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Geo > Hydrology > Flashcards

Hydrology Flashcards

1
Q

Drainage basin

A

Areas of land that surround a river and provide it with water

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2
Q

Watershed

A

Drainage basins are divided by watersheds - may be visible as a ridge of highland, however may not be visible as it’s affected by underground geology or the change in the level of land is imperceptible

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3
Q

Source

A

Where a river begins ; water upwells from the ground where it’s continuously collecting

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4
Q

Tributary

A

Smaller rivers that feed into a main river

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5
Q

Confluence

A

Where two tributary rivers meet

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6
Q

Mouth

A

Where a river ends eg. Lake or sea

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7
Q

Open system

A

A system that has external inputs and outputs of energy or matter eg drainage basin

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8
Q

Isolated system

A

Systems with no interactions with anything outside of the system boundary. No input or output of energy or matter

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9
Q

Closed system

A

Systems that have transfers of energy into and out of system however there’s NO transfer of matter

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10
Q

Cascading system

A

Systems that have a transfer of mass and energy along a chain of component subsystems ; the output of one subsystem is the input for another subsystem eg coastal zone

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11
Q

Flow

A

The movement of something between stores ; usually water

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12
Q

Store

A

Where water is kept (temporarily)

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13
Q

Ground water

A

Water held in soil and crevices between rocks and sediments aka saturated zone

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14
Q

Water table

A

Upper layer of saturated zone (ground water) that is breached by humans for extraction and use

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15
Q

Recharge

A

Extracted water may be replaced by rainwater, infiltration, inflow and seepage from rivers and lakes

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16
Q

Springs

A

Natural upwelling of ground water due to rock changes below the surface ; can act as the source of a river

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17
Q

Throughfall

A

Precipitation that falls directly onto the ground

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18
Q

Leafdrip

A

Water that falls from trees and plants

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19
Q

Stemflow

A

During or after rainfall, the flow of intercepted water down the trunk or stem of a plant

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20
Q

Overland flow

A

Water that flows over the lands surface. Occurs when precipitation rate exceeds infiltration rate and when the soil is saturated.

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21
Q

Channel flow

A

The movement of water in streams and rivers

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22
Q

Infiltration

A

When water soaks into or is absorbed by the soil ; infiltration capacity is the maximum rate at which rain can be absorbed in a given time

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23
Q

Percolation

A

The slow movement of water through the pores in soil or permeable rock (occurs lower down below infiltration)

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24
Q

Groundwater flow

A

Some groundwater slowly flows out into rivers from the side or below

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25
Q

Baseflow

A

The name for the groundwater flow that keeps a river charged with water between rainfall events

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26
Q

Interception

A

The process where water is caught and stored by vegetation

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27
Q

Soil water

A

Water stored by soils and above deeper ground stores. Used by vegetation to grow

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28
Q

Surface water

A

Water stores on the surface eg puddles, marshes, bogs, lakes

29
Q

Channel storage

A

Water stores in rivers and streams

30
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

The water loss that occurs due to the combined processes of evaporation and transpiration from the heating of the sun

31
Q

River discharge

A

The river flows into lakes or seas
The amount of water in the river channel at a specific point ; calculated by area x velocity (cumecs)

32
Q

Permeability

A

The measure of the ability of soils and rocks to allow the movement of water through them

33
Q

Porosity

A

The capacity of soils and rocks to absorb and hold water

34
Q

River regime (annual hydrograph)

A

Shows the monthly variation in the discharge of a river over a year

35
Q

Flood hydrograph (storm hydrograph)

A

Shows how the discharge of a river varies over a short time, from a few days to longer, usually the effect of an individual storm or a group of storms

36
Q

What are the 4 types of river regimes

A

Glacial, nival, pluvial, tropical

37
Q

Rising limb

A

Tells us how quickly the discharge rises

38
Q

Receding / falling limb

A

Tells us how fast the discharge declines after reaching peak discharge

39
Q

Lag time

A

The difference between peak rainfall and peak discharge

40
Q

Hydraulic action

A

The direct and continuous force of flowing water wears away the soils and rocks of the bed and banks (can lead to cavitation)

41
Q

Cavitation

A

The direct and continuous force of flowing water forces air into cracks in the soil and rocks of the bed and banks. These implode and create a mini shockwave, breaking soils and rocks apart

42
Q

Abrasion (corrasion)

A

The wearing away of the bed and banks by sediment carried by the water

43
Q

Solution

A

Particles in certain rocks (mostly limestone) are dissolved by weak acids in the water

44
Q

Traction

A

Larger rocks being rolled along the river bed

45
Q

Saltation

A

Smaller rocks moved by bouncing along the river bed

46
Q

Suspension

A

When materials like silt are very light and are suspended in the water

47
Q

Solutions

A

When materials like limestone and dissolved and the chemicals are in the water

48
Q

Stream / river sediment

A

The total load of sediment a river can carry

49
Q

Stream / river competence

A

The maximum size / weight of a particles that can be carried by the water

50
Q

Laminar flow

A

A smooth straight channel where water flows in sheets parallel to the channel bed

51
Q

Turbulent flow

A

Occurs where there are higher velocities and an increase in bed roughness
Associated with hydraulic action

52
Q

Helicoidal flow

A

Corkscrew motion due to presence of alternating pools and riffles in the channel bed

53
Q

Thalweg

A

The line of lowest points along the entire length of a river
The line shows the stream of maximum velocity in a river

54
Q

Braided channel

A

Occurs when the channel is divided by islands or bars (areas where sediment has been deposited)

55
Q

Spur

A

A hill / mountain

56
Q

Bluff

A

Interlocking spurs

57
Q

Riffle

A

Eddies (circular currents of water) cause deposition of larger sediments creating ridges of sediment

58
Q

Pool

A

Erosion causes pools ; deeper parts of a meander

59
Q

River cliff

A

Found on outer bank of river where there is undercutting

60
Q

Point bars / slip off slopes

A

Deposition on the inside of the bank

61
Q

Floodplain

A

An area of land around a river that floods during heavy rainfall events

62
Q

Levees (dykes)

A

Raised banks made of sediment formed during flooding or built by humans

63
Q

Deltas

A

Found near the mouth of a river when it fans out into distributary channels

64
Q

Flocculation

A

When clay sediments join together and the gain in mass causes it to sink and be deposited

65
Q

Recurrence interval

A

Refers to the regularity of a flood of a given size

66
Q

Amelioration

A

Make a bad / unpleasant situation better

67
Q

Disaster aid

A

Any aid, such as money, equipment, staff and technical assistance given to a community after a disaster

68
Q

Flood abatement

A

Reducing the amount of runoff

Geo (3 decks)

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