The hydrological cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, below and above the earth’s surface. Water is constantly recycled, moving from place to place via key processes called water is held in a water store. The hydrological cycle has inputs, flows, stores and outputs.
Inputs (falling from the atmosphere)
Precipitation- tiny water droplets collide and grow, building bigger droplets than- under gravity- fall to the ground as rain or snow.
Stores (being stored in the cycle)
Rivers, glaciers and ice caps, clouds, lakes, oceans, vegetation,
Flows (moving in the cycle)
Some rainfall flows quickly over the surface of the ground to reach rivers and lakes. Overland flow is often responsible for causing flash floods.
Overland flows, overflow, through flow, ground water flow
Output (returned to atmosphere)
Evaporation - water will return to the atmosphere in vapour form, once it has been warmed by sunlight. Transpiration for vegetation.
Some key words:
Permeable- allowing water to pass through
Groundwater- water contained beneath the surface, as a reserve
Infiltration- the process whereby water soaks into the soil and rock
Precipitation- when moisture falls from the atmosphere, as rain, hail, sleet or snow
Evaporation- when water returns to the atmosphere in vapour form
Interception- when water or precipitation is cut off from its natural path
Condensation- when water vapour cools down again, tiny water droplets form
Impermeable- not allowing water to pass through
Surface runoff- the water flow that occurs when the soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain or other sources of flows over land.
Through flow- water that flows slowly through the soil until it reaches a river
Percolation- when water on the surface seeps down underground and later forma aquifer in the low-lying regions
Transpiration- the process where plants absorb water through the rocks and then give off water vapour- through pores in their leaves
Saturation- the state of holding as much water or moisture as can be absorbed, thoroughly soaked
Water table- the level in the soil or bedrock below which water is usually present
Colorado’s River Regime
A river regime reflects the factors which control the flow of water in that catchment area. The rivers flow pattern is important for people who live close tot he river and gain their livelihood from it. e.g. fishing. People can manage or control a river flow for their own use by constructing dams for irrigation, flood control and electricity generation. Water management schemes have radically altered the natural regime of Colorado. Flood peaks have been smoothed out by dam building. The Hoover Dam (1935) can store the equivalent of two years’ river flow in Lake Mead.
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