Hydrosphere

Question 1

evaporation

Answer 1

the process of solar energy turning liquid into vapor or gas

Question 2

advection

Answer 2

the horizontal transport of liquid and air

Question 3

condensation

Answer 3

the process of vapor or gas turning into a liquid

Question 4

precipitation

Answer 4

any moisture which falls from the atmosphere to the ground

snow, sleet, hail etc.

Question 5

surface run off

Answer 5

movement of water across the surface of the ground

imprmeable surface

Question 6

infiltration

Answer 6

the movement of water into soil due to gravity

permeable surface

Question 7

through flow

Answer 7

water travelling through the soil due to gravity

Question 8

percolation

Answer 8

deeper movement of water through permeable rock pores by gravity and capillary forces

Question 9

groundwater flow

Answer 9

deeper movement of water through rocks

Question 10

transpiration

Answer 10

the evaporation of water from plants through leaf pores

Question 11

evapotranspiration

Answer 11

water loss through evaporation and transpiration

Question 12

sublimation

Answer 12

conversion of solid to gas witnessed on ice and glaciers

Question 13

abrasion

river erosion

Answer 13

when small particles of rock carried by the river rub the surface of the river bed and wear it away

Question 14

hydraulic action

river erosion

Answer 14

water flowing past river banks is forced into tiny cracks, compressing air causing materials to be dislodged

Question 15

attrition

river erosion

Answer 15

when the load repeatedly hits against each other causing it to break apart

Question 16

corrosion

river erosion

Answer 16

when the river water disolves minerals from the rocks and washes them away

Question 17

traction

river transportation

Answer 17

when larger particles such as pebbles are rolled along the river bed

Question 18

saltation

river transportation

Answer 18

when sand-sized particles bounce along the river bed

Question 19

suspension

river transportation

Answer 19

fine particles such as silt are carried within the water

Question 20

solution

river transportation

Answer 20

when materials disolve into the water and are then carried away by the river

Question 21

upper course

river course

Answer 21

characteristics
- narrow v-shaped valley
- steep gradient
- vertical erosion
- large, rough, angular load

features
- waterfalls
- rapids
- gorges

Question 22

middle course

river course

Answer 22

characteristics
- more open v-shaped valley
- gental gradient
- vertical and lateral erosion
- small, smooth load

features
- meanders
- river cliffs
- river beaches

Question 23

lower course

river course

Answer 23

characteristics
- flat land (flood plain)
- wide channel
- fast flowing
- lateral erosion
- very small, smoothe, rounded load

features
- meanders
- ox-bow lakes
- levees
- braiding
- deltas

Question 24

v-shaped valley

formation

Answer 24

• vertical erosion by river - the river cuts a deep slice into the landscape through hydraulic action, abrasion, and corrosion
• as the river cuts down, the valley sides become exposed to weathering which loosens the rock and gravity causes peices to fall into the river
• fallen debris aids further abrasion leading to more erosion
• as the river moves downstream it carries the debris and the channel becomes wider and deeper, creating a v-shaped valley between interlocking spurs

Question 25

waterfall

formation

Answer 25

• the river flows over bands of hard and soft rock, the soft rock erodes more quickly than the hard rock - differential erosion
• the river erodes by three processes: hydraulic action, abrasion, corrosion
• the river undercuts the hard rock, creating an unsupported overhang which eventually collapses into the plunge pool due to gravity
• fallen matierals aid further erosion deepening the plunge pool
• over a long period of time the waterfall retreats upstream creating a gorge

Question 26

meanders

formation

Answer 26

• straight river channels have pools and ripple
• pools are deep with greater erosion
• riffles are shallow areas formed by deposition of course sediment on the river bed
• these pools and riffles cause the river to flow from side to side
• faster moving water on the outside bend has more energy leading to more erosion through abrasion and hydraulic action, creating a river cliff
• slower flowing water on the inside of the bend has less energy leading to deposition - the river load is dropped to form a river beach
• this process is aided by helicoidal flow which is a corcscrew action which moves material from a river cliff to a river beach
• over time, repeated erosion and deposition makes the meander more extreme

Question 27

ox-bow lake

formation

Answer 27

• explain formation of meander
• faster flowing water on the outside bend erodes by hydraulic action and abrasion
• slower flowing water on the inside bend deposits the river load
• continual erosion and deposition narrows the meander neck
• during a flood the riiver will flow across the neck creating a straight channel
• deposition on the edge of the straight channel slowly cuts the meander off from the river
• eventually the meander is completely isolated forming a horse-shoe-shaped lake called an ox-bow lake

Question 28

factors which influence the shape of a hydrograph

Answer 28

• area, shape, slope of drainage basin
• type of rock/geology - permeability
• soil type - infiltration rate
• land use - urban, rural
• vegetation - interception
• drainage density - tributaries
• storage capacity (of river channel)