Key Words Flashcards
tributary
a smaller river or stream flowing into a larger river
v-shaped valley
a valley with steep sides and a narrow bottom that has been formed by erosion
erosion
the wearing away of rock by natural processes of rivers, ice, wind and sea
transport
the movement of eroded material by natural processes such as wind, rivers and sea
traction
big boulders and stones are rolled and dragged along the river bed
saltation
stones and pebbles bounce along the river bed
suspension
pebbles and smaller stones (e.g sand) are carried by a river
solution
some material is dissolved into the river water and transported this way
load
the amount of material carried by a river
cross profile
the change in river width and bank gradient at a specific, a slice across the river
long profile
the change in height and steepness of land as a river flows from the source to the mouth, a slice from source to mouth
waterfall
a vertical fall of water where the course of a river is interrupted by a steep drop in the land it is flowing over
gorge
a steep sided cut through the landscape formed over thousands of years by a retreating waterfall
plunge pool
the area of deep water at the bottom of a waterfall, formed by hydraulic action and the grinding of rocks and pebbles
flood plain
a flat area either side of a river which floods when the river overflows
meanders
bends found along the course of a river
thalweg
the fastest current in a river, forced to the outer bend at a meander
oxbow lake
a lake shaped like a crescent that is formed when a river bend is cut off from the main flow and becomes isolated
helical flow
the corkscrew pattern of flow found in a river
sediment
material such as sand and clay that is carried by a river
levée
river embankments built as a flood defence
mudflats
flat coastal areas formed when mud is deposited by rivers and coasts
saltmarsh
an area of coastal grassland which is regularly flooded by seawater
discharge
the amount of water flowing in a river at any one point
hydrograph
a graph showing how a river responds to a storm, showing the rainfall and discharge over time
antecedent rainfall
the amount of rain that has already fallen prior to a specific event
lag time
the time between the peak rainfall and the maximum discharge in a river
confluence
the point where two rivers meet
hard engineering
building structures to deal with natural hazards, such as dams to prevent flooding
soft engineering
involved adapting to natural hazards and working with nature to limit damage. e.g planting trees to limit flood risk
