5.2b

Question 1

What are the physical fatcors within drainage basins that determine relative importance of inputs, flows and outputs

Answer 1

(climate, soils, vegetation, geology, relief).

Question 2

What is a drainage basin

Answer 2

• A drainage basin is the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries, sometimes referred to as a river catchment.
• The boundary of a drainage basin is defined by the watershed

Question 3

How does climate impact inputs, outputs and flows

Answer 3

• Mainly impacts on the inputs and outputs
• Climate has a role in influencing the type and amount of precipitation overall and the amount of evaporation (i.e. the major inputs and outputs)
• Climate also has an impact on vegetation type

Question 4

How does soils impact imputs, outputs, flows

Answer 4

• Largely affect the relative importance of the different flows within the system (of these flows perhaps the most important is surface runoff)
• Soils determine the amount of infiltration and throughflow, and indirectly, the type of vegetation

Question 5

How does geology affect inputs, outputs and flows

Answer 5

• Largely affects the relative importance of the different flows within the system (of these flows perhaps the most important is surface runoff)
  -Geology can impact on subsurface processes such as percolation and groundwater flow (and, therefore, on aquifers)
• Indirectly, geology affects soil formation.

Question 6

How does relief impact inputs, outputs, flows

Answer 6

​- Largely affects the relative importance of the different flows within the system (of these flows perhaps the most important is surface runoff)
- Relief can impact on the amount of precipitation.
- Slopes can affect the amount of runoff

Question 7

How does vegetation affect importance of

Answer 7

• Largely affects the relative importance of the different flows within the system (of these flows perhaps the most important is surface runoff)
• The presence or absence of vegetation has a major impact on the amount of interception, infiltration and occurrence of overland flow, as well as on transpiration rates

Question 8

Define throughflow

Answer 8

The movement of water horizontally beneath the land surface, usually when the soil is completely saturated

Question 9

Define infiltration

Answer 9

process of water moving through soil and rock layers that make up the Earth’s surface, to be stored as groundwater

Question 10

Defien groundwater flow

Answer 10

the deeper movement of water through underlying permeable rock strata below the water table.