5.6 climate change effects on water cycle

• define climate change


  long term change in global weather patterns which is has changed the earths climate
• what input has climate change affected

  precipitation
• explain the effect of climate change on precipitation

  -increases global variability as some areas experiencing more intense precipitation and some experiencing drought

  -speeds up processes of cycle so more evaporation means more water is stored as water vapour, thus more intense precipitation
• what effect does climate change have on the rate of processes in the cycle

  speeds them up
• how does climate change affect evaporation

  increases rates due to warmer temperatures
• list the stores affected by climate change


  -surface water (eg) channel flow, lakes and reservoirs, cryosphere, groundwater, permafrost
• what is permafrost

  permanently frozen soil
• how does climate change affect permafrost

  increases thawing
• what happens when permafrost thaws


  It releases greenhouse gases such as methane
• how has climate change affected the cryosphere


  decreased as ice and snow melts, and spring melt happens earlier on in the year
• has climate change increased or decreased uncertainty in climate patterns

  increased uncertainty as more variability
• what are the short term causes of climate change

  ENSO cycles
• what is the long term cause of climate change

  global warming
• what issues has uncertainty of climate change had


  hard to make future predictions on future water availability