Physical & Human causes of river flooding Flashcards
what are the physical and human factors that affect discharge?
snow melt relief heavy rain
geology deforestation
urbanisation prolonged rain
how does snow melt affect flooding?
where a lot of snow or ice melts and a lot of water runs into the river
how does geology affect flooding?
if a rock is impermeable the water runs over it
how does relief affect flooding?
if the wally the water runs down quickly into the river reducing the amount absorbed by the ground
how does prolonged rainfall affect flooding?
after long amounts of rainfall the ground becomes saturated so no more water can be absorbed
how does heavy rain affect flooding?
if it rains heavily there is a lot more run off so there is a greater river discharge
how does urbanisation affect flooding?
urban areas have lots of impermeable surfaces so more water runs into the river quickly
how does deforestation affect flooding?
three intercept rain water and also take some up so there is a greater surface run of if they are cut down increasing the volume of the river
