2.1.2: The drainage basin as a system Flashcards
Drainage basin
Catchment area for precipitation which is drained by a particular stream or river
Drainage basin type of system
Open system
Allows energy and matter to be transferred across the border.
Types of precipitation
6
rain snow sleet hail frost dew
Which factors of precipitation affect the response of the drainage basin
2
duration and intensity
Common type of rainfall in the UK
low intensity, long duration
Evapotranspiration
The loss of water from a drainage basin into the atmosphere from the leaves of plants and loss from evaporation
Precipitation
All forms of moisture that reach the earth’s surface
Vegetation storage
This is water taken up by vegetation and it is all the moisture in vegetation in any one time.
Interception store
Temporary storage of precipitation on buildings, vegetation and concrete before it reaches the soil or evaporates
Channel storage
The water held in a river or stream channel
Channel flow
The movement of water within the river channel
Channel flow aka
river discharge
Surface storage
The total volume of water held on the Earth’s surface in lakes, ponds and puddles
Stem (through) flow
Water running down a plant stem or tree trunk
Soil moisture store
Moisture stored in the soil
Infiltration
The downward movement of water into the soil surface
Percolation
The gravity flow of water within the soil
Groundwater storage
The storage of water underground in permeable rock strata
Groundwater flow
The deeper the movement of water through underlying permeable rock strata below the water table
Transpiration
Evaporation from plant leaves