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Geography > River Processes and Pressures > Flashcards

River Processes and Pressures Flashcards

1
Q

what is hydraulic action?

A

the force of the water on the bed and banks of the river removes material

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2
Q

what is attrition?

A

the load that is carried by the river bumps together and wears down into smaller smoother pieces

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3
Q

what is abrasion?

A

material carried by the river rubs against the bed and banks and wears them away

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4
Q

what is corrosion/solution?

A

some rock minerals dissolve in the river water

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5
Q

what are the four main types of transportation?

A

traction
saltation
suspension
solution

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6
Q

what is traction?

A

large boulders roll along the river bed

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7
Q

what is saltation?

A

smaller pebbles are bounced along the river bed, picked up and then dropped as the flow of the river changes

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8
Q

what is suspension?

A

finer sand particles are carried along the river giving a brown appearance

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9
Q

what is solution?

A

minerals from rocks such as limestone and chalk are dissolved in water and carried along the river

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10
Q

what is transportation?

A

the way in which the river carries eroded materials

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11
Q

what is deposition?

A

the river slowing down and dropping some of its load

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12
Q

what is a waterfall?

A

a steep drop ion a river’s course

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13
Q

how are waterfalls formed?

A
  • a band of resistant rock lays over less resistant rock
  • less resistant rock underneath erodes forming an undercut and an overhang
  • the overhang can no longer be supported so rocks fall
  • the powerful fall of water erodes a plunge pool
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14
Q

what are interlocking spurs?

A

water flows naturally from side to side of a valley around ridges called spurs which interlock at the other side of the valley

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15
Q

what are meanders?

A

bends in the river course

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16
Q

how are meanders formed?

A

the river swings one way and the other causing erosion on the outside bends

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17
Q

how are floodplains formed?

A

the river deposits sediment on the outside bends after flooding as heavier particles cannot be carried back into river by water

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18
Q

how is an oxbow lake formed?

A

the neck of a meander narrows cutting it off from the rest of the lake

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19
Q

what are levees?

A

the build up of floodplains

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20
Q

what are deltas?

A

a flat area of land created by a build up of sediment

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21
Q

how are deltas formed?

A

the speed of a river decreases as it approaches the sea so it deposits some of the material it is carrying

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22
Q

how does climate impact transportation rate?

A

rivers in wet climates transport more material than those in dry climates

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23
Q

how does climate impact weathering processes?

A

freeze thaw weathering more likely to occur in cold climates

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24
Q

how does climate impact average amount of discharge?

A

wetter climates mean more discharge than hotter climates where discharge evaporates

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25
Q

how does climate impact erosion rate?

A

rivers in wet climates have a greater erosion rate

26
Q

what is soil creep?

A

particles of soil move slowly down the sides of valleys under the influence of gravity

27
Q

what is slumping?

A

valley sides are eroded by the river making the sides steeper and increasing the downward movement of material

28
Q

what is the lag time on a storm hydrograph?

A

the difference in time between peak rainfall and peak river discharge

29
Q

what does a storm hydrograph show?

A

how a river responds to a rainstorm

30
Q

what does the line on a storm hydrograph show?

A

the discharge in metres cubed per second

31
Q

what do the bars show on a storm hydrograph?

A

the amount of rainfall measured in millimetres

32
Q

how does geology make lag time short, the rising and falling limbs steep and discharge high on a storm hydrograph?

A

more resistant rock will will absorb less water than less resistant rock so run off will be greater and faster

33
Q

how does soil type make lag time short, the rising and falling limbs steep and discharge high on a storm hydrograph?

A

more impermeable soils will absorb less water than permeable soils so surface run off will be greater and faster

34
Q

how does vegetation make lag time short, the rising and falling limbs steep and discharge high on a storm hydrograph?

A

plants use water so run off will be greater and faster on the ground where there is less vegetation

35
Q

how does slope make lag time short, the rising and falling limbs steep and discharge high on a storm hydrograph?

A

steeper slopes cause faster surface run off so more water reaches the river quicker

36
Q

how does drainage basin shape make lag time short, the rising and falling limbs steep and discharge high on a storm hydrograph?

A

a wide basin with a lot of tributaries close together means water enters the river faster

37
Q

how do antecedent conditions make lag time short, the rising and falling limbs steep and discharge high on a storm hydrograph?

A

when the ground is already saturated further water will run off into the river quicker

38
Q

what is the water shed in the river basin?

A

the area of high land forming the edge of a river basin

39
Q

what is the source in the river basin?

A

where the river begins

40
Q

what is the mouth in the river basin?

A

where a river meets the sea

41
Q

what is the confluence in the river basin?

A

the point at which two rivers meet

42
Q

what is the tributary in the river basin?

A

a small rivers or stream that joins a larger river

43
Q

what is the main river channel in the river basin?

A

the main area through which the river flows

44
Q

what is the drainage basin in the river basin?

A

the area of land drained by a river

45
Q

what is interception?

A

water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees of grass

46
Q

what is the watertable?

A

current upper level of saturated rock/soil where no more water can be absorbed

47
Q

what is infiltration?

A

water sinking into the rock/soil from the ground surface

48
Q

what is groundwater flow?

A

water flowing on top of the ground

49
Q

what is percolation?

A

water seeping deeper below the surface

50
Q

what is throughflow?

A

water flowing through the rock layer parallel to the surface

51
Q

what is transpiration?

A

water lost through pores in vegetation

52
Q

what is surface run off?

A

water flowing through the soil layer parallel to the surface

53
Q

what is evaporation?

A

water lost through round/vegetation surface

54
Q

how does deforestation increase flooding?

A

prevents interception so there is more surface run off

55
Q

how does land use change increase flooding

A

rates of transpiration, erosion and deposition will slow

no trees to stop interception

56
Q

how does urbanisation increase flooding?

A

more impermeable surfaces like concrete prevent infiltration

57
Q

what are flood walls?

A

artificial barriers built along a river to raise height or river channel to increase capacity

58
Q

what are embankments?

A

artificial levees to raise height of river channel and increase rivers capacity

59
Q

what are flood barriers?

A

gates built near the river mouth which close during storm surges

60
Q

what is floodplain retention?

A

maintaining the rivers original landscape by lowering the level of floodplains or planting grass and trees

61
Q

what is river restoration?

A

restoring a rivers original features like meanders to slow water velocity

Geography (8 decks)

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