ELSS 1.1

• What are the uses and importance of carbon in terms of the importance of carbon and water for life on earth (3) - Carbon is stored in carbonate rocks, like limestone, the sea and the atmosphere and is an essential greenhouse gas - Life is carbon based, molecules of carbon create proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids - Carbon has economic significance, industries like fossil fuels, paper and food are reliant on carbon
• Describe the uses and importance of water for flora, fauna and people in terms of the importance of carbon and water for life on earth (4) - Water makes up 65-95% of all living organisms - Plants need water for photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration - In people and animals, water is the medium for all chemical reactions, and water plays a significant role in economic activity, like sewage, drinking water and crops - Water occupies 71% of the earths surface and helps moderate climate as the oceans absorb heat and clouds reflect solar radiation
• Describe the carbon and water cycles as systems - At a global scale the water and carbon cycles flow in a closed system between the atmosphere, oceans, land and biosphere, on a local scale, water and carbon are cycled as open systems between areas
• Describe and calculate residence time (2) - Amount of time water and carbon remains in a particular store - Calculated by > amount in the store/ (flows in or out)
• Describe the water balance in terms of water cycle as a system (3) - At a global scale, water flows in a closed system, at a regional scale it operates as an open system, like a drainage basin - The water balance equation shows the state of equilibrium in a regional area, like a drainage basin between inputs and outputs - Calculated by; precipitaion = runoff +/- change in storage
• Describe the stoes in the water cycle in terms of the water cycle as a system (3) - Freshwater comprises of only 3% of the total water store, 97% of the store is in oceans - 0.001% of water is stored in the atmosphere because of the rapid flux of water into and out of the atmosphere with the average residence time being 9 days - Polar ice and glaciers contain 2% of the total water store
• Describe the types of clouds in terms of clouds in the water cycle (3) - Cirrus clouds - high altitude wispy clouds that produce no precipitation and do not influence the water cycle - Cumuliform clouds have flat bases with considerable vertical development and are formed when air is heated through convection and expands when influenced by low pressure - stratiform Layer clouds form where an air mass moves horizontally across a cooler surface, these clouds do produce precipitation
• Describe the formation of clouds in terms of clouds in the water cycle (2) - Form when air is cooled to its dew point, at this point air becomes saturated and clouds form through condensation in the atmosphere - Air can be cooled to its due point through adiabatic expandion, advection across a cooler surface and mountain barriers forcing airs ascent
• What elements do we look at when we analyse the principle flows of the water cycle (4) - Transpiration - Precipitation - Condensation - Evaporation
• Describe transpiration and what influences the processes in terms of an analysis of principle flows in the hydrological cycle (2) - The diffusion of water vapour into the atmosphere from leaf pores (stomata) on plants, transpiration is responsible for 10% of water in the atmosphere - Transpiration rate is influenced by temperature, humidity, wind speed and seasonal shedding of leaves
• Describe precipitation in terms of an analysis of principle flows in the hydrological cycle (2) - Water and ice that falls from clouds, precipitation does also vary in character from high intensity to low - Intense continuous precipitation like monsoons or depressions can cause impacts like flooding
• Describe adiabatic expansion in terms of an analysis of the condensation principle flow in the hydrological cycle (2) - Air rises up through the troposphere getting colder about 6.5 degrees per KM, it varies depending on factors like height,season and type of surface it is rising over - The rate at which a parcel of air expands in adiabatic expansion is determined by the lapse rates
• Describe the lapse rates in adiabatic expansion in terms of an analysis of the condensation principle flow in the hydrological cycle (3) - Environmental lapse rate - normal decrease in temperature expected with an increase in height through troposphere - Dry adiabatic lapse rate - Rate at which a parcel of air cools when the air has less than 100% humidity, so condensation does not take place, cools faster - Saturated adiabatic lapse rate - Rate at which a saturayed parcel of cools as it rises, containing condensed water, so when condensation occurs latent heat is released, hence cooling is sl...
• Describe Groundwater and factors that affect the store and the water cycle (3) - Water moves underground, sideways and downward as groundwater as a reuslt of capillary action, eventually groundwater emerges back to the surface, into rivers and oceans keeping the cycle flowing - At a certain depth, the spaces between rock and particles become saturated, making the rock impermeable resulting in the formation of an aquifer - Human activities like urbanisation, agriculture and industry pollute groundwater
• What are the elements used to analyse vegetation and the water cycle (3) - Overland flow theory - Throughfall and stemflow - Capillary action
• Describe the two overland flow theories in terms of vegetation and the water cycle (2) - Idea 1 suggests that overland flow occurs when infiltration capacity is reached - Idea 2 suggests that regardless of rainfall intensity, overland flow will only occur when soil becomes saturated, known as saturated overland flow
• Describe throughfall and stemflow in terms of vegetation and the water cycle (3) - Throughfall is the part of rainfall which falls to the forest floor from the canopy - Stemflow is the flow of intercepted water down the trunk or stump of a plant - Borth processes are responsible for transferring nutrients from the canopy to the surface
• Describe capillary action in terms of vegetation and the water cycle (2) - Enables soil moisture to move in any direction within the soil as water moves from wet areas to drier areas - Capillary rise occurs in regions where groundwater is drawn upward into the soil for a plants usage
• What are the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs (6) - Geology - Relief - Precipitation - Vegetation - Previous weather conditions - Human factors
• Describe geology in terms of the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs (2) - Permeable rocks and soil have a high infiltration capacity and will absorb water quickly, this results in a delayed lag time and lower peak flow - However low lying areas with impermeable clay soil from farming etc will result in heightened peak flows and short lag time
• Describe relief in terms of the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs - Relief is the height and slope of the land, steep slopes mean that surface run off occurs on mountainsides before rain has had time to infiltrate soils
• Describe precipitation in terms of the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs (2) - Bands of depressions pass over areas like the UK during winter can result in continuous heavy rainfall staurating soils, leading to flash floods - Slower rains can be absorbed by infiltration thus only runs as overland flow
• Describe vegetation in terms of the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs - Vegetated areas help reduce flood risk by increasing time taken for water to reach rivers through interception and encouraging infiltration
• Describe previous weather conditions in terms of the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs - If soil has already been saturated by heavy rain its infiltration capacity will be reduced, however if the soil is dry it will be able to absorb more water and the lag time will be longer
• Describe human factors like deforestation and urbanisation in terms of the physical factors impacting flood hydrographs (3) - Increases surface run off and decreases interception decreasing laf time and increasing peak flow - Increases soil erosion, reducing soil capacity and reducing infiltration and increasing run off - Urban areas reduce total transpiration and evapotranspiration, increasing surface run off and flooding
• What are the flows of the carbon cycle at a glance in terms of the carbon cycle as a system (5) - Respiration and decomposition, photosynthesis, oxidation, weathering and human activity
• Describe the stores of the carbon cycle at a glance in terms of the carbon cycle as a system (2) - Atmosphere, oceans, sea floor sediments, sedimentary rocks, soil and terrestrial biomass - Long term storage in sedimentary rocks hold 99.9% of all carbon on earth
• Describe whether the carbon cycle is an open or closed system in terms of the carbon cycle as a system - At a global scale the carbon cycles are closed systems driven by the suns energy, only energy cross the boundaries of the carbon cycle, hence at a global scale it is referred to as a closed system - At regional scales, it is considered a open system
• What are the slow carbon cycle stores and residence times in terms of an analysis of Principle stores in the carbon cycle - Deep oceans (1250 years), sediments (1000 years), sedimentary rocks (150 million years), fossil fuels (1 million years)
• Describe the stores of the fast carbon cycle in terms of an analysis of Principle stores in the carbon cycle - Atmosphere (6 years) - Soil and Peat (10 years) - Vegetation (18 years) - surface ocean (25 years)
• Describe soil and peat in terms of an analysis of Principle stores in the carbon cycle - A byproduct of decompositon, soil is created and if the conditions are wet and anaerobic peat will form
• What do we look at when analysing the principle flows in the carbon cycle (5) - Weathering - Photosynthesis - Decomposition/respiration - Carbon sequestrastion (physical and biological pump) - Combustion
• Describe weathering in terms of an analysis of the principle flows in the carbon cycle (3) - Most weathering involves rainwater which contains dissolved co2 derived from the soil as well as the atmosphere, rainwater dissolves limestone in carbonation and releases co2 into the atmosphere - Chemical weathering transfers 0.3 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere and oceans every year - Other forms of weathering releasing carbon includes biological weathering where chelation occurs where soil creates an acid to attack rocks
• Describe combustion in terms of an analysis of the principle flows in the carbon cycle (2) - Burning of fossil fuels or deliberate wildfires release co2, despite international efforts to curb emissions fossil fuels still power the global economy, contributing to 11GT emissions annually - Combustion occurs when organic material reacts or burns in the presence of oxygen releasing co2, combustion can be natural, for example lightning strikes resulting in a natural wildfire
• Describe the terrestrial carbon cycle (3) - This cycle is dominated by uptake of co2 through photosynthesis in plants, co2 is then released back into the atmosphere due to repsiration from plants and animals - CO2 is also released when animals respire and methane is released due to decomposition of dead organic matter, some carbon contained within this matter is buried in the soil - The terrestrial carbon cycle is relatively rapid and is part of the fast carbon cycle
• Describe Oceans and the carbon cycle - Some areas of the oceans are either a source or sink of carbon because of either biological (organic) pump or physical (inorganic) pump
• Describe Biological (organic) pump in terms of why some areas of the oceans are either a source or sink of carbon (3) - Phytoplankton are microscopic marine algae which have chlorophyll to capure sunlight in photosynthesis, around 50gt of carbon is drawn from the atmopshere by biological pump - Phytoplankton combines with sunlight, water and co2 to produce organic material, then the plankton either dies or is consumed, phytoplankton then accumulates in sediments on the ocean floor - Other marin organisms like coccolithophores and crustaceans extract carbon and calcium ions from the sea water t...
• Describe Physical (inorganic) pump in terms of why some areas of the oceans are either a source or sink of carbon (3) - Involves mixing of surface and deep ocean waters distributing carbon evenly across the oceans, co2 enters the oceans from atmosphere by diffusion and surface currents transport the water poleward where the co2 cools and sinks - This downwelling occurs in cooler areas in the north atlantic and carriews dissolved carbon to the deep ocean where it remains - Eventually ocean currents transport carbon molecules to areas of upwelling, raising the carbon molecules up to the surface...