Important river and water cycle terminology Flashcards
The cooling of a gas so that it changes into a liquid.
Condensation
The point where two rivers meet and join to form one larger river.
Confluence
A build up of sediment at the point where a river meets a sea or lake, due to the water velocity slowing and the river having less energy to carry the sediment.
Delta:
The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
Drainage Basin
The point at which a river begins to meet the sea.
Estuary
Water that is warmed, usually by the sun, so that it changes into a gas (water vapour).
Evaporation
The combination of evaporation and transpiration.
Evapo-transpiration
A term relating to a river, from the Latin for water.
Fluvial
What is water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock called?
Groundwater
What is the study of water called?
Hydrology
The downward movement of water that seeps into the soil or a porous rock.
Infiltration
The end of the river, where it meets the sea, or a lake.
Mouth
When water flows over the surface of the ground.
Overland Flow
The movement of water through the soil or underlying porous rock. This water also collects as groundwater.
Percolation
The term for water falling to Earth in any form: e.g. rain, sleet, hail, snow, and dew.
Precipitation
The flow of water occurring on the ground surface caused by excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources.
Surface Run-off
The movement of water with in the soil sideways, towards the river.
Throughflow
The water loss from vegetation as it evaporates into the atmosphere.
Transpiration
Small rivers running into one main river, that form part of the same drainage basin system.
Tributaries
The term for the speed of the flow(a.k.a curent) of the river.
Velocity
The imaginary dividing line between neighbouring drainage basins.
Watershed
