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geography definitions > River Definitions > Flashcards

River Definitions Flashcards

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1
Q

Water Cycle

A

Continuous circulation of water between air, land and sea

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2
Q

Drainage Basin

A

land drained by river and all of its tributaries

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3
Q

Precipitation

A

Moisture in atmosphere (rainfall, snow, sleet, fog)

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4
Q

Interception

A

Precipitation is prevented from falling onto the ground by plants. It slows down runoff and reduces risk of flash flooding

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5
Q

Surface runoff

A

Water moving through surface of the land

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6
Q

Infiltration

A

Movement of water from surface to soil

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7
Q

Throughflow

A

Movement of water from soil to bedrock

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8
Q

Groundwater flow

A

Water moving horizontally through bedrock towards river/sea

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9
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

Water is (transferred from land to atmosphere) evaporated from surfaces [EG: lakes and transpiration from plants]

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10
Q

Watershed

A

Boundary between drainage basins (often a ridge of high land)

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11
Q

Source

A

Starting point of a river [can be lake, glacier, marsh etc)

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12
Q

Tributary

A

A smaller stream flowing into a large river

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13
Q

Confluence

A

2 rivers’ meeting spot xxx

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14
Q

River mouth

A

End of river where it meets sea, lake or ocean

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15
Q

Gradient

A

Slope where river loses height

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16
Q

Depth

A

Distance from river surface to river bed

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17
Q

Width

A

Measurement from one river bank to the other across a river channel

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18
Q

Load

A

Sediment carried by river

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19
Q

River discharge

A

Amount of water in a river which passes a certain point in a certain time. It is measured in CUMECS [cubic metres per sec]

20
Q

Erosion

A

Wearing away of landscape by ice, wind and water

21
Q

Attrition

A

Erosion where transported particles hit each other making the particles smaller and more rounded

22
Q

Abrasion

A

Grinding of rock fragments carried by river against bed and banks of river

23
Q

Hydraulic Action

A

Erosion caused by force of moving water. It undercuts riverbanks on outsides of meanders and forces air into cracks in exposed rocks/waterfalls

24
Q

Solution

A

Water chemically reacts with soluble materials in rock and dissolves them (chalk, lime, softer materials etc)

25
Q

Transportation

A

Movement of material across Earth’s surface

26
Q

Suspension

A

Transportation of the smallest load suspended by water (EG sand, clay, fine particles etc)

27
Q

Saltation

A

Bouncing of medium sized load along river bed (EG stones, pebbles…)

28
Q

Traction

A

Rolling of boulders and pebbles along river bed

29
Q

Deposition

A

Dropping of material on Earth’s surface

30
Q

River Landforms

A

Large scale features found along the profile of a river’s course. [EG: waterfalls, meanders….]

31
Q

Waterfalls

A

Steep fall of river water where its course crosses between different rock types resulting in different rates of erosion

32
Q

Meander

A

River landform where there is a sweeping curve of bend in river’s course

33
Q

Slip-off slope

A

Smalll feature seen on the outside of some meander bends high is caused by erosion of river bank

34
Q

River cliff

A

The outside bank of a water channel (stream) that continually undergoes erosion

35
Q

Floodplains

A

Area of low lying ground adjacent to a river formed by river sediments. (Subject to flooding)

36
Q

Levees

A

Raised banks along a river that reduce flood risk

37
Q

Flooding

A

Temporary covering by water of land which is normally dry

38
Q

River Management Strategy

A

Aims to control rivers and reduce risk of flooding

39
Q

Hard Engineering Strategy

A

Aims to control natural river hazard with methods that do not blend into natural surroundings

40
Q

Dams

A

A barrier [made of earth, concrete of stone] built across a valley to interrupt river flow and create reservoirs that store water and controls discharge of river

41
Q

Flood walls

A

Stone/brick/cement walls built alongside rivers to protect nearby areas from flood

42
Q

Levees

A

Raised banks along a river that help reduce flood risk

43
Q

Soft Engineering Methods

A

Strategies to control natural hazards that blend into environments and surrounding whilst often remaining sustainable

44
Q

Washlands

A

River allowed to flood these areas [usually farmland/recreational land close to settlements

45
Q

Land use zoning

A

Areas prone to flooding are protected from urban development

46
Q

Afforestation

A

Planting trees in areas that havent yet been forested

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