5.2 Drainage Basin

Question 1

Orographic (relief) rainfall

Answer 1

Mountains or hills with wind force crater vapour up high to condense and precipitate. As a result there is less rainfall on other side of mountain.

Question 2

Conventional rainfall

Answer 2

The sun causes the air to rise as it is less dense. Consequently, the air cools and condenses, causing rainfall.

Question 3

Frontal rainfall

Answer 3

Consists of 2 different air masses of different temperature colliding. Either when the cold front or warm from is the moving air mass, the warm will always rise, cool and cause mass cloud formation, lightning and high winds.

Question 4

Cumulonimbus clouds

Answer 4

Clouds formed when a cold air front meets a warm. They are large and look soft and white.

Question 5

Nimbostratus clouds

Answer 5

Clouds formed when a warm front meets a cold one. They are large, dark in colour and usually have lightning.

Question 6

Factors increasing interception

Answer 6

Rate of precipitation (vegetation can only hold so much water)
Vegetation type and cover
Windspeed can spread rain out and so land objects can hold water.

Question 7

Factors effecting infiltration

Answer 7

Type of soil- if it is hard and less porous, more water will flow over eg sand, slit, clay
Slope angle- the greater the angle, the less water is able to travel vertically.
How saturated the soil is- the soil can only hold a certain amount of water.

Question 8

Outputs of drainage basin

Answer 8

More sun results in evaporation
More wind result in low humidity and therefore evaporation
More vegetation results in more transpiration
Darker vegetation absorbs more sun resulting in more evaporation