Drainage Basins and long profile of river Flashcards
What is the term for how water is introduced into the drainage basin system?
Precipitation
Precipitation includes all forms of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
What are the ways water is stored within the drainage basin system?
- Interception (by vegetation)
- Soil moisture
- Surface storage (lakes)
- Groundwater
These storage types allow water to be held for varying lengths of time before being transferred or released.
What process or flow of water from one place to another is known in the drainage basin system?
Transfers
Transfers can include several processes like surface run-off, infiltration, percolation, through-flow, and groundwater flow.
What are the outputs of water from the drainage basin system?
- River discharge
- Evapotranspiration
Outputs refer to how water is released back to the sea or atmosphere.
Define ‘drainage basin’.
The area of land drained by a river.
This includes all the land that contributes water to the river system.
What is a catchment area?
The area within the drainage basin.
Catchment areas are crucial for understanding how water flows and collects.
What is a watershed?
The edge of highland surrounding a drainage basin which marks the boundary between two drainage basins.
Watersheds play a key role in determining how water moves from one basin to another.
What is the source of a river?
The beginning or start of a river.
This is usually where the river originates, often from springs, melting snow, or rainfall.
What is a confluence?
The point at which two rivers or streams join.
Confluences can significantly affect the flow and characteristics of the rivers involved.
What is a tributary?
A stream or smaller river which joins a larger stream or river.
Tributaries contribute additional water and can impact the ecology and hydrology of the main river.
What is the mouth of a river?
The point where the river comes to the end, usually when entering a sea.
The mouth is crucial for understanding how rivers interact with larger bodies of water.
What are the characteristics of the upper course of a river?
Steep slopes, narrow channel, erodes vertically, large angular boulders, traction, river flows slowly as channel is rough, small discharge, V-shaped valley, interlocking spurs, waterfalls & gorges
What are the characteristics of the lower course of a river?
Deeper & wider river, large discharge, wide flat valley, floodplain, delta, fast flowing as channel is smooth, lateral erosion
What does the term ‘Valley’ refer to in river morphology?
The shape, size and characteristics of the area adjacent to the river
What does the term ‘Channel’ refer to in river morphology?
The shape, size and characteristics of the river itself
