The Hydrosphere

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Total cards: 24•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (24)

Front (Question)

What are the different reservoirs of water in the water cycle?

Back (Answer)

oceans land ice ground water the atmosphere living organisms lakes and rivers soil moisture

Front (Question)

What does residence time mean?

Back (Answer)

average time a water molecule spends in a reservoir

Front (Question)

What does transfer rate mean?

Back (Answer)

how much water moves over a period of time (molecules per min)

Front (Question)

How do you work out residence time?

Back (Answer)

volume of water in reservoir/ mean transfer rate

Front (Question)

Which reservoir has the longest residence time?

Back (Answer)

groundwater

Front (Question)

Which reservoir has the shortest residence time?

Back (Answer)

living organisms

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: evaporation

Back (Answer)

oceans to atmosphere

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: precipitation

Back (Answer)

atmosphere to ground

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: transpiration

Back (Answer)

plants to atmosphere

#10

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: runoff

Back (Answer)

land to ocean

#11

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: interception

Back (Answer)

atmosphere to plants

#12

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: infiltration

Back (Answer)

surface to soil

#13

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: percolation

Back (Answer)

downward movement of water through soil

#14

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: ground water flow

Back (Answer)

soil to rock

#15

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: transport by wind

Back (Answer)

over ocean to over land

#16

Front (Question)

Which reservoirs does water move between during this process: surface flow

Back (Answer)

unconfined flow of water over ground surface

#17

Front (Question)

Where does the energy come from that drives the water cycle?

Back (Answer)

the sun - drives evaporation

#18

Front (Question)

What does abstraction mean?

Back (Answer)

taking water from its natural reservoir for human use

#19

Front (Question)

How do human activities affect processes of the water cycle: urbanisation

Back (Answer)

reduces infiltration and ground water increases surface runoff increases interception (building use), slows down movement of water

#20

Front (Question)

How do human activities affect processes of the water cycle: abstraction

Back (Answer)

from groundwater - causes subsidence - increases surface level reservoirs from oceans - increases water in living things

#21

Front (Question)

How do human activities affect processes of the water cycle: agriculture

Back (Answer)

increased abstraction and transpiration decreased infiltration soil gets compacted due to heavy machinery

#22

Front (Question)

How do human activities affect processes of the water cycle: deforestation

Back (Answer)

decreased transpiration, interception, infiltration exposed soils, reduces water in atmosphere

#23

Front (Question)

How do human activities affect processes of the water cycle: afforestation

Back (Answer)

increased transpiration and interception decreased infiltration

#24

Front (Question)

How do human activities affect processes of the water cycle: combustion of fossil fuels

Back (Answer)

increased evaporation and precipitation more water in the atmosphere, speeds up water cycle