EQ1 Yukon river, Amazon river, Indus river Flashcards
What happens in May in the Yukon river?
Snow melt starts to contribute to rising sea levels
What happens in June in the Yukon river
June sees the melting of permafrost and soils releasing water throughout the drainage basin
What happens after the summer in Yukon river?
-After short summer ends, areas of the catchment start to slowly refreeze leading to a gradual drop in the river level.
What happens during the winter months in the Yukon river?
-During winter months, arctic soils and water courses are frozen solid, hugely reducing river flow as no throughflow or surface runoff occurs
What happens during Feb and March in the Amazon river?
-The sun is directly overhead in Feb and Match creating daily rainfall from convection
Why’s there a four month delay after March in the Amazon river? What does this cause to happen in June?
-The basin is so big
-4 month delay before all the tributaries contribute to a peak discharge in June despite rainfall totals being at there lowest at this point.
Why is there a 5 month delay in the Amazon river after the 4 month delay?
-Due to basin size, there’s another 5 month delay before the river reaches its lowest levels in November after a drop in rainfall which started in June.
Why is there a drop in rainfall between June-Oct in the amazon river?
-In the southern hemisphere the earth tilts away from the sun, so contributes to a drop in conventional rainfall.
When is an initial peak discharge reached in the Indus river? Why is this?
-April due to snow melt in the Himalayas
What happens during June in the Indus river?
-The 4 month long monsoon season starts bringing lots of rain to the whole region
What happens after peak discharge in the Indus river?
-After a peak discharge in July the dry season starts
What happens due to dry season in Indus river?
-River levels drop rapidly due to the impact of the dry season and the onset of winter in the Himalayas. (ice and snow temporarily store water)
