1.4. Drainage Basins

Question 1

What is a drainage basin?

Answer 1

• Open, local hydrological cycle
• Area surrounding a river where the rain falling on the land falls into that river

Question 2

Watershed

Answer 2

Boundary of drainage basin

Question 3

Inputs

Answer 3

Precipitation
Channel fall

Question 4

Precipitation

Answer 4

Includes all the ways moisture comes out of the atmosphere - mainly rain but can also be snow, hail and sleet

Question 5

Channel fall

Answer 5

Precipitation falling directly into the river

Question 6

Stores (6)

Answer 6

• Interception storage
• Vegetation storage
• Surface storage
• Soil storage
• Groundwater storage
• Channel storage

Question 7

Interception storage

Answer 7

Rainwater that lands on vegetation and other structures before reaching the soil.

Question 8

Vegetation storage

Answer 8

Water that has been taken up by plants

Question 9

Surface storage

Answer 9

Water in puddles, ponds, lakes

Question 10

Soil storage

Answer 10

Moisture in the pores of the soil

Question 11

Groundwater storage

Answer 11

Water stored in the ground, either in the saturated soil beneath the water table or in bedrock

Question 12

Channel storage

Answer 12

Water held in river or stream

Question 13

Flows (9)

Answer 13

• Infiltration
• Overland flow
• Throughfall
• Stemflow
• Throughflow
• Percolation
• Groundwater flow
• Baseflow
• Channel flow

Question 14

Infiltration

Answer 14

Vertical movement of water from the surface into unsaturated soil storage

Question 15

Overland flow

Answer 15

Water flows over surface

Happens because soil is saturated or rain is falling faster than can be infiltrated.

Question 16

Throughfall

Answer 16

Water dripping from leaf

Question 17

Stemflow

Answer 17

Water running down a plant stem or tree trunk

Question 18

Throughflow

Answer 18

Water moving slowly downhill through unsaturated soil

Question 19

Percolation

Answer 19

Vertical movement from unsaturated soil to saturated soil

Question 20

Groundwater flow

Answer 20

Water flowing very slowly downhill through saturated soil and permeable bedrock

Question 21

Baseflow

Answer 21

Groundwater flow that flows into rivers

Question 23

Channel flow

Answer 23

Water flowing in river

Question 24

Outputs

Answer 24

• Evaporation
• Transpiration
• Evapotranspiration
• River discharge/ flow

Question 25

Evaporation

Answer 25

Water turning into water vapour

Question 26

Transpiration

Answer 26

Evaporation from the stomata found on the underside of a leaf

Question 27

Evapotranspiration

Answer 27

The process of evaporation and transpiration together

Question 28

River discharge/ flow

Answer 28

Into the sea