River Environments Flashcards
Examples of stores (3)
- atmosphere; as water vapour or clouds
- the land; rivers, lakes, reservoirs
- sea; liquid and ice
Examples of flows (9)
- evaporation
- transpiration
- evapotranspiration
- condensation
- precipitation
- overland flow
- infiltration and percolation
- throughflow
- groundwater flow
transpiration
plants take up liquid water from the soil and ‘breathe’ it into the atmosphere as water vapour
evapotranspiration (2)
- the loss of moisture from the ground by direct evaporation from water bodies and the soil
- also as transpiration from plants
overland flow
when precipitation hits the ground and due to gravity eventually enters a stream, river or lake
throughflow (2)
- this takes place between the ground surface and the top of the groundwater store
- as a result of gravity water slowly moves through the soil until it reaches a stream or river
important differnces between hydrological cycle and drainage basin? (2)
- drainage basin is an open system, while the hydrological cycle is a closed system
- the amount of water in the drainage basin varies over time, while in the hydrological cycle the amount of water stays the same
drainage basin (3)
- also known as the river’s catchment area
- has external inputs and outputs
- amount of water in basin varies over time
inputs of drainage basin (3)
- energy from sun
- precipitation formed from moisture picked up outside of basin
- water from tributary drainage basins
outputs of drainage basin (2)
- river’s discharge
- the water in its basin from which evaporation and transpiration take place, this water eventually falls as precipitation in another drainage basin
discharge
the quantity of water flowing in a river channel at a particular location and time
watershed
boundary between neighboring drainage basins
estuary
mouth of river where it enters sea
river regime
the seasonal variations in the discharge of a river
storm hydrograph
records the changing discharge of a river after a rainstorm