Rivers - The Basics

Question 1

What is the edge of the drainage basin called?

Answer 1

Watershed

Question 2

What are the landforms which entail that the river is in the upper course?

Answer 2

• Thin width
• Not very deep
• Angular bed load
• Slow water velocity

Question 3

Factors which entail that the river is in the middle course:

Answer 3

• Rounded Bed Load
• Wide river channel
• Meanders present
• Faster Velocity

Question 4

What is clast size?

Answer 4

The size and shape of the bed load in that specific site.

Question 5

What is velocity?

Answer 5

How powerful and fast the river flow is traveling

Question 6

What is the wetted perimeter?

Answer 6

The length of river bank and river bed touching the water. It is measured from waters edge to waters edge.

Question 7

What is the fastest flowing section of the river called?

Answer 7

The Thalweg

Question 8

When describing a rivers discharge, what is the name of the graph used?

Answer 8

A hydrograph

Question 9

What do you measure a rivers discharge in?

Answer 9

Cumecs

Question 10

What is the name for the time between PEAK RAINFALL and PEAK DISCHARGE.

Answer 10

Lag time

Question 11

In a rivers hydrograph, what is the name for the increasing amount of discharge?

Answer 11

Rising Limb

Question 12

In a rivers hydrograph, what name is given to the falling discharge of the river?

Answer 12

Falling limb

Question 13

What does the Hjulström Curve do?

Answer 13

Measures whether a river will erode, transport or deposit sediment.

Question 14

What factors may affect infiltration rates?

Answer 14

• Amount of impermeable material surrounding
• The geology of the land
• Location
• How much vegetation there is in the area
• Urbanisation levels

Question 15

What is infiltration?

Answer 15

The process of precipitate entering soil. It is scientifically the rate in which soil can absorb rainfall or irrigation.

Question 16

Amount of water lost by interception (average per year) by temperate pine forests:

Answer 16

94% - low intensity rainfall

15% - high intensity rainfall

Question 17

The name given to two rivers joining:

Answer 17

Confluence

Question 18

What is the largest drainage basin the in the world?

Answer 18

The Amazon Rainforest - covers 40% of South America

Question 19

Where does a river begin?

Answer 19

A source

Question 20

What affects a rivers discharge?

Answer 20

• Size or shape of river basin
• Soil depth
• Amount of interception
• Climate
• Shape of land
• Gradient of ground
• Geology

Question 21

What is water transfer?

Answer 21

When water is moved within the system (infiltration, percolation, overland flow etc.)

Question 22

What are water stores?

Answer 22

Ways in which water is held in the system (puddles, lakes, interception stores etc.)

Question 23

What are water inputs?

Answer 23

Ways in which water enters the system (precipitation, evaporation)

Question 24

What are water outputs?

Answer 24

Ways in which water leaves the system (evaporation, transpiration, evapotranspiration, discharge into the sea etc.)

Question 25

Water moving downhill through soil layers - generally slowly but can be influenced by roots or soil weaknesses which form natural pipes in which water flows faster

Answer 25

Through flow

Question 26

Evapotranspiration

Answer 26

The combined of evaporation and transpiration that result in water loss from a leaf.

Question 27

When water is slowed by vegetation roots so that the precipitation cannot immediately infiltrate through the soil.

Answer 27

Interception

Question 28

When water moves from the surface layers of soil into deeper layers of soil and rock

Answer 28

Percolation

Question 29

The process in which water vapour is converted to water

Answer 29

Condensation

Question 30

The storage of water in hollows and holes in the ground surface to form puddles.

Answer 30

Depression storage

Question 31

The movement of water downhill within river channels

Answer 31

Channel flow

Question 32

Area of land in which precipitate collects to then filters into the river channel.

Answer 32

Drainage Basin

Question 33

What name is given to the theoretical graph which displays the balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration

Answer 33

The water budget model

Question 34

What is the problem with excess water saturating the ground?

Answer 34

Excess water then has more difficulty infiltrating the ground - making the additional water transport as surface runoff.

Question 35

When a waterfall retreats, what is left in the wake of the erosion?

Answer 35

A gorge

Question 36

What is the name given to the pool at the bottom of waterfall?

Answer 36

Plunge pool

Question 37

When a waterfall retreats, what is created in the river channel?

Answer 37

Rapids