1.1.2 The drainage basin system

Question 1

What scale is the drainage basin system

Answer 1

Local

Question 2

What type of system is the drainage basin system

Answer 2

Open

Question 3

Inputs

Answer 3

Precipitation - rain, snow and hail

Question 4

Types of rainfall

Answer 4

Convectional, relief and frontal warm

Question 5

Convectional Rainfall

Answer 5

Sun heats land, warm air rises, condenses at higher altitudes and falls

Question 6

Relief rainfall

Answer 6

Warm air is forced upward by a barrier such as mountains , causing it to condense at higher altitudes and fall as rain.

Question 7

Frontal Warm Rainfall

Answer 7

Warm air rises over cool air when two bodies of air at different temperatures meet, because the warm air is less dense and therefore lighter. It condenses at higher
altitudes and falls as rain.

Question 8

Outputs

Answer 8

Evapotranspiration and Streamflow

Question 9

Evapotranspiration

Answer 9

Compromised of evaporation and transpiration. Evaporation occurs when water is heated by the sun, causing it to become a gas and rise into the atmosphere. Transpiration occurs in plants when they respire through their leaves, releasing water they absorb through their roots, which then evaporates due to heating by the sun.

Question 10

Streamflow (as output)

Answer 10

All water that enters a drainage basin will either leave through the atmosphere, or through streams which drain the basin. These may flow as tributaries into other rivers or directly into lakes and oceans.

Question 11

Flows (7)

Answer 11

Infiltration, Percolation, Throughflow, Surface runoff (overland flow), Groundwater flow, Streamflow, Stemflow

Question 12

Infiltration (f)

Answer 12

This is the process of water moving from above ground into the soil. - Moderate/Fast

Question 13

Percolation (f)

Answer 13

Water moves from the ground or soil into porous rock or rock fractures. - Slow

Question 14

Throughflow (f)

Answer 14

Water moves through the soil and into streams or rivers. Speed of flow is dependent on the type of soil. - Moderate/Fast

Question 15

Surface runoff (f)

Answer 15

Water flows above the ground, as sheetflow, or in rills - Fast

Question 16

Sheetflow

Answer 16

lots of water flowing over a large area

Question 17

Rills

Answer 17

small channels similar to streams, that are unlikely to carry water during periods where there is not any rainfall

Question 18

Groundwater flow (f)

Answer 18

Water moves through the rocks. Ensures that there is water in rivers, even after long period of dry weather. - Usually slow but variable

Question 19

Streamflow (f)

Answer 19

Water that moves through established channels - Fast

Question 20

Stemflow (f)

Answer 20

Flow of water that has been intercepted by plants or trees, down a stem, leaf, branch or other part of a plant - Fast.

Question 21

Stores (4)

Answer 21

Soil water, groundwater, River channel, Surface storage

Question 22

Soil water (s)

Answer 22

Water stored in the soil which is utilised by plants - Mid-term

Question 23

Groundwater (s)

Answer 23

Water that is stored in the pore spaces of rock - Long-term

Question 24

River Channel (s)

Answer 24

Water that is stored in a river - Short-term

Question 25

Interception (s)

Answer 25

Water intercepted by plants on their branches and leaves before reaching the ground - Short-term

Question 26

Surface Storage (s)

Answer 26

Water stored in puddles, ponds, lakes etc. - Variable

Question 27

water table

Answer 27

upper level at which the pore spaces and fractures in the ground become saturated.

Question 28

Use of water table by researchers

Answer 28

to assess drought conditions, health of wetland systems, success of forest restoration programmes etc.

Question 29

how quickly infiltration occurs.

Answer 29

Infiltration capacity

Question 30

overland flow will occur

Answer 30

If precipitation falls at a greater rate than the infiltration capacity

Question 31

Percolation rate

Answer 31

is dependent on the fractures that may be present in the rock and the permeability of the rock

Question 32

Infiltration capacity can be increased by

Answer 32

Grass crops and tree roots create passages for water to flow through from the surface into the soil

Question 33

Field capacity

Answer 33

Clay soils with a high field capacity and smaller pore spaces have a slower flow rate. Sandy soils drain quickly because they have a lower field capacity, larger pore spaces and natural channels from animals such as worms. Some sports fields have sandy soils, to reduce the chance of waterlogged pitches, but this may also increase the flood risk elsewhere

Question 34

Area with faster groundwater flow

Answer 34

Jointed rocks such as limestone in Karst environments where there are many underground streams and caves , may transfer water very rapidly