Theme 1 - Drainage Basin of the UK

Question 1

drainage basin?

Answer 1

area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 2

flow?

Answer 2

movement of water

Question 3

store?

Answer 3

place where water is stationary within the water cycle

Question 4

interception?

Answer 4

when rainfall does not reach the ground as it is blocked by trees, buildings and so on

Question 5

infiltration?

Answer 5

movement of water into the soil

Question 6

throughflow?

Answer 6

flow of water through the soil

Question 7

overland flow?

Answer 7

flow of water across the ground surface

Question 8

groundwater flow?

Answer 8

flow of water through rocks

Question 9

transpiration?

Answer 9

water given off by plants

Question 10

stem flow?

Answer 10

movement of water that has been intercepted down the stem or trunk of a plant

Question 11

percolation?

Answer 11

movement of water from the soil into the bedrock

Question 12

what happens to water as it moves through a drainage basin?

Answer 12

flows from one store to the next

Question 13

what causes speed of water moving through a drainage basin to vary? 5

Answer 13

~type and quantity of rainfall
~type and quality of vegetation cover
~size and shape of the drainage basin
~steepness of slopes
~geology and soil type within the drainage basin

Question 14

how does type and quantity of rainfall effect the rate of water flow? 2

Answer 14

~moves quicker in heavy rain
~raindrops are larger and fall in quicker so less infiltration and more surface runoff

Question 15

how does type and quantity of vegetation cover effect the rate of water flow?

Answer 15

~more interception occurs in a woodland compared to a meadow

Question 16

how does the size and shape of drainage basin effect the rate of water flow? 2

Answer 16

~larger basins have a larger discharge as the drain water from a large surface area of land
~round drainage basins lead to a faster movement of water into the river than elongated ones

Question 17

how does steepness of slopes effect the rate of water flow?

Answer 17

~steeper slopes mean greater surface runoff and less infiltration

Question 18

how does geology and soil type within the drainage basin effect the rate of water flow? 2

Answer 18

~impermeable soil or rocks led to less infiltration or groundwater flow and more surface runoff

Question 19

stores of the drainage basin? 7

Answer 19

~oceans
~rivers and lakes
~rocks
~soil
~ground surface
~vegetation
~atmosphere

Question 20

flows of the drainage basin? 10

Answer 20

~evaporation
~river flow
~overland flow
~throughflow
~groundwater flow
~percolation
~infiltration
~stem flow
~precipitation
~transpiration

Question 21

why do river flood? 4

Answer 21

~climate
~geology
~vegetation
~urbanisation

Question 22

how can climate cause rivers to flood?

Answer 22

increased amounts of rainfall

Question 23

how can vegetation cause rivers to flood?

Answer 23

if vegetation is removed water will flow quicker as there is no blockage and more water will flow as less will be absorbed by plants

Question 24

how can geology cause rivers to flood? 2

Answer 24

~porous rocks lave large spaces within the rock which allow water to pass through - lowers flood risk
~impermeable rocks have very small spaces not allowing water through - high risk of flood and overland flow

Question 25

how can urbanisation cause rivers to flood?

Answer 25

expansion of towns and cities causes more surfaces to be made out of impermeable material like tarmac which reduces amount of infiltration - more overland flow so higher risk of flooding

Question 26

hydrograph?

Answer 26

a line graph used to display the discharge of a river over a period of time

Question 27

lag time?

Answer 27

the time between the peak rainfall and peak discharge in a river

Question 28

rising limb?

Answer 28

the part of a hydrograph where the discharge of a river is increasing

Question 29

effects of river flooding?

Answer 29

~road blockage
~villages cut off
~evacuation of people
~businesses lost money e.g. farmers

Question 30

define hard engineering? 2

Answer 30

~constructing defences to control natural processes
~often large scale, expensive and relatively effective

Question 31

examples of hard engineering? 4

Answer 31

~dams
~levees/embankments
~artificial river channels
~gabions

Question 32

define soft engineering? 2

Answer 32

~work with the environment rather than control it
~cheaper than HE and have less impact on the environment but can be less effective

Question 33

examples of soft engineering? 3

Answer 33

~warning systems
~restrict building on floodplains
~afforestation

Question 34

land use zoning?

Answer 34

planning what the land is used for within a river basin so that less valuable land is closer to the river