Lecture 15: The Water Cycle- Hydrology and Streams

1. There are three stages of the hydrologic cycle pictured below. Label each with the correct
stage in the cycle and explain whats happening at that stage.
1. Evaporation- vaporization of the
liquid from the surface into a gaseous
phase.
2. Condensation- change of water from
water vapour into liquid water as the
warm air cools in the atmosphere
(forming a cloud).
3. Precipitation- rain forms as a product
of the condensation of the atmospheric
water and falls to the earth due to
gravity.

2. What happens to most of the water that falls as rain?

a) It stays in the soil
b) It runs off the land in rivers
c) It returns to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration
d) It sinks into the groundwater zone
3. What is surface run-off?
a) The excess water after evaporation
b) The excess water from precipitation after evaporation and infiltration
c) The water from snow.
d) Precipitation and infiltration
4. Describe the consequences of greater water input than water output in a system? What if
water output is great than water input?

Water input > output- water level rise in river/lake, flooding, decrease in salinity,
larger ships can pass through river channels etc.
Water output > input- water levels drop, salinity increased, soil dries up, may result
in agricultural crop failures, drought, soil transport increases etc.
5. Oceans contain 97.2% of the Earths water, glaciers contain 2.8%, and streams contain
only 0.0001%. Why are streams so important even though they manage only 0.0001% of
the Earths water? Also, name and define the 3 parts of a stream.
Streams are major geological agents of change in landscapes, it transfer material
from highs to lows, planes out relief, provides pathways for inland colonization of
continents. Cities are built on floodplains of rivers. Source of drinking water, supply
for agriculture, recreation etc.
3 Parts:
Valley- Sloping area around stream
Channel- Bottom of the valley, where the water flows.
Floodplain- flat area in valley level with top of the channel, portion that can be
flooded.

6. Water systems erode and transport significant amounts of sediment. List and describe the
four modes of sediment transport.
Bedload- movement along the bed
Saltation- periodically lifts sediment off into the flow (jumping)
Suspension- sediment consistently in the fluid
Solution- sediment carried as dissolved load

7. The residence time of water in Perma Lake is 2.5 years. The concentration of
phosphorous in the inflowing stream in 1994 was 15 ug L-1and the volume of the lake is
450 km3. Calculate the average rate of input of phosphorous into the lake at that time.
Give your answer in units of kg yr-1.
Tresidence= Vwater/Rate of input
Tresidence= Vwater/Rate of input = 2.5 years
Vwater= 450km3
Rate of water input= 450km3/2.5 years = 180 km3/year
[P]= 15 ug L-1
Rate of P input =15 ug/L x 180 km3/yr x 1kg/109 ug x 1012 L/1km3
Rate of P input= 2.7 x 106 kg yr-1

8. The ocean has an average depth of 3900 m and annual rate of evaporation of 1.3 m yr-1.
Calculate the time it would take for the ocean to evaporate completely (assume 0 water
input).
Rate= distance/time
d/rate=t
3900 m/( 1. 4 m/yr)= 2 786 years.

9. Soil in Schenectady, NY, typically contains 30 cm/a of water equivalent. The region has

an average precipitation of 60 cm/a and an evaporation rate of 50 cm/a. How many years
will the water in the soil last if temperature rises and evaporation increases to 65 cm/a?
Rate of precipitation rate of evaporation= water deficit
60 cm/a - 65cm/a = -5 cm/a
Soil reserve = 30 cm/a
30cm/a / 5 cm/a = 6
Therefore, the water in the soil will last for 6 years.

10. Calculate the residence time of water in the atmosphere given that the total amount of
water in the atmosphere is 1.6 x 1015 kg and has an input rate of water by evaporation of
4.3 x 1016 kg/yr. Give your answer in days.
To calculate the residence time of the water in the system, divide total amount of
constituent by input.
Tresidence= Vwater/Rate of input (evaporation)
1.6 x 1015 kg of water (density 1000kg/m3) = 1.6 x 109 km3
4.3 x 1016 kg/yr = 4.3 x 1010 km3/yr
Tresidence= 1.6 x 109 km3/4.3 x 1010 km3/yr
=0.0372 years
0.0372 years x 365 days/year= 13.58 days.

11. 11. Explain how Grand Canyon is formed? Why is the Colorado River ~ 1.6km below the top rim
of the canyon?
The rocks in Grand Canyon are a sedimentary sequence on top of the metamorphosed and granitic basement
rocks. The sequence was uplifted when the Colorado Plateau was uplifted > 1.5 km. The canyon was formed
by erosion by water from the Colorado River. The river down cut after the uplift. It is deep because the river
is cutting to define a new base level after the uplift.