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Geography > 3-Physical landscapes UK-Rivers > Flashcards

3-Physical landscapes UK-Rivers Flashcards

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1
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

Hydraulic action is when fast flowing water hits river banks and beds and forces compressed air into cracks.

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2
Q

What is abrasion?

A

Abrasion is where small boulders and stones can scrape and scratch and wear down river beds.

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3
Q

What is solution?

A

Solution is where rocks such as limestone or chalk are dissolved in water.

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4
Q

What is attrition?

A

Attrition is where rocks and pebbles collide and form smaller, smoother stones.

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5
Q

What is transportation via traction?

A

Traction is where large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed-load carried by this is called the bedload.

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6
Q

What is transportation via saltation?

A

Saltation is where small pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed.

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7
Q

What is transportation via suspension?

A

Suspension is when fine, light material is carried within the river’s flow.

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8
Q

What is transportation via solution?

A

Minerals are dissolved in the water and carried by it.

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9
Q

What does the long profile of a river show?

A

The gradient of a river from the source to the mouth.

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10
Q

What is the shape of the long profile of a river?

A

Concave from top left to bottom right.

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11
Q

What are some properties of the upper course of a river?

A
  • Lower velocity of water-more friction
  • Dominant process is erosion
  • Steep gradient-vertical erosion
  • Large+angular load
  • Main transportation process is traction
  • Low discharge
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12
Q

What are some properties of the lower course of the river?

A
  • Faster velocity if water-less friction
  • Dominant process is deposition
  • Shallow gradient-lateral erosion
  • Small+rounded load
  • Main transportation method is solution
  • High discharge
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13
Q

What is discharge?

A

The volume of water at a given point along a river.

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14
Q

What is velocity?

A

The speed of the flow of water

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15
Q

Describe the cross profile of the upper course of a river

A

A v-shaped valley due to a thin channel and weathering down the sides of a gorge

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16
Q

Describe the cross profile of the middle course of a river

A

A wider channel than the upper course-several metres wide and over a metre deep surrounded by a large floodplain

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17
Q

Describe the cross profile of the lower course of a river

A

A much wider river-upwards of 10 metres up to several kilometers with levees in each side

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18
Q

What are interlocking spurs?

A

Projections of high land that alternate on either side of a v-shaped valley. They form as the river erodes the softer rock leaving harder rock behind (differential erosion) and are situated in the upper courses of rivers.

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19
Q

What causes rapids?

A

Bands of hard and soft rock-the soft rock is eroded first via differential erosion by making the river bed uneven.

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20
Q

What is the hard rock also called in a waterfall?

A

Cap rock

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21
Q

Describe the formation of a waterfall and a gorge [6]

A

1) Firstly down a river there is hard rock followed by soft rock
2) Due to differential erosion, the soft rock is eroded forming a dip in height and a rapid
3) The water falls down and the soft rock underneath is eroded forming a plunge pool via vertical erosion in the form of hydraulic action
4) Splash-back from the plunge pool causes types of erosion such as abrasion and hydraulic action to erode the soft rock-this undercuts the hard rock (cap rock) at the top and an overhang is formed
5) Due to gravity, the hard rock collapses and an the rubble is collected in the ** plunge pool** -some of it causing abrasion
6) Over time, due to this process repeating itself, the waterfall erodes backwards forming a gorge

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22
Q

What are some characteristics of a gorge?

A
  • Very narrow valley
  • Very steep, high valley sides
  • Located downstream of a waterfall
  • The river channel takes up all of the valley floor
  • Turbulent, fast flowing white water
  • Bare rock on valley sides
  • Boulders littering the river bed
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23
Q

What is the outside of a meander called?

A

A river cliff

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24
Q

What is the inside of a meander called?

A

A slip-off slope

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25
Q

Where is the point of fastest flow in a river and what is it called?

A

Near the river cliff, 15% below the surface-the thalveg

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26
Q

Where does erosion happen in a meander?

A

The outside

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27
Q

Where does deposition happen in a meander?

A

The inside

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28
Q

Where does the water flow the fastest in a meander?

A

The outside

29
Q

Where does the water flow the slowest in a meander?

A

The inside

30
Q

What are deeper areas in a river called?

A

Pools

31
Q

What are shallower areas in a river called?

A

Riffles

32
Q

How are meanders formed? [4]

A

1)Water flows faster over shallow areas (riffles) and slower over deeper sections (pools)
2)This eventually sets in motion a helicoidal flow
3)The helicoidal flow corkscrews from one bank to another
4)This starts the erosion and deposition processes which continually shape a meander

33
Q

How are oxbow lakes formed? (and flood plains) [4]+[1]

A

1)Firstly a meander has to have a very large loop-a swans neck meander and have only a narrow strip of land seperating the river channels-due to continual lateral erosion the neck becomes increasingly narrow
2)The river floods so that the mainflow of the river cuts across the neck. This shortcut begins to break down the banks and carve a new channel
3)This process is repeated over and over with every flood event and the new channel becomes the main channel that water flows through due to lateral and vertical erosion-the meander becomes the redundant loop
4)The loop of the old river becomes detached due to not recieving river water and subsequent flooding causing deposition-marsh plants colonise the area, further widening the gap and an oxbow lake is formed
5)Meander migration causes over time the surrounding area to flatten out and become scarred due to old oxbow lakes.

34
Q

What are some characteristics of ox-bow lakes?

A
  • A gentle slip-off slope into the lake
  • A steep drop to the lake down the former river cliff
  • Fairly stagnant water due to occasional rainfall and evaporation
  • Marsh plants colonising the edges
35
Q

What is alluvium?

A

A deposit of very fine clay/silt

36
Q

What are some properties of Levees?

A
  • Usually 2-8 m high in the UK
  • Are composed of gravel, stones and alluvium
  • Have the coarsest sediment closest to the river channel
  • Are steep sided-steeper on the channel side than the land side
  • Have a fairly flat top-can be used as a footpath
37
Q

How are Levees formed? [4]

A

1)In the lower course of the river the river floods due to there being a high discharge
2)The area over the riverbanks has increased friction due to it being shallower-this reduces the velocity and energy of the water and causes deposition
3)Course sediment is deposited near the river channel and fine sediment is deposited further away-this is called alluvium
4)Over time this process repeats itself and riverbanks build up forming levees

38
Q

What is an estuary?

A

A part of the river where freshwater from the river merges with salt water from the sea

39
Q

How are estuary mudflats formed?

A

The river transports alluvium down to the sea and is met by sea water containing sand and salt-this causes velocity to be reduced and deposition to happen causing mud flats as well as many small streams (creeks)

40
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Any source of moisture reaching the ground

41
Q

What is interception?

A

Water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees or grass

42
Q

What is surface storage?

A

Water held on the ground surface, e.g. puddles

43
Q

What is infriltration?

A

Water sinking into soil/rock from the ground surface

44
Q

What is soil moisture?

A

Water held in the soil layer

45
Q

What is percolation?

A

Water seeping deeper below the surface

46
Q

What is groundwater?

A

Water stored in the rock

47
Q

What is transpiration?

A

Water lost through pores through vegetation

48
Q

What is evaporation?

A

Water lost from ground/vegetation surface

49
Q

What is surface runoff?

A

Water flowing on top of the ground

50
Q

What is throughflow?

A

Water flowing through the soil layer parallel to the surface

51
Q

What is groundwater flow?

A

Water flowing through the rock layer parallel to the surface

52
Q

What is the water table?

A

The current upper level of saturated rock/soil where no more water can be absorbed

53
Q

What physical factors can increase flood risk?

A
  • Impermeable rocks
  • Steep valley sides
  • Lower lying, flat flood plains
  • Bands of depressions leading to satured soil
  • Sudden snow melt
  • Heavy intense rainfall
54
Q

What human factors can increase flood risk (rural and urban land use) [6]

A

Urban land use:
* New infrastructure
* New houses
* Disappearing gardens
Rural land use:
* Forestry
* Farming
* Disappearing fields

55
Q

What is it called when discharge rises and falls in a storm hydrograph?

A

A rising and falling limb

56
Q

What is measured in bars on a storm hydrograph?

A

The rainfall

57
Q

How do you calculate the lag time of a strom hydrograph?

A

Peak rainfall time-Peak flow time

58
Q

What will be steeper, the rising or falling limb?

A

The rising limb

59
Q

What are the 2 types of responses in storm hydrographs?

A

Flashy and slow

60
Q

What is the baseflow?

A

The normal flow of the river

61
Q

What is the bankfull discharge?

A

The point in which a river will burst its banks and flood

62
Q

What are examples of hard engineering to reduce flooding?

A
  • Dams and Reservoirs
  • Channel straightening
  • River embankments
  • Flood relief channels
63
Q

What are examples of soft engineering to reduce flooding?

A
  • River restoration
  • Floodplain zoning
  • Flood preparation
  • Planting trees
64
Q

What is the Jubilee River flood-relief channel?

A

A relief channel for the River Thames in South East England that passes through Berkshire and Buckinghamshere -it starts south-east of Maidenhead and passes Eton and Windsor.

65
Q

Why was the Jubilee River flood-relief channel needed?

A
  • The area of the Thames flood plain is low lying and prone to flooding
  • It contains the royal settlement of Windsor as well as Eton
  • There was a history of flooding do to impermeable surfaces
66
Q

What does the Jubilee River scheme involve?

A
  • It costs £110 million
  • Opened in 2002 at 11.7km long and 50m wide
67
Q

What are some economic issues from the Jubilee River scheme?

A
  • At a projected cost of £330 million pounds, the Jubilee River was on of 4 flood relief channels however the EA ran short of funds-if further engineering is required to alleviate flooding downstream local councils and businesses will have to pay-this isn’t fair as Windsor and Eton residents didn’t have to pay
  • One of the weirs was damaged and this cost £680,000-high maintenance costs
  • Since old Windsor and Wraysbury flood often they cannot open their businesses-business repair costs for Wraysbury alone were around £500 million in 2014-this will cause future insurance premiums to increase
68
Q

What are some environmental issues from the Jubilee River scheme?

A
  • In 2014 there was extensive flooding immediately downstream from where the channel rejoined the Thames
  • The concrete weirs are rather ugly when the flow is normal and the concrete is exposed
  • There is also the problem of algea collection collecting behind the weirs-this disrupts the natural ecosystem
69
Q

What are some social issues from the Jubilee River scheme?

A
  • It protects wealthy Eton + Windsor but not less wealthy settlements such as Old Windsor and Wraysbury
  • The river is less Navigable for paddle boarders
  • There is higher discharge downstream

Geography (8 decks)

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