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Geography > Physical landscapes in the UK - Rivers > Flashcards

Physical landscapes in the UK - Rivers Flashcards

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1
Q

how has the UK landscape been formed

A

water, wind and ice over millions of years through erosion, transportation and deposition

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2
Q

what is a source of a river

A

where a river starts, usually in the mountains

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3
Q

what is a mouth of a river

A

where a river ends, usually at a lake or ocean

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4
Q

what is a tributary

A

a small river that joins a larger one

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5
Q

what is a confluence

A

where two or more rivers meet

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6
Q

what is a watershed

A

the area of land between two drainage basins

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7
Q

what is a drainage basin

A

an area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries

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8
Q

what is an input in a river

A

the addition of water into a river

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9
Q

what is a flow / transfer in a river

A

a process where water moves from one point to another

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10
Q

what is a storage in a river

A

where water is held for a period of time

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11
Q

what is an output in a river

A

the loss of water from a drainage basin

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12
Q

what is interception

A

when vegetation catches water and stores it for a period of time

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13
Q

what is infiltration

A

the flow of water from the surface to the soil

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14
Q

what is percolation

A

the flow of water from the soil to the rocks

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15
Q

what is surface run off

A

flow of water along the surface

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16
Q

what is through flow

A

the flow of water through the soil

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17
Q

what is groundwater flow

A

the flow of water through the rocks

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18
Q

what is a fluvial process

A

a process in a river that usually erodes or picks up things in the upper course

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19
Q

what is a solution (f)

A

soluble particles of rock dissolved in a river

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20
Q

what is hydraulic action

A

force of the river against its banks and causes air to be trapped in cracks that weakens the banks and wears it away

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21
Q

what is abrasion

A

rocks carried along the river wear down the banks and bed

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22
Q

what is vertical erosion

A

downward erosion of a river bed that usually occurs in the upper and middle course of a river - making it deeper

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23
Q

what is lateral erosion

A

sideways erosion of a river bed that usually occurs in the middle and lower course of a river - making it wider

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24
Q

what is attrition

A

when rocks carried by the channel crash into each other and break into smaller, smoother and rounder particles so the load gets smaller, smoother and rounder

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25
Q

what is transportation in a river

A

when rivers carry and transport its load - usually through the middle course

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26
Q

what is traction

A

when pebbles and boulders roll along the river bed in the upper course - this requires the river to have high energy levels

27
Q

what is saltation

A

smaller pebbles bouncing along the river bed in the middle course as when one pebble lands, it causing others to bounce and this usually requires high energy levels

28
Q

what is suspension

A

when very small, fine particles are carried in the water flow in the lower course

29
Q

what is solution (t)

A

when dissolved particles of rock are carried by the river

30
Q

when does deposition happen

A

the river moves slowly as the speed decreases causing the river to lose energy
commonly happens when the gradient of the river decreases in the lower course

31
Q

what is the order of deposition

A

heavier and larger rocks
so on and so forth
until only the small, fine particles are left

32
Q

how does a waterfall / gorge form

A

soft rock gets eroded by the river while the hard rocks remains, causing a waterfall

the continuation of soft rock getting eroded faster

this leads to an overhang as the soft rock gets under-cut and retreats

this leaves the overhang

unsupported to it collapses into the plunge pool where hydraulic action occurs

the repetition of this causes the waterfall to repeat and a steep sided gorge is left behind

33
Q

how does a meander / oxbow lake form

A

water travels at different speeds - slower in shallower areas and faster in deeper areas

this causes the fastest current to move around obstacles in a winding motion

the fast water has lots of energy so begins to erode at the banks of the river causing the channel to bend

where there is a slower channel, deposition occurs

abrasion and hydraulic action continue on the outside bend creating a river cliff

deposition continues on the inside bend creating a slip off slope

as this continues - along with helicoidal flow which is when the water hits the banks in a corkscrew motion, eroding material and then flows to the inside bend where there is less energy where it deposits the material

this makes the meander larger

once the neck of the meander is small, the river erodes through it during times of high energy

this ‘shortcut’ becomes the new route and leaves the old meander route redundant

the water flowing in it will be much slower and deposition occurs

over time, marsh plants colonise it which encourages more deposition and the meander loop is cut off from the rest of the river leaving an oxbow lake

34
Q

how are interlocking spurs formed

A

vertical erosion as the river is trying to reach sea level

the valley sides are prone to weathering such as freeze thaw, which can cause them to collapse

the deposit is carried away by the river leaving a v-shaped valley

the upper course has little energy and can’t erode the hard rock so it takes the easiest route, winding round obstacles

this leaves a zig-zag sort of pattern from above

35
Q

how are floodplains and levees formed

A

during a flood, the river discharge is so high that the river can’t hold all the water so the banks burst

water slows down as it leaves the channel and therefore loses energy and deposits the load

deposited material is sorted, the courser, heavier material closest to the bank and the finer sediment further away

after many floods, the banks build up to form levees with layers of material and the floodwaters recede, leaving a layer of alluvium across the flood plain

36
Q

what is a floodplain

A

the relatively flat area of land on either side of a river channel forming the valley floor

37
Q

what marks the edges of the floodplain

A

bluffs

38
Q

what is an estuary

A

where a river meets an ocean and is affected by the tide so saltwater mixes with freshwater

39
Q

how are estuaries formed

A

the land is at sea level and uses its energy for lateral erosion so estuaries are very wide

freshwater mixes with the saltwater from the sea

at high tide, the water level rises and the river slows down as the water trying to get out competes with the water trying to get in

this causes a reduction in the river’s velocity and the energy levels drop, causing deposition

the material being transported is mostly very fine

the alluvium mixes with the sand and silt and muddy sediment is deposited

over time, these build up so that at low tide, mudflats are visible

at high tide these may be covered or partially visible, and may develop small creeks between the higher patches of mud

40
Q

how are estuaries formed

A

the land is at sea level and uses its energy for lateral erosion so estuaries are very wide

freshwater mixes with the saltwater from the sea

at high tide, the water level rises and the river slows down as the water trying to get out competes with the water trying to get in

this causes a reduction in the river’s velocity and the energy levels drop, causing deposition

the material being transported is mostly very fine

the alluvium mixes with the sand and silt and muddy sediment is deposited

over time, these build up so that at low tide, mudflats are visible

at high tide these may be covered or partially visible, and may develop small creeks between the higher patches of mud

41
Q

what is river flooding

A

when there’s too much river to be contained so it overflows onto the floodplain

42
Q

what are physical features that lead to flooding

A

precipitation
geology
relief

43
Q

what are the human factors that lead to flooding

A

deforestation
urbanistation

44
Q

what is discharge

A

the amount of water flowing through a river at any one time

45
Q

what is CUMECs and how is it calculated

A

the amount of discharge and it calculated by the cross sectional area x velocity

46
Q

what is the lag time

A

the time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

47
Q

what is the discharge line

A

the amount of water in a river

48
Q

what is a flashy hydrograph

A

a hydrograph that peaks earlier on and curves upwards and has a high peak discharge and short lag time

49
Q

when might you have a flashy hydrograph

A

where there’s deforestation
steep-sided valleys
lots of surface streams
urban areas
rain for prolonged periods of time
prolonged, heavy rainfall
temperatures above freezing causing snow to melt
concrete and artificial channels

50
Q

what is a subdued hydrograph

A

a hydrograph that remains fairly steady and has a low peak discharge and long lag time

51
Q

when might you have a subdued hydrograph

A

in forested areas
gently sloping land
few surface streams
rural areas
dry and hot (unless too hot and land can’t absorb water)
gentle showers
snow and below 0 degrees
dams and reservoirs

52
Q

what is hard engineering

A

artificial, man made structures to prevent flooding

53
Q

what is soft engineering

A

using natural environments to prevent flooding

54
Q

what are the benefits in river management

A

financial savings made by preventing flooding along with any environmental improvements

55
Q

what are the costs in river management

A

the financial cost of the scheme, and any negative impacts on the environments and people’s lives

56
Q

what are hard engineering methods to prevent flooding

A

dams and resevoirs
channel straightening
embankments
flood relief channels

57
Q

what are soft engineering methods to prevent flooding

A

flood warnings and preparation
flood plain zoning
planting trees
river restoration

58
Q

does the River Tees need managing

A

high relief land
high levels of precipitation (2,000mm/yr)
impermeable rocks
flashy hydrographs
400 year history of flooding
lots of properties at risk including 12 schools, 8500 homes and 1200 commercial properties
687,000 residents nearby

59
Q

how is flooding on the River Tees managed

A

Cow Green reservoir
Tees Barrage
Flood defence scheme in Yarm
Dredging
Cutting of meanders

60
Q

Cow Green reservoir

A

built in 1970 to protect against flooding - regulating reservoir

s - bronze age farming discovered and studied

ec - less cost effective than it used to be and still needs other flood relief measures

en - increased population of brown trout but concerns over protection of rare plant species

61
Q

Tees Barrage

A

man made barrier across the river with aims to improve water quality and recreational value and was completed in 1995

s - £500m towards leisure activities and housing

en - reduces flood risk but doesn’t mix with tidal salt water

ec - cost £54m but was a catalyst for £500m of investments

62
Q

dredging

A

sediment is removed in lower parts of the Tees estuary periodically to improve navigation

s - increased capacity protects schools and businesses from flooding

en - sediment removed reduces flood risk

ec - can be expensive

63
Q

cutting of meanders

A

in 1810, Tees Navigation Company cut across the neck of the Mandale Loop, shortening the river by 4km

s - faster channel protects schools and businesses from flooding

en - reduced flood risk due to faster channel

ec - allows more trade as ships can navigate around the river

64
Q

flood defence schemes in Yarm

A

after the 1995 flood, a new defence scheme was put in place costing £2.1mil including things such as putting in concerete with metal flood gates, earth embankments and gabions

s - land is used for leisure areas such as playing fields and parks

en - gabions helped reduce erosion

ec - made the area look nicer and more attractive, making more people want to go there

Geography (16 decks)

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