Drainage Basin Systems Flashcards
Define condensation
The process by which water vapour turns to liquid water
What are cryospheric processes?
Processes that affect the total amount of mass at any scale.
Define drainage basin
This is an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
What water does the drainage basin include?
Water found on the surface, in the soil and in near-surface geoglogy.
What is evaporation?
The process by which liquid water changes to gas.
What does evaporation require?
Energy
Where does the energy needed for evaporation come from?
The sun and it is aided by the wind
What is evapotranspiration?
The total output of water from the drainage basin directly back into the atmosphere.
What is groundwater flow?
The slow movement of water through underlying rocks.
What is infiltration?
The downward movement of water from the surface into the soil.
What is interception storage?
Precipitation that is temporarily stored on vegetation surfaces or human-made cover.
What is overland flow?
The tendency of water to flow horizontally across surfaces.
When does overland flow occur?
When rainfall has exceeded the infiltration capacity of the soil and all surfaces are full to overflowing.
What is percolation?
The downward movement of water within the rock under the soil surface.
What do percolation rates depend upon?
The nature of the rock.
