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Water resource management > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Surface water hydrology

A

is the study of moving water found in rivers, open channels, and runoff flowing across the open land surface

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2
Q

a stream is

A

a “flow of running water, large or small,” whereas a river is a “large stream of water.”

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3
Q

a stream is a “flow of running water, large or small,” whereas a river is a “large stream of water.” Most people use these terms interchangeably to denote

A

a body of running water of any size

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4
Q

Most people use these terms interchangeably to denote a body of running water of any size. However, a stream is generally considered to be smaller than a

A

a river, a creek smaller than a stream, and a brook even smaller

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5
Q

Rills form during

A

precipitation events

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6
Q

Rills form during precipitation events and gather

A

downhill to form a brook

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7
Q

Rills form during precipitation events and gather downhill to form a brook which, if it grows, creates a

A

creek

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8
Q

river and stream will be used to denote a flow of running water

A

large or small.

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9
Q

watershed

A

The total land area that drains surface water to a common point (or common body of water)

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10
Q

water shed is also called

A

a river basin, drainage basin, and catchment

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11
Q

Watersheds can be as small as a

A

parcel of ground that drains into a pond

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12
Q

Watersheds can be as small as a parcel of ground that drains into a pond or as large as

A

the 1.26 million square miles in the United States and Canada that drain into the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

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13
Q

A watershed is delineated by a

A

ridge or drainage divide that marks the boundary of the drainage basin and can be easily identified on topographic maps

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14
Q

All surface water runoff below a ridge line will flow

A

downhill within the watershed

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15
Q

The incline of terrain is generally downhill toward

A

the main channel of a river

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16
Q

The boundaries of a watershed can be delineated by

A

first locating the lowest point, or watershed outlet, on a topographic map.

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17
Q

The boundaries of a watershed can be delineated by first locating the lowest point, or watershed outlet, on a topographic map. Then, higher elevations can be followed until a

A

a ridge, or high point, is identified

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18
Q

Three simple rules can be followed when trying to determine watershed boundaries on a map:

A
  1. Surface water generally flows at right angles across contour lines on a map.
  2. Ridges are indicated by the highest elevation contour line in an area.
  3. Drainages are indicated by contour lines pointing upstream.
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19
Q

Once the boundaries of a watershed have been determined, several watershed parameters can be computed such as

A

size, maximum and minimum elevations, shape, slope, and drainage patterns.

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20
Q

Surface water flows can also be predicted based on

A

various potential precipitation events

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21
Q

Hydrologists-

A

people who study and measure moving water-are also concerned with the aspect and orientation of a watershed.

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22
Q

The aspect of a watershed is the

A

direction of exposure of sloping lands

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23
Q

orientation is the

A

general direction of the main portion of a river as it moves down a watershed.

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24
Q

A river with an east-west orientation will probably have slopes that are generally

A

north-south in aspect

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25
Q

Rain that falls on the land surface within a watershed will immediately move in

A

one of three general directions

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26
Q

Rain that falls on the land surface within a watershed will immediately move in one of three general directions. First, rain may

A

evaporate back into the atmosphere.

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27
Q

First, rain may evaporate back into the atmosphere. Second, precipitation may

A

percolate, or seep, down into the soil and eventually become groundwater

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28
Q

. First, rain may evaporate back into the atmosphere. Second, precipitation may percolate, or seep, down into the soil and eventually become groundwater. Third,

A

rain may move along the land surface as runoff during and after a storm event.

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29
Q

overland flow

A

. Runoff water that is moving toward a river or stream

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30
Q

Some overland flow may become stored in

A

small ponds, wetlands, or lakes before reaching a flowing stream

31
Q

Overland flow …………….. and …………………… are very dependent on

A

rates
volumes

precipitation rates, duration of a storm event, and the spatial distribution of precipitation.

32
Q

A second feature of surface water runoff, called

A

interflow

33
Q

interflow, occurs when

A

precipitation percolates just below the land surface and moves in the same direction as overland flow.

34
Q

. Interflow moves in

A

subsurface materials at a slower rate than moving water on the surface and will arrive at a river later than overland flow.

35
Q

A heavy 45-minute downpour typically generates a

A

more rapid overland flow than calm, soaking shower over a 48-hour period that generates interflow.

36
Q

A heavy 45-minute downpour typically generates a more rapid overland flow than calm, soaking shower over a 48-hour period that generates interflow. This variation in surface water runoff is an important reason why

A

accurate precipitation measurement is so important in water resources management.

37
Q

Both overland flow and interflow are greatly affected by

A

human development

38
Q

Hard surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, and rooftops act as

A

funnels to drainage pathways

39
Q

Hard surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, and rooftops act as funnels to drainage pathways that ultimately empty into

A

rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes.

40
Q

Impervious barriers created by development also

A

inhibit interflow and percolation into the soil.

41
Q

By contrast, forests, cultivated ground, open space, parks, and other vegetated areas are relatively

A

porous and slow the runoff of precipitation and promote percolation into the soil.

42
Q

Rivers contain less than

A

0.01 percent of the Earth’s water but originate in several possible sources

43
Q

Rivers contain less than 0.01 percent of the Earth’s water but originate in several possible sources. Some are fed by

A

springs or small streams coming together to create larger rivers of water

44
Q

Some are fed by springs or small streams coming together to create larger rivers of water. Some originate in

A

lakes, such as the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota

45
Q

Other rivers, such as the Colorado River in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, begin as

A

trickles of melted snow water

46
Q

A river consists of

A

of a main channel and all tributaries that flow into it

47
Q

The beginning of a river is called its

A

headwaters or source

48
Q

………………………….. are smaller streams that combine to form larger streams and ultimately rivers

A

Tributaries

49
Q

When viewed from above or on an aerial or satellite photo, tributaries often look like

A

the branches of a tree

50
Q

The site at which a tributary joins the main river channel is called the

A

confluence of a river

51
Q

……………………………… denotes a location toward the headwaters of a river or tributary

A

Upstream

52
Q

Upstream denotes a location toward the headwaters of a river or tributary, whereas downstream is

A

is toward the direction of a confluence with a larger stream, mouth, or other end point of a river.

53
Q

The imaginary line that connects the deepest points of a river channel is called the

A

thalweg of a river

54
Q

Overland flow and interflow are

A

important sources of water for many rivers

55
Q

After a rainstorm, water levels in rivers often

A

rise

56
Q

. After a rainstorm, water levels in rivers often rise and cause

A

some water to percolate into the banks (sides) of a river

57
Q

. After a rainstorm, water levels in rivers often rise and cause some water to percolate into the banks (sides) of a river (called………………)

A

bank storage

58
Q

). As local conditions become drier, this bank storage will

A

slowly move back into the river as flow decreases.

59
Q

Porous riverbanks allow significant amounts of storm runoff to be

A

temporarily held as bank storage and can reduce the threat of flooding downstream.

60
Q

The zone beneath a river is called the

A

hyporheic

61
Q

The zone beneath a river is called the hyporheic (from the Greek meaning “…………………………………….”) zone

A

to flow beneath

62
Q

The zone beneath a river is called the hyporheic (from the Greek meaning “to flow beneath”) zone and varies in

A

depth depending on the composition and size of a river bottom

63
Q

The hyporheic zone can extend

A

beneath a riverbed to a depth of a few inches (less than 10 cm) or down to several feet (1 m or more).

64
Q

Oxygen is the limiting factor that determines

A

what type of organisms can survive in this area

65
Q

). Oxygen is the limiting factor that determines what type of organisms can survive in this area, with the ………………. waters of …………………… altitudes supporting the most life.

A

colder

high

66
Q

Geomorphology is the study of

A

forces that shape the surface of the Earth

67
Q

Geomorphology is the study of forces that shape the surface of the Earth. The greatest force in the

A

the alteration of land is moving water, and its effects can easily be seen along rivers.

68
Q

. Rivers develop many features after

A

years of traveling the same course.

69
Q

A “young” river has a …….. valley

A

V-shaped

70
Q

A “young” river has a V-shaped valley, with some rivers having

A

almost vertical walls and swift-flowing water

71
Q

As a river continues toward its mouth and seeks a base level, the slope of the river channel generally

A

decreases

72
Q

As a river continues toward its mouth and seeks a base level, the slope of the river channel generally decreases. Eventually, the river valley

A

widens and becomes more U-shaped where silt and sand have created a wide plain caused by previous floods.

73
Q

Playfair’s Law

A

Every river appears to consist of a main trunk, fed from a variety of branches, each running in a valley proportional to its size, and all of them together forming a system of valleys connecting with one another

Water resource management (13 decks)

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