Rivers

Question 1

Drainage basin

Answer 1

The area drained by a river and it’s tributaries

Question 2

Watershed

Answer 2

Boundary between drainage basins

Question 3

Hydrological cycle

Answer 3

A cycle to represent the flow of water in a solid liquid or gas state between the earth and atmosphere

Question 4

Bed load

Answer 4

The matter that is transported along the river bed by the flow of the water

Question 5

Transpiration

Answer 5

The process of water loss from plants to the atmosphere

Question 6

Oxbow lake

Answer 6

The remnants left behind when the river is powerful enough to cut through a meander

Question 7

Efficiency

Answer 7

How good the river is at transporting load and moving through the channel from source to mouth

Question 8

Cross profile

Answer 8

A “slice” of the river’s profile

Question 9

Runoff

Answer 9

Excess water travelling along the ground. This happens when the water can’t infiltrate into the ground

Question 10

Gorge

Answer 10

A steep-sided, narrow cut in the valley rock usually caused by waterfall erosion

Question 11

Flooding

Answer 11

The result of when the discharge of the river exceeds the channel’s peak capacity

Question 12

Evaporation

Answer 12

The change of state from liquid to gas from exposed water surfaces

Question 13

Precipitation

Answer 13

The deposition of water from the atmosphere in liquid or solid form (rain or snow)

Question 14

Evapotranspiration

Answer 14

The output which combines evaporation and transpiration

Question 15

Overland flow

Answer 15

Water that moves across the surface of the ground into streams rather than being absorbed

Question 16

Percolation

Answer 16

The process by which water moves into ground’s surface

Question 17

Infiltration

Answer 17

The vertical movement of water in the zone of unsaturated soil or ground

Question 18

Through flow

Answer 18

The downslope movement of water within the soil

Question 19

Groundwater

Answer 19

The store of water held beneath the water table

Question 20

Interception - STORE!

Answer 20

When precipitation is trapped on the surface of vegetation

Question 21

Stem flow

Answer 21

Intercepted precipitation runs down the stems of plants to reach the ground

Question 22

Water table

Answer 22

Upper level of ground water

Question 23

Through fall

Answer 23

Water that drips off leaves when more water falls onto the leaves than can remain

Question 24

Storm hydrograph

Answer 24

Graphical display of fluctuations in channel discharge

Question 25

Baseflow

Answer 25

Water that reaches the channel through slow through flow

Question 26

Stormflow

Answer 26

Water that reaches the channel largely through runoff

Question 27

Water budget

Answer 27

Balance between inputs and outputs

Question 28

Potential evaporation

Answer 28

Max. evaporation that could occur if water was always available

Question 29

Hydraulic action

Answer 29

Sheer force of water dislodges particles from river's bed and banks

Question 30

Abrasion

Answer 30

Bed and banks are worn by the river's load. Water throws these particles against the bed and banks at high velocity

Question 31

Attrition

Answer 31

River's load bumps into eachother and so are smoothed and broken down into smaller particles

Question 32

Corrosion/solution

Answer 32

Chemical action of river water. Acids in water slowly dissolve the bed and banks. This only occurs in some rocks - e.g. chalk and limestone

Question 33

Solution

Answer 33

Material dissolved in river water

Question 34

Suspension

Answer 34

Load is light enough to be carried in the water

Question 35

Traction

Answer 35

Load is rolled along river bed - too heavy to be carried

Question 36

Saltation

Answer 36

Load bounces along river bed

Question 37

Sheer stress

Answer 37

Force acting on a body that causes movement of the body down a slope

Question 38

River capacity

Answer 38

The amount of material it can transport

Question 39

River competence

Answer 39

Diameter of the largest particle that it can carry for a given velocity

Question 40

Discharge

Answer 40

The volume of water flowing through a river (cumecs)

Question 41

Cross profile

Answer 41

Similar to cross-section - view of valley from one side to the other

Question 42

Graded profile

Answer 42

River that is energy efficient and has a perfect concave sharp

Question 43

Hydraulic radius

Answer 43

Cross-sectional area divided by wetted perimeter

Question 44

Rapids

Answer 44

Sudden increase in the slope of the channel where the river flows over harder bands of rock and erodes the softer bands

Question 45

Potholes

Answer 45

Pebbles carried by river swirl in eddies and erode a circular hollow in the river bed

Question 46

Helicoidal flow

Answer 46

Corkscrew motion within the fastest flow of water

Question 47

Floodplain

Answer 47

Flat, adjacent land next to a river - when rivers flood, the water moves onto the floodplain

Question 48

Braided streams

Answer 48

Occur when the river is forced to split into several different channels

Question 49

Levee

Answer 49

Natural/man made embankments either side of the river channel

Question 50

Delta

Answer 50

Depositional feature at mouth of river - arcuate, cuspate and bird's foot

Question 51

Flocculation

Answer 51

Salt and fresh water mix

Question 52

Rejuvenation

Answer 52

Increase of energy in river - fall in sea level or rise in land

Question 53

Knick point

Answer 53

Sudden irregularity in gradient/river channel

Question 54

Eustatic changes

Answer 54

Climatic changes - sea level changes due to ice melt or advancing/retreating ice sheets

Question 55

Isostatic changes

Answer 55

Land changes relative to sea - ice depresses land

Question 56

Flash flooding

Answer 56

Extremely heavy rainfall occurs and cannot be infiltrated so becomes heavy runoff

Question 57

Hard engineering

Answer 57

Controlled destruction of natural processes by using man-made structures

Question 58

Soft engineering

Answer 58

Long term, sustainable methods of flood prevention - less impact on environment

Question 59

Laminar flow

Answer 59

Smooth, without turbulence

Question 60

Riffles

Answer 60

Shallow section of fast flowing water

Question 61

Pools

Answer 61

Deport stretches of slow moving water

Question 62

Risk

Answer 62

The exposure of people to an event that has the potential to cause damage or harm