Drainage Basin Systems

Question 1

What is a drainage basin?

Answer 1

area that supplies a river with its supply of water

Question 2

How are drainage basins separated from each other?

Answer 2

by high and called a watershed

Question 3

Input to the drainage basin?

Answer 3

precipitation

Question 4

What does vegetation provided?

Answer 4

interception store

Question 5

What do studies show about needle-leaf trees compared to broad-leaf trees?

Answer 5

needle-leaf trees capture 22% of rainfall

broad-leaf trees capture 19% of rainfall

Question 6

What is throughfall?

Answer 6

water making its way from the leaves of trees to the ground drips / falls by this process - from one interception store to another

Question 7

What is stemflow?

Answer 7

when water flows down the stems of grasses

Question 8

What is infiltration rate controlled by?

Answer 8

gravity, capillary action and soil porosity

Question 9

What is soil storage?

Answer 9

amount of water stored in the soils

Question 10

Difference between pores in clay soil and fine sand?

Answer 10

clay soil = 40%-60% of volume

fine sand = 20%-45% of volume

Question 11

What is vegetation storage?

Answer 11

plants removing water from the soil and storing it in the structure of the plant

Question 12

What is percolation?

Answer 12

water moving vertically down through the soil and unsaturated rock