Water and the Carbon Cycle

• Acidification : The gradual reduction of pH of the oceans, due to dissolving carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Biofuel : Burning crops and vegetation for electricity and heat.
• Afforestation : Planting trees and vegetation in the aim of increasing forest cover.
• Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) : The capture of carbon dioxide emissions directly from the factory, pumped into disused mines rather than being released into the atmosphere.
• Channel Flow : Water flowing in a rivulet, stream or river.
• Choke Points : Points in the logistics of energy and fuel that are prone to restriction.
• Convectional Precipitation : Solar radiation heats the air above the ground, causing it to rise, cool & condense forming precipitation (often as thunderstorms).
• Combustion : The process of burning a substance, in the presence of oxygen, to release energy.
• Cryosphere : The global water volume locked up within a frozen state (i.e. snow and ice).
• Decomposition : The break down of matter, often by a decomposer which releases carbon dioxide through their own respiration.
• Depression : A system of low pressure, with fronts of precipitation where low and high pressure air masses meet.
• Desalination Plant : The conversion of seawater to freshwater, suitable for human consumption.
• Drainage Basin : The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
• Drainage Density : The total length of all rivers & streams divided by the area of the drainage basin.
• Economic Water Scarcity : When water resources are available but insufficient economic wealth limits access to it.
• Energy Mix : The composition of a country’s energy sources.
• Energy Players : Key companies and individuals who own, distribute and sell energy and energy sources.
• Energy Pathway : The movement of energy from its extraction or source, through pipes, freight logistics or cabling.
• Enhanced Greenhouse Effect : The build:up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, reducing the amount of solar radiation reflected into space.
• ENSO Cycles : El Niño Southern Oscillations : naturally occurring phenomena that involves the movement of warm water in the Equatorial Pacific.
• Evapotranspiration : The combined total moisture transferred from the Earth to the atmosphere, through evaporation and transpiration.
• Frontal Precipitation : Where air masses of different temperatures meet at a front, one mass will be forced over another, causing precipitation beneath the front.
• Global Hydrological Cycle : The continuous transfer of water between land, atmosphere and oceans. The Earth is a closed system.
• Infiltration : The movement of water vertically through the pores in soil.
• Hydrological Drought : Insufficient soil moisture to meet the needs of vegetation (crops, trees, plants) at a particular time
• Interception : Raindrops are prevented from falling directly onto the ground, instead hitting the leaves of a tree.
• Meteorological Drought : When long-term precipitation trends are below average.
• Monsoon : The drastic variation between wet and dry seasons for sub:tropical areas, caused by a changed prevailing wind. Can lead to annual flooding.
• Non-Renewable : A source of energy that can only be used once to generate electricity or takes thousands of years to replace e.g. Fossil Fuels.
• Nuclear Fusion : The process of joining atomic nuclei together, to produce energy.
• OPEC : Oil and Petroleum exporting countries. An organisation that supports and coordinates fossil fuel exporting countries.
• Organic Carbon : Carbon stored in plant material and living organisms.
• Outgassing : The release of dissolved carbon dioxide (e.g. at plate boundaries, warming the oceans).
• Percolation : Water moving vertically from soil into permeable rock.
• Physical Water Scarcity : A physical lack of available freshwater which cannot meet demand.
• Primary Energy : The initial source of energy, as it is naturally found. This could be natural ores, water, crops or radioactive material.
• Respiration : The process of converting glucose and oxygen into carbon dioxide and energy. Some organisms rely on respiration to survive.
• Runoff : Water flowing over the surface of the ground eg. after precipitation or snowmelt.
• Salinisation : Where salt water contaminates freshwater stores or soils, creating saline conditions and reducing human use/ consumption.
• Saltwater Encroachment : The movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers or soils. This may be caused by sea level rise, storm surges or over-extraction.