Download EarthScience_Topic 6

Topic 6
Climate
• 1) Evaporation: The change in phase from
liquid water to water vapor
• 2) Transpiration: Water vapor that enters the
atmosphere from plants
• 3) Condensation: Water droplets form
(condense) on dust particles (clouds)
• 4) Precipitation: some form of water falling
from the clouds
• 5) Runoff: Water that flows over the land into
a larger body of water
• 6) Infiltration: Water that soaks into the
ground (becomes groundwater)
Four things that can happen to
precipitation
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1) evaporate back into water vapor
2) infiltrate into the ground
3) be stored in glaciers as ice
4) roll across the surface as runoff
Conditions that increase the rate of
evaporation
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•
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1) Dry air
2) Wind
3) Higher temperatures
4) greater surface area
Ground Water and Infiltration and
Factors
• 1) Permeability: the ability for water to be
able to flow through the soil or other
materials.
• 2) Permeability rate: How fast the water flows
through the material.
• 3) Impermeable: water can not go through the
ground.
– Concrete/pavement, tightly packed soil
Ground Water and Infiltration and
Factors
• 4) Porosity: The amount of space between
the soil particles (air space).
– Allows water to flow through and is storage space
as water infiltrates.
5) Capillarity: the upward movement of water
through very tiny pore spaces.
Factors that Effect Permeability Rate
and Infiltration
Factors that effect Infiltration Permeability Rate is greatest
when the following
characteristics are true
a) Shape
Rounder particles
b) Size
Larger particles
c) Sorting
Sorted particles
d) Packing
Loosely packed
Factors that cause
Runoff
b) Slope
Runoff increases
when the following
occurs
No room for any
more water
Steep slope
c) Temperature
Ground is frozen
d) Weather
When it rains faster
than the soil can take
it in
Pavement (concrete)
a)Saturated
e) Location
Factors that Effect Porosity
a) Shape
•Rounder particles allow more
water to infiltrate.
•Flat particles do not hold as
much water
b) How tightly packed
•Loosely packed allows more
infiltration and room for
storage.
•Tightly packed does not
allow as much room in
between the particles.
c) Sorting
Factors that Effect Porosity
c) Sorting
•Sorted particles allow more
room in between them,
increasing porosity.
•Mixed soils have smaller
pieces that fill in between the
larger pieces and not as much
water can fit.
Size does NOT affect Porosity when
the particles are sorted
• Larger Particles: larger particles have larger
holes in between but not as many smaller
particles
• Small Particles: Smaller particles have smaller
holes but a lot more than larger particles.
Factors that Effect Capillarity
• The smaller the pore space the greater the
capillarity
Underground Water Terms
• Zone of Aeration: the amount of air space at
the top of the soil
• Zone of saturation: the area that is filled with
water
• Water table: the top of the zone of saturation
Water Budget Terms
• Potential evapotranspiration: the potential for
evaporation and transpiration combined
– Increases as temperature increases
– The warmer the temperature the greater the
chance for water to evaporate
Water Budget Terms
• Actual evaportranspiration: the amount of
evaporation or transpiration that actually
occurred.
– May be lower than potential evaportranspiration
if there is not water to evaporate
Water Budget Terms
• Storage: the amount of water stored in the
ground (groundwater)
• Usage: the amount of water that is being used
• Recharge: comes from precipitation that adds
water to the soil
• Deficit: occurs when the demand of water is
greater than the amount available
• Surplus: when there is an excess of water
Factors that affect Climate
• Latitude: the higher the latitude, the colder
the temperatures
– In lower latitudes (Ex: Equator) the temperatures
are warm and the temperature range is very small
(temperature range is the difference between the
high and low temperature)
– If you travel away from the equator, the
temperatures get colder and the temperature
range increases
Factors that affect Climate
• Elevation: the higher the elevation, the colder
the temperatures
Factors that affect Climate
• Nearness to a large body of water: causes a
small temperature range
– Water takes longer to heat up and longer to cool
down (higher specific heat)
Factors that affect Climate
• Ocean currents: If the area is near a coast the
ocean current effects temperatures
– Warm currents cause warmer temperatures,
colder currents cause colder temperatures.
Factors that affect Climate
• Wind Belts: caused by the rotation of Earth
– Winds blow from regions of high pressure to
regions of low pressure
– Low pressure areas occur where winds are
converging
– High pressure areas occur where winds are
diverging
Factors that affect Climate
• Topography: mountains cause adiabatic
cooling
– The wind is forced upward as it goes over the
mountain.
– Upward movement causes the air to cool and
eventually reach dew point.
– The windward side of the mountain is wet and
cool.
– The leeward side of the mountain is dry and
warm.