EQ1 - Indicative mock content Flashcards
What is ‘the drainage basin?’
It is a sub-system within the water cycle which operated on a system of inputs and outputs of water, stores and fluxes. Another name for it is the catchment.
What are the main stores of the drainage basin?
Groundwater
soil moisture
interception
surface storage
what are the main fluxes within the drainage basin?
Percolation
infiltration
throughflow
surface runoff
groundwater flow
What is the one input into the drainage basin?
precipitation
Wht are the ranked impacts on precipitation?
Amount
Intensity
Distribution
Seasonality
How does amount of precipitation impact the drainage basin?
Amount - low levels = low infiltration, groundwater and surfacewater levels. Egypt = 200mm rain annually. Sandy soil.
How does intensity of precipitation impact the drainage basin?
Intensity - high intensiy = high levels of surface storage due to exceeded soil moisture capacity. Flood risk - Orographic rainfall in Scottland.
How does distribution of precipitation impact the drainage basin?
Unequal distribution = unequal river regimes and channel volumes. Nile starts in Mediterranean conditions, in Egypt, then travels to desert regions of Ethiopia
How does seasonality of precipitation impact the drainage basin?
Impacts soil saturation, groundwater levels, runoff levels. Asian monsoon season is from April - September.
What is orographic rainfall?
Rainfall occurring over land with high/mountainous ground. Causes a rain shadow on the leeward side of the mountain range, as clouds are forced up. Occurs in N and W of the UK.
What is frontal rainfall?
Rainfall produces by the colliding of hot and cold weather fronts. Hot air rides above the cold air, creating the conditions for a weather front. Occurs over all of the UK, and is associaed with cyclonic weather.
What is convectional rainfall?
Rainfall that occurs in the SE of UK in summer. The evapo. of the ocean leads to the build up of condensed air over land. When the weight of this cloud reaches sufficiency, and precipitation nuclei are present, it rains.
What ranked factors impact infiltration?
1) duration
2) vegetation
3) soil porosity
4) slope angle
how does duration impact soil porosity?
duration of rainfall will increase the amoount of moisture in soil before turning, and decreasing due to the capacity of soil being reached.
how does vegetation impact infiltration?
infiltration increases with more veg. curved slope negatively due to time increase
how does soil porosity impact infiltration?
infiltration increases with mroe soil porosity. Perfect positive increase.
how does slope angle impact infiltration?
Highe the slope, less infiltration there is.