The global hydrological circle

5 important questions on The global hydrological circle

What are the main components of the global hydrological cycle?

Main components:
-  Atmosphere
-  Ocean
-  Land
-  Vegetation 
-  Snow/Ice

Components:
-  Evapotranspiration
-  Precipitation
-  Infiltration
-  Runoff
-  Condensation
-  Intrerception
-  Storage

Fluxes are balanced

How to determine the residence (or recharge time) of water in the various ''reservoirs'' of the global hydrological cycle, e.g. Atmosphere, rivers, groundwater, or the ocean

Residence or Turnover time → Tr = volume / yearly flux = V / I = V / O
→ How long does a given water molecule on average remain in the reservoir

What are the main drivers of the hydrological cycle?

Solar energy is main driver of hydrological cycle
→ responsible for evapotranspiration and transport of water vapor and liquid in the atmosphere

Other main drivers
Gravity → Responsible for precipitation and water flow on earth’s surface
Capillary forces → Responsible for subsurface flows in unsaturated zone in the soil
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What are the main freshwater reservoirs on Earth?

~ 69% → Glaciers and ice caps
~ 30% → Groundwater
~ 1% → Surface and other freshwater

(but only 2.5% of global water is freshwater)

How does climate change (global warming) affect the hydrological cycle?

Climate Change causes more extremes.More precipitation and floods in some areas and less precipitation and droughts in others.


Climate warming has a big impact on hydrological regime in snow-covered regions
▪ winter runoff becomes larger and more random
▪ earlier spring (snowmelt) flood and reduced summer runoff

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

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