People And The Natural World Interactions - Terminology (2) Flashcards
Hydrological cycle
The continuous transfer and storage of water in the environment
Hydrosphere
The water part of the global system
River/stream
The transfer, temporary store, or water as it drains a catchment area
Catchment area/drainage basin
A clearly defined area that a river and its network of streams collects its water from/drains
Tributary
A small river or stream that drains onto a larger one
Watershed
The boundary of a catchment area
Water table
The surface of the saturated soil and bedrock underground
Groundwater
The water held below the surface of the land
Discharge/runoff
Water transferred by a river’s channel
Precipitation
Water (eg. Snow, hail, rain) transferred from the atmosphere to the surface
Evaporation
Loss of water when it changed firm a liquid into a vapour, transferred from surface to atmosphere
Confluence
The point where two rivers meet
Desertification
When soil becomes dry, leading to soil erosion and danger of turning into a desert
Transpiration
Loss of moisture by plants through their stomata, transferred into the atmosphere
Evapotranspiration
Combined water loss from evaporation and transpiration
Condensation
When water changes from a gas form (vapour) to liquid in cooling, often forms clouds
Surface runoff / overland flow
Movement of water over the land surface
Infiltration
Gradual penetration of eater into the land surface
Percolation
Gradual seepage of water through the soil
Groundwater flow
The movement of water below the surface
Interception
Interruption of transfer, usually by rainfall on plants
Permeable/impermeable
Allows/does not allow water to pass through
Porous
Able to. Hold water in the pore spaces, like a sponge
Flood
When a river channel does not have sufficient capacity to transfer all the discharge
Drought
Unusual dry spells when rainfall is significantly below average
Hydrograph
A graph showing the rate if water discharge in a river/stream
Lag time
Length of time between the peak of rainfall and peak of discharge
Relief
The shape of the earths land surface (eg. Hills, plains)
Landform
A distinctive feature on the land surface create by natural processes
Erosion
The wearing away of rocks and surfaces by moving agents (eg. Wind or water flow)
Deposition
When transported material is laid down
Transportation
When matter (eg. Sediment) is carried by a moving agent (eg. Rivers)
Sediment
Small particles eroded or weathered from a surface
Case studies for this topic (8)
River Mississippi Rivers of Bangladesh (Brahmaputra) Cliffs at north Norfolk coast Climate change in Iceland Tropical rain forests in Brazil Norfolk broads ecosystem Hurricanes (Katrina) Colorado dam system
