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Geography - A - Global Systems > Block 2 (Catchment Hydrology - The Drainage Basin As A System) > Flashcards

Block 2 (Catchment Hydrology - The Drainage Basin As A System) Flashcards

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1
Q

Define a drainage basin?

A

Catchment area of land which is drained by a particular river/body of water

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2
Q

Define watershed?

A

Dividing line between adjacent drainage basins (often marked by high relief features, e.g. mountains)

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3
Q

What type of system is a drainage basin?

A

Open system

- Inputs + outputs of energy + matter

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4
Q

What is the one input into a drainage basin?

A

Precipitation

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5
Q

How can precipitation vary?

A
  • Different types
  • Different amount
  • Different intensity
  • Different duration
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6
Q

How can precipitation type vary (what are the three types?)

A
  • Orographic/relief
  • Convectional
  • Frontal
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7
Q

How can precipitation amount vary?

A

Different volumes of precipitation can fall

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8
Q

How can precipitation intensity vary?

A

Amount of rain that falls in a certain period can vary

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9
Q

How can precipitation duration vary?

A

Length of time precipitation falls for can vary

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10
Q

What are the eight drainage basin flows?

A
  • Throughfall
  • Stemflow
  • Infiltration
  • Throughflow
  • Percolation
  • Groundwater flow
  • Surface runoff/overland flow
  • Channel flow
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11
Q

Define throughfall?

A

Water dripping from leaves of veg -> ground

A drainage basin flow

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12
Q

Define stemflow

A

Water dripping off veg down stem/trunk -> ground

A drainage basin flow

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13
Q

Define infiltration

A

Water movement from ground surface -> soil

A drainage basin flow

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14
Q

Define throughflow

A

Water movement laterally through the soil

A drainage basin flow

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15
Q

Define percolation

A

Water movement from soil -> underlying bedrock

A drainage basin flow

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16
Q

Define groundwater flow

A

Water movement vertically + laterally through underlying bedrock

(A drainage basin flow)

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17
Q

Define surface runoff/overland flow

A

Water movement over the land surface

A drainage basin flow

18
Q

Define channel flow

A

Water movement through the river channel

A drainage basin flow

19
Q

What is the water level?

A

Level at which the ground is saturated up to

20
Q

What two factors affect the amount of groundwater flow (through underlying bedrock)?

A
  • Porosity (amount of water that can be held in rock)

- Permeability (ease of flow through rock)

21
Q

What are the two reasons why surface runoff/overland flow can occur?

A

SATURATION-EXCESS OVERLAND FLOW

  • High duration of rainfall
  • Soil becomes saturated, so no more water can infiltrate

INFILTRATION-EXCESS OVERLAND FLOW

  • High intensity of rainfall
  • Ground may not be saturated, but intensity is so great that not all rain can infiltrate
22
Q

Which area of the drainage basin becomes saturated first during rainfall?

A

Areas close to bottom of slopes - form SATURATED WEDGE

23
Q

What does it mean to be a drainage basin flow?

A

A way in which inputs are transferred through the drainage basin

24
Q

What are the six drainage basin stores?

A
  • Interception store
  • Vegetation store
  • Surface store
  • Soil moisture store
  • Channel store
  • Groundwater store
25
Q

Define interception store

A

Temporary store of water on plant surfaces

26
Q

Define vegetation store

A

‘Green water’ held within vegetation biomass

27
Q

Define surface store

A

Water collected on ground surface (as snow or rain in hollows)

28
Q

Define soil moisture store

A

Water held in soil

29
Q

Define channel store

A

Water held in river channel

30
Q

Define groundwater store

A

Water held in bedrock underneath soil

31
Q

What are the three ways water can be held in the soil moisture store

A

1) Hydroscopic water - thin films of water molecularly attracted to surface of soil particles
2) Capillary water - thicker films of water held into small soil pores by surface tension
3) Gravitational water - water occupying large spaces in soil after rainfall

32
Q

Define field capacity?

A

Total water in soil moisture store when all gravitational water is drained away (the amount of water constantly available in soil - without any precipitation event)

33
Q

Define wilting point

A

When water stores become too low to compensate for plant loss via transpiration

34
Q

What are the four drainage basin outputs?

A
  • Channel discharge
  • Evaporation
  • Transpiration
  • Evapotranspiration
35
Q

Define channel discharge

A

Volume of water leaving a drainage basin via main stream/river

(A drainage basin output)

36
Q

Define evaporation

A

Water changes from liquid to gas when heated, transferring it from surface stores in basin -> atmosphere

(A drainage basin output)

37
Q

Define transpiration

A

Water changes from liquid to gas, diffusing out of plant stomata in basin -> atmosphere

(A drainage basin output)

38
Q

Define evapotranspiration

A

Combination of evaporation + transpiration removing water from the soil and the plants growing within it

(A drainage basin output)

39
Q

What are three factors that may increase the rate of evaporation or transpiration

A
  • High heat
  • High wind speed (increase water conc gradient)
  • Low humidity (increase water conc gradient)
40
Q

What does it mean to be an input to a drainage basin?

A

A way that water enters the drainage basin system

41
Q

What does it mean to be an output to a drainage basin?

A

A way that water leaves the drainage basin

Geography - A - Global Systems (8 decks)

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