River Landscapes in the UK

Question 1

abrasion

Answer 1

rocks carried along by the river wear down the river bed and banks

Question 2

attrition

Answer 2

rocks being carried by the river smash together and break into smaller, smoother, rounder particles

Question 3

Cross profile

Answer 3

the side to side cross section of a river channel and/or valley

Question 4

Dams and reservoirs

Answer 4

A barrier (made on earth, concrete or stone) built across a valley to interrupt river flow and create a man-made lake which stores water and controls the discharge of the river

Question 5

discharge

Answer 5

the quantity of water that passes a given point on a stream or river-bank within a given period of time

Question 6

embankment

Answer 6

raised banks constructed along the river; they effectively make the river deeper so it can hold more water. They are expensive and do not look natural but they do protect the land around them

Question 7

estuary

Answer 7

the tidal mouth of a river where it meets the sea; wide banks of deposited mud are exposed at low tide

Question 8

flood

Answer 8

occurs when river discharge exceeds river channel capacity and water spills out of the channel onto the floodplain and other areas

Question 9

floodplain

Answer 9

the relatively flat area forming the valley floor on either side of a river channel, which is sometimes flooded

Question 10

floodplain zoning

Answer 10

attempts to organise the flood defences so that land that is near a river and often floods is not built on
this could be used for pastoral farming, playing fields

Question 11

flood relief channel

Answer 11

building new artificial channels which are used when a river is close to maximum discharge
they take the pressure off the main channels when floods are likely, reducing flood risk

Question 12

flood risk/rate

Answer 12

the predicted frequency of floods in an area

Question 13

flood warnings

Answer 13

providing reliable advance information about possible flooding
flood warning systems give people chance to remove possessions and evacuate areas

Question 14

fluvial process

Answer 14

processes relating to erosion, transport and deposition by a river

Question 15

gorge

Answer 15

a narrow, steep sided valley, often formed as a waterfall retreats upstream

Question 16

hard engineering

Answer 16

involves building entirely artificial structures using various materials such as rock, concrete and steel to reduce, disrupt or stop the impact of river processes

Question 17

hydraulic action

Answer 17

the force of the river against the banks can cause air to be trapped in the cracks and crevices
the pressure weakens the banks and gradually wears it away

Question 18

hydrograph

Answer 18

a graph which shows the discharge of a river, related to rainfall, over a period of time

Question 19

interlocking spurs

Answer 19

a series of ridges projecting out on alternate sides of a valley and around which a river winds its course

Question 20

lateral erosion

Answer 20

sideways erosion by a river on the outside of a meander channel
it eventually leads to the widening of the valley and contributes to the formation of the floodplain

Question 21

levee

Answer 21

embankment of sediment along the bank of a river
it may be formed naturally by regular flooding or man-made to protect against flooding

Question 22

long profile

Answer 22

the gradient of a river, from its source to mouth

Question 23

meander

Answer 23

a pronounced bend in a river

Question 24

oxbow lake

Answer 24

an arc-shaped lake which has been cut off from a meandering river

Question 25

precipitaion

Answer 25

moisture falling from the atmosphere
rain, hail, snow, sleet

Question 26

saltation

Answer 26

particles bouncing down the river bed

Question 27

soft engineering

Answer 27

uses the natural environment surrounding a river, using schemes that work with the rivers natural processes
usually much cheaper and more sustainable

Question 28

solution

Answer 28

soluble particles are dissolved into the river

Question 29

straightening

Answer 29

removing meanders from a river to make the river straighter
allows the river to carry more water quickly downstream, doesn’t build up, less likely to flood

Question 30

suspension

Answer 30

fine solid material held in the water while the water is moving

Question 31

traction

Answer 31

the rolling of boulders and pebbles along the river bed

Question 32

vertical erosion

Answer 32

downward erosion of a river bed

Question 33

waterfall

Answer 33

sudden decent of a river or stream over a vertical or very steep slope in its bed
it often forms where the river meets a band of softer rock after flowing over an area of more resistant material