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GCSE revision > Geography- Water on the land > Flashcards

Geography- Water on the land Flashcards

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0
Q

What is a tributary?

A

A river or stream that feeds into another river

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1
Q

What is a river?

A

A moving body of water that flows downhill from its source

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2
Q

What is a flow?

A

The amount of water in the channel

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3
Q

What is a river source?

A

Where the river begins

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4
Q

What is a river mouth?

A

At the point where the river enters the sea

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5
Q

What is a river bank?

A

The land immediately along the river

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6
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

The area of land which is drained by the river and its tributaries

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7
Q

What is a watershed?

A

The boundary of the drainage basin

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8
Q

What are head waters?

A

Beginning or source of the river

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9
Q

What is a floodplain?

A

Flat, low lying land along the river which gets covered in water when the river floods

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10
Q

What is a river channel?

A

The path a river takes is called its channel

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11
Q

What are wetlands?

A

Low lying area where water covers the soil for much of the year

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12
Q

What is the hydrological cycle?

A

The cycle of water through the sea, land and atmosphere

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13
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Water in any form which falls to the earth

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14
Q

What is interception?

A

Where vegetation catches precipitation

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15
Q

What is surface run off?

A

Water flowing over the land towards the channel as a result of very heavy rain, or the soil being saturated.

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16
Q

What is Infiltration?

A

The downward movement of water from the surface into the soil pores

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17
Q

What is through flow?

A

The movement of water sideways through the soil towards a river

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18
Q

What is ground water?

A

Water stored mainly within the pores of underlying rock such as sandstone

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19
Q

What is ground water flow?

A

Water moves slowly through the bedrock towards the river

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20
Q

What is a water table?

A

The below which the ground is saturated. The water table can rise and fall depending on the season.

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21
Q

What is evaporation?

A

The process by which liquid water changes to water vapour when warmed.

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22
Q

What is transpiration?

A

The process by which plants give off water vapour via the pores in their leaves

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23
Q

What is condensation?

A

Water vapour changes to liquid water when cooled.

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24
Q

What are the four processes of erosion?

A
  • corrasion/abrasion
  • attrition
  • solution
  • hydraulic action
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25
Q

What is corrasion/abrasion?

A

The river carrying particles of silt and sand rubs against the bed and banks of the river and wears them away.

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26
Q

What is attrition?

A

Load being carried by the river collides and rubs against each itself breaking the rocks smaller and smaller and smoothing them into pebbles

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27
Q

What is solution?

A

Some rock minerals, e.g calcium carbonate, slowly dissolve in river water as it is usually slightly acidic

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28
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

Force of the water on the beds and banks of the river

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29
Q

What are the four processes of transportation?

A
  • Traction
  • Saltation
  • Suspension
  • Solution
30
Q

What is traction?

A

Large boulders roll along the river bed

31
Q

What is saltation?

A

Smaller pebbles bounce along the river bed as the flow of the river changes

32
Q

What is suspension?

A

Finer sand and silt particles are carried along in the flow

33
Q

What is solution?

A

Minerals are dissolved in water and carried along in the flow

34
Q

What three factors do the amount of load being carried depend on?

A
  • volume of the water (greater the flow, greater the load)
  • velocity of the water (fast flowing river can transport larger particles)
  • local rock type (some rock, e.g shale, is more easily eroded)
35
Q

What is alluvium?

A

Material transported or deposited by a river

36
Q

What is deposition?

A

When the sea loses energy, it drops the sand, rock particles and pebbles it has been carrying

37
Q

Factors that encourage desposition?

A
  • River carrying large load of sediment
  • a reduction in velocity (inside bend in a meander)
  • an obstruction (a river enters a lake and velocity falls)
  • a fall in volume (drought period)
38
Q

What is lateral erosion?

A

Eroding sideways

39
Q

What is discharge?

A

The volume of water passing a river measuring station at a particular time

40
Q

Where do meanders occur?

A

In the middle and lower valley

41
Q

What features are found on the upper course of a river?

A
  • v shaped valleys
  • interlocking Spurs
  • gorges
  • waterfalls
42
Q

What features are found in the middle course of a river?

A
  • meanders
  • river cliffs
  • slip off slopes
43
Q

What features are found at the lower course of a river?

A
  • ox-bow lakes
  • flood plains
  • levees
44
Q

What land uses take place on the upper course of a river?

A

Hill sheep farming and forestry

45
Q

What land uses takes part in the middle and upper course of a river?

A

As the river gets nearer to the sea the valley all but disappears with very wide flat floodplains and the main areas for the large towns and cities to be located.

46
Q

How are v-shaped valleys formed?

A

As the river erodes vertically down, it leaves behind valley sides that are shaped like a letter V, because the sides are attacked by weathering processes such as freeze thaw and biological weathering. This causes the valley sides to collapse or move down slope due to mass movement processes such as slumping or soil creep. The river can then erode this material and move it away.

47
Q

How are waterfalls formed?

A

Occur where a band of more resistant rock (e.g. granite) overlies a less resistant rock (e.g. clay). Hydraulic action and abrasion dominate and the softer rock is eroded more quickly, causing undercutting of the harder rock, which then overhangs until it can no longer support its weight and collapses, adding large blocks of rock to the base of the waterfall. The power of the water falling erodes the base into a deep plunge pool.

48
Q

How are gorges of recessions formed?

A

A waterfall is formed when hard rock overlies softer rock, and the softer rock erodes quicker. Eventually, this hard rock collapses because it is unsupported and the waterfall moves back upstream. The process of undercutting and collapse is repeated causing the waterfall to retreat upstream. This creates a steep-sided gorge/gorge of recession.

49
Q

Example of a gorge of recession

A

Gordale Scar in the Yorkshire Dales

50
Q

Example of a waterfall

A

High Force in Teesdale, County Durham

51
Q

Draw a cross section of a meander and label its features

A
  • the fastest current is found on the outside of a bend (because the depth of the water on the outside of the bend is deeper, so there is less friction and therefore higher velocities.)
  • a river cliff (force of the water erodes and undercuts the outside bend by abrasion)
  • inside bend the current is slower
  • gentle slip-off slope (Sand and small pebbles are deposited on the inside)
52
Q

How do meanders widen the valley?

A

The river erodes laterally and migrates across the valley floor overtime

53
Q

How are oxbow lakes formed?

A

Erosion of the outside bend of the meander causes the neck of the meander to become narrower and narrower. On the inside of the bend the slow flow encourages deposition of slip off slopes. Eventually the neck is broken, creating a straight channel. This often happens when the river is particularly powerful (flood) This cuts off the meander bend. As the flood waters fall, and at times of low flow, alluvium is deposited, which seals off the old meander and forms an ox-bow lake. Gradually the ox-bow lake dries up leaving a meander scar

54
Q

What Is an interlocking spur?

A

Slivers of land that interlock (areas of more resistant rock left behind)

55
Q

What are levees?

A

Natural embankments of silt along the bank of the river several metres higher then floodplains.

56
Q

How are levees formed?

A

When the river floods, the velocity of the river on the surrounding land is slowed. Any material the river is carrying will be deposited. The coarser material and greatest amount of sediment is deposited on the edge of the channel where the loss of flow due to increased friction is most pronounced. the finest materials are carried far onto the floodplain. During a dry spell the river’s velocity slows down and the volume falls which causes deposition on the bed. After many floods levées form.

57
Q

How are floodplains formed?

A

The floodplain is formed by both erosion and deposition. Lateral erosion is caused by meanders and the slow migration downstream to widen the floodplain. The deposition on the slip-off slopes provides sediment to build up the valley floor. This is added to during a flood when the river spills over its banks onto the surroundings and the water is shallow and the river’s velocity falls so its load is deposited onto the floodplain as alluvium.

58
Q

What is river discharge measured in?

A

Cumecs (cubic metres per second)

59
Q

What factors affect river discharge?

A
  • precipitation
  • previous weather conditions
  • relief
  • rock type
  • temperature
  • land use (deforestation/urban towns)
60
Q

When does a flood occur?

A

When the discharge is so great that all the water can no longer be contained within the channel.

61
Q

Physical causes of flooding

A
  • precipitation (prolonged rainfall- high amounts of rainfall and heavy rainfall)
  • snowfall (stored precipitation)
  • relief (steep slopes reduce infiltration, gentle slopes allow water to penetrate through inti the soil)
  • vegetation type (interception)
  • soil and rock type (impermeable soils (clay)/rock increase surface run off) (permeable rocks- porous/pervious, allow filtration)
62
Q

Human causes of flooding

A

Urbanisation- many surfaces in town are impermeable, piping system gets water to rivers very quickly
Deforestation- reduce interception, increase soil erosion
Increasing population density- building on floodplains

63
Q

Draw and label a hydrograph

A 
X= days
Y=rainfall and discharge
Peak precipitation
Peak flow
Rising limb 
Lag time
Base flow 
Bank full discharge
64
Q

What is hard engineering?

A

Using strong construction methods to hold flood water back or keep it out, it involves building artificial structures to reduce or stop the impact of river processes

65
Q

What if soft engineering?

A

Uses more natural ways to reduce the impact of flooding on humans with less intervention and more preparation, and it involves mimicking natural processes and using natural resources. It is a more sustainable approach.

66
Q

Name and explain examples of hard engineering

A

Dams-
water can be used to produce HEP, dams control the flow of a river, water is stored as a reservoir behind the dam, dams are expensive, sediment can be trapped behind the dam causing erosion downstream, house can be list due to the reservoir.
Straightening rivers-
Involves digging a straighter channel across a meander, to speed up water flow and stop water hanging around, can cause flooding downstream.
Dredging-
deepening rivers in order for them to hold more water, can make flooding more likely downstream.
Flood walls-
Raising the banks, can use material taken from dredging

67
Q

Name and explain examples of soft engineering

A

Floodplain zoning-
Areas closest to river are use for low cost uses, e.g grazing, playing fields. Vice versa for homes being built further.
Afforestation-
Means greater interception, low cost, enhances environment, takes a long time to set up.
Flood warning system-
In event of flood Environmental Agency contacts homeowners. Not a method of prevention, but protection.

68
Q

What is a water surplus, and where does it happen?

A

Areas that have more water then is needed, often have low population and plentiful rainfall. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

69
Q

What is a water defect and where does it happen?

A

Areas where the rain that falls does not provide enough water on a permanent basis. Often happen over long periods with no rain. East of England (London)

70
Q

What Is water stress?

A

When the amount if water available does not meet that required (may be due to inadequate supply or it may relate to water quality)

71
Q

What is water conservation?

A

Ensuring that the provision of water Is long term and supplies can be maintained without harming the environment.

72
Q

What is a sustainable use of water?

A

The thoughtful use of resources; managing the landscape in order to protect existing ecosystems and cultural features.

GCSE revision (51 decks)

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