mechanism reduces the amount of water in stores by melting ice
• What has caused runoff in the cryosphere?


  Increased ablation and decreased accumulation have caused runoff
• How much faster is the Greenland ice sheet losing ice compared to the 1990s?


  The Greenland ice sheet is losing ice 7 times faster than in the 1990s
• By the end of the century, how much will sea levels rise due to the Greenland ice sheet melting?

  Sea levels will rise by 7 cm