Drainage Basins Flashcards
Drainage basins are …. systems
Open
Drainage basin
An area of land drained by a river
What are open systems?
Inputs of water - water flows through and is stored in them - outputs of water
Inputs of a drainage basin (1)
Precipitation
Flows of a drainage basin (6)
Surface runoff, channel flow, infiltration, throughflow, groundwater flow and percolation
Stores of a drainage basin (4)
Surface storage, interception storage, groundwater storage and channel storage
Outputs of a drainage basin (3)
Evaporation, transpiration and rivers flowing into the sea
What is the name of the boundary that drainage basins are separated by?
Watersheds
What is a watershed?
Ridges of high land - water falls either side
What is a tributary?
Small river that joins a main river
What is the source?
Where the river starts
What is the confluence?
A point where two rivers join
What is the mouth?
Where a river flows into the sea or lake
