ELSS

• What is the biosphere?


  This is the thin zone in which life occurs
• Importance of water in supporting life on Earth

  - liquid water - helps to moderate temperature

  - clouds - tiny water droplets and ice crystals reflect 1/5 of solar radiation

  - water vapour absorbs long wave radiation from earth

  - key to understanding evolution= provides medium that allows organic molecules to mix and form more complex structure
• How much of the Earths surface is covered by oceans?

  71%
• How do oceans regulate temperatures?

  They absorb, store, transport, and release heat energy
• How much incoming short wave radiation is reflected by clouds back into space?

  20%
• Water vapour (GHG) absorbs what?

  Outgoing long-wave radiation from Earth

  Helps to maintain global temps 15° higher than what they would be
• Percentage of water in organisms

  70%
• What is water important for in plants

  -photosynthesis

  -respiration

  -makes them rigid so they can transport nutrients from the soil

  - transpiration of water from leaf surface
• Why is transpiration important for plants?

  It allows water to be carried to all cells in the plant.

  Helps to cool plant by evaporation
• Why is water important for animals

  - used in all chemical reactions

  - respiration

  - sweating = cooling process by evaporation
• Importance of water for economy

  -generate electricity

  -irrigate crops

  - provide recreational activities

  - lots of industry ( food manufacturing, brewing)
• Where can Carbon be found on Earth?


  Carboniferous rocks (limestone),

  Sea bed sediments ( dissolved as CO2) biosphere & atmosphere
• Importance of carbon to life

  - all organisms are carbon based ; built on large molecules of carbon such as proteins, carbs,nucleic acid
• Example of fossil fuels


  coal, oil, natural gas
• Importance of carbon to economy

  - powers global economy = burning fossil fuels

  -oil = manufactures products like paint & plastics

  - Crops and trees store lots of carbon which is used for food, paper,timber
• How much of the worlds primary energy is supplied by fossil fuels?

  80%
• At a global scale what type of system is the carbon/water cycle?

  Closed
• Define system


  Set of interrelated objects that work together to form a unified whole
• Closed system


  A system with inputs and outputs of energy but without any movement of materials across system boundaries

  - only energy can enter and leave, materials cannot
• Why are water/carbon cycle closed systems at global scale

  - both cycles driven by the suns energy but no materials can enter either of them
• Open system


  Type of system where both energy and matter can cross the systems inputs/output boundaries
• Why are carbon/water cycle open systems at smaller scales

  -forest ecosystem

  - cycle driven by suns energy but materials can also cross system boundaries
• What are the 3 mains stores in water cycle

  Atmosphere

  Ocean

  Land
• How does water move through the stores

  Precipitation

  Evapotranspiration

  Run off

  Groundwater flow
• What is the biggest and smallest store in water cycle ( how much water do they store)

  Oceans (1.4 million km³)

  Atmosphere ( 13km³)
• How much of all water is contained in oceans

  97%
• How much of all fresh water in stores in permeable rocks below ground

  1/5 of all freshwater
• Average residence time for water molecule in atmosphere

  9 days
• Name the all the stores in the global water cycle?

  - oceans

  -polar ice & glaciers

  - groundwater (aquifers)

  - lakes

  - soils

  -atmosphere

  -rivers

  -biosphere
• How much water flows between the three stores in the global water cycle?

  500,000 KM3
• Water cycle budget


  the annual volume of movement of water as inputs and outputs between principal water stores w
• water balance


  the balance between water intake and output
• drainage basin


  the land drained by a river system
• Drainage basin stores


  Lake storage

  Vegetation

  Surface

  Soil moisture

  Groundwater
• Drainage basin inputs


  Condensation and precipitation
• Drainage basin outputs


  Evaporation

  Leakage

  Run off
• How does water move through the drainage basin water cycle

  Interception

  Stemflow

  Overland flow

  Floods

  Infiltration

  Capillary rose

  Throughflow

  Percolation

  Baseflow

  Recharge

  Evaporation

  Transpiration
• Name the processes (inputs/outputs) in the global water cycle?

  Precipitation, Sublimation, Interception, Evaporation, Condensation, Run-off, Groundwater flow, Over flow, Transpiration, evapotranspiration, Through Flow, percolation, and infiltration
• Inputs of water to atmosphere

  - evapotranspiration =water vapour evaporated from oceans & water transpired through leaves of plants
• Output of water from the atmosphere

  - precipitation

  - condensation