A2 - Water and Carbon cycle

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Created by
Hannah Cooley

Cards (30)

  • El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

    Occurs every 3-8 yrs. El Nino lasts around 18 months. La Nina lasts around 9 months.
    El Nino: trade winds weaken. Relief rainfall and flash floods in South America. Droughts in Australia.
    La Nina: strengthening of trade winds. Warm weather and water in Australia. Mountainous areas in South America.
  • Drought - Sahel, Africa

    …
    • Semi arid region on Southern Edge of Sahara desert.
    • Annual rainfall usually in summer (100-800mm)
    • Human factors are a positive feedback for drought (exacerbate likelihood)
    • Increasing population has exceeded food production in many areas.
    • Agriculture was rain-fed (vulnerable to drought).
    • 1999/2000 Ethiopian-Eritrean drought lead to famine. 10 million needed food assistance.
  • Murray Darling River, Australia
    CAUSES:
    • Low water flows leaving parts of the river with stationary water.
    • Long period of hot summers.
    • River contained high levels of algae which grow well in warm, slow flowing water.
    • When algae die, they sink to the bottom of the river and consumed by microbes. Respiration uses up oxygen which isn’t avaliable to the fish.
    • The fish were unable to swim to more oxygenated areas of the river as they were too far away.
  • River Nile
    6,700 km - longest in the world.
    White Nile - Uganda to Sudan.
    Blue Nile - Ethiopia to Egypt to Mediterranean.
    Travels through 11 countries.
    • Over 300 million live in the Nile Basin - expected to double by 2030.
    • Egypt, Rwanda and Ethiopia most dependent on the Nile.
    • Original agreement for sharing was the majority to Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia refused.
    • Ethiopia built the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in response to this.
    • In 2010, treaty made to state all countries in the basin should have equal rights to the Nile. Egypt and Sudan haven’t signed.
  • South-North transfer, China

    …
    • Begun in 2003.
    • Expected to take 50 years and cost $100 billion.
    • Three canals 1300km across China linking to 4 major rivers.
    • Transfer 44.8 million cubic metres per year.
    CONCERNS:
    • Yangtze river already polluted.
    • Yellow river water is undrinkable.
    • Number of ecosystems destroyed to do this.
  • Three Gorges Dam, China

    …
    • Begun in 1994 and was completed in 2006.
    • Main objective was to supply water for the largest HEP plant in the world.
    • PRO: Allows navigation ships.
    • PRO: Protects downstream flooding.
    CONCERNS:
    • Increased seismic activity due to flooding of water.
    • Increased number of hazardous waste dumps.
    • More waterborne diseases.
  • Hydrological cycle
  • Relief rainfall
  • Convectional rainfall
  • Frontal rainfall
  • Water budget
  • Hydrograph
  • Water sustainability
  • Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
  • Climate change on the hydrological cycle
  • Oil

    …
    • 25% of reserves are in the Middle East.
    • USA is the major non-OPEC output.
    • Largest consumption in USA, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Western Europe.
  • Natural Gas

    …
    • Reserves in India, Russia and Quatar.
    • USA is the world’s leading producer.
    • Largest consumption in USA and Western Europe.
  • Coal

    …
    • Reserves in the USA, China and Russia.
    • Global production has fallen by 2% (7% in the EU).
  • Tar Sands, Canada

    Mixture of clay, sand and bitumen deposits.
    • PRO: Employment opportunities.
    • CON: Done by injecting steam into tar (causes land scarring and river pollution).
  • Oil Shale, USA

    Permeable oil-bearing rocks that allow direct pumping.
    • PRO: Simple and cheap.
    • CON: Landscapes dominated by unsightly derricks.
  • Shale Gas, USA

    Deposits held in pore spaces in shake rocks - fracking.
    • PRO: Cheap to export.
    • PRO: Reduces need to import supplies.
    • CON: Can produce minor earthquakes.
    • CON: Lots of noise pollution.
    • CON: Contamination of groundwater and waste water.
  • Deepwater oil, Brazil

    Oil deposits in rocks deep beneath the ocean floor.
    • PRO: Continuous supply.
    • PRO: Employment opportunities.
    • CON: Expensive.
    • CON: Risk of oil spillages.
  • Adaptations to carbon cycle

    …
    • Water conservation
    • Land use planning
    • Flood risk management
    • Resilient agriculture
    • Solar radiation management
  • Mitigation to carbon cycle

    …
    • Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
    • Renewable switching
    • Energy efficiency
    • Carbon taxation
  • Carbon cycle
  • Carbon sequestration
  • Thermohaline circulation
  • Greenhouse effect
  • Soil health
  • Kuznet’s curve