River Processes And Pressures Flashcards
Define course
The distance between a rivers mouth and its source which is divided into the upper, lower and middle course
Define width
Distance from one bank the other
What happens to the width as you get further down a river and why?
It gets wider because there is a greater volume of water which allows erosion of the banks to take place more quickly
Define depth
The distance form the water surface to the river bed
What happens to depth as you move further down the river and why?
It gets deeper because there is more abrasion due to the higher load quantity, also erosion takes place more quickly due to higher volume of water
Define velocity
How fast the river is flowing
What happens to velocity as you move downstream and why?
It gets faster because the river is going downhill so it’s accelerating, the force of gravity is acting upon it
Define discharge
The amount of water moving in the channel
What happens to discharge as you move downstream and why?
It gets greater due to little tributataries joining the river
Define gradient
The steepness of the river bed
What happens to gradient as you move downstream and why?
It gets flatter because rivers start in the mountains
What happens do load quantity as you move downstream and why?
It increases because the river picks up sediment through deposition of the river banks
What happens to load particle size as you move downstream and why?
It decreases due to abrasion and attrition eroding the rocks
What percentage of rivers start in soggy moorlands?
80
How do interlocking spurs form?
In the upper course rivers are small and use their limited energy to erode vertically, they carve around areas of resistant rock creating steep valley sides called spurs and as the river winds around them the spurs on one side of the valley overlap those from the other side
What are meanders and how do they form?
Large bends in a river course which occur due to erosion on the outside bend where flow is fastest of a river and deposition in the inside where flow is slower
How do slip off slopes form?
Fragments of rock act as abrasive tools to deepen the river bed
Define suspension
Fine, light material is carried along by the river
Define solution
Minerals are dissolved in the water which is a chemical change
Define traction
Large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed
Define saltation
Small pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed
How do oxbow lakes form?
Erosion of the neck of of a meander causes it to narrow as the fastest flow is here, the river takes the shortest path and breaks through the neck, deposition of the inner neck causes the isolated oxbow lake to form
How do floodplains form?
When the river contains too much water it floods the surrounding wide flat areas of land
Why are floodplains found in the lower course? (2)
Rivers able to meander, higher capacity of water
How do levees form?
When water moves away from its channel after flooding it becomes shallower and friction increases but energy decreases and it has to deposit some of the load it is carrying. Larger, heavier mounds of sediment are deposited first forming mounds of sediment on the river banks. Increased deposition on the river bed when the river is low gradually raises the river bed upwards. After many floods the sediment deposits build up to form levees
How do deltas form?
Speed of river decreases as it approaches the sea and it deposits most of its material, sediment builds to create an almost fast area of land (the delta) and because the river is flowing over an almost flat gradient its channel fills with sediment so the river splits into different streams
Define watershed
The area of high land forming edge of river basin
Define confluence
Point at which two rivers meet
Define tributary
Small stream which joins a larger river
Define main river channel
Main area through which a river flows
Define drainage basin
Area of land drained by a river
Define precipitation
Any source of moisture reaching the ground
Define interception
Water being prevented from reaching the ground by trees or grass etc
Define watertable
Current upper level of saturated rock/soil where no more rock can be absorbed
Define infiltration
Water sinking into soil/rock from ground surface
Define groundwater flow
Water flowing through the rock layer parallel to the surface
Define percolation
Water seeping deeper below the surface
Define throughflow
Water flowing through the soil layer parallel to the surface
Define transpiration
Water lost through pores in vegetation
Define surface run off
Water flowing on top of ground
Define evaporation
Water lost from ground/vegetation surface
How does geology affect the river landscape and sediment load? 3 ways
The softer the rock in that area, the more erosion and therefore the wider the river channel and the more deposited sediment. Waterfalls occur where bands of hard rock lay over soft rock, interlocking spurs occur where there is a mixture of hard and soft rock so rivers carve a path around the less resistant rock first
How do slope processes affect the river landscape and sediment load?
Large amounts of rock deposited by slumping block off the river like a natural dam therefore a lake forms behind and eventually overflows. Then the dam would erode and cause an increase in sediment load
Define peak rainfall
The hour of greatest rainfall during a storm
Define peak discharge
The time of maximum discharge in the river
Define lag time
The period of time between peak rainfall and peak discharge
Define falling limb
The period of time when the rivers discharge is falling
Define normal flow
The base flow of a river
Define rising limb
The period of rising river discharge following a period of rainfall
How does geology affect peak discharge?
Water runs over land where there is impermeable rocks as surface run off and therefore enters the river and increases its discharge
How does geology affect lag time?
Rocks can infiltrate into permeable rocks therefore more water is stored in the ground and moves towards the river more slowly which increases lag time
How does soil type affect peak discharge?
Soils with small pores like clay and those which are frozen prevent water infiltrating meaning more flows as surface run off and increases peak discharge however sandy soils with larger pores hold more water and prevent it reaching the river
How does soil type affect lag time?
Soils with bigger pores such as sandy soils allow infiltration to occur meaning water can be held for longer which increases lag time
How does the gradient of a drainage basin affect peak discharge?
The steeper the slope, the harder it is for water to infiltrate and more flows as surface runoff into the river which increases peak discharge
How does the gradient of a drainage basin affect lag time?
Gentle slopes allow for infiltration which takes water longer to reach the river as there is less gravity, increasing lag time
How does the drainage basin shape affect peak discharge?
When a drainage basin is smaller or elongated, the peak discharge will increase as there is a smaller surface area, making it easier to run into river
How will drainage basin shape affect lag time?
The larger the drainage basin shape or the more circular, the further the water has to travel which would increase lag tim
How do antecedent conditions affect peak discharge?
If there has previously been rainfall the ground will become saturated more easily and more water will be surface run off which increases peak discharge
How do antecedent conditions affect lag time?
When the ground is more saturated, it is easier for the water to flow as surface run off meaning it runs straight into the river without getting infiltrated
How does deforestation increase flooding?
Infiltration and interception is reduced which results in an increase of surface run off, erosion increases due to a higher volume of water making it more likely to exceed the rivers capacity and flood
How does land use change increase flooding?
Lack of soil infiltration and interception increases river discharge due to an excess of surface runoff, possible Change of gradient to make farming easier would impact the speed at which water reaches the river
How does urbanisation increase flooding?
The reduction of interception and increase of impermeable surfaces leads to more surface runoff, drains are designed to move water quickly away from houses to rivers
Why did rainfall cause Sheffield’s river Don to flood?
June 2007 was Sheffield’s wettest month since 1882 because 90mm rainfall fell on 15th June and almost 100mm fell on 25th June (the most Sheffield had ever received in one day), this rainfall was a 1 in 400 year event
How did Sheffield’s rivers and landscape cause flooding?
Sheffield has seven very steep hills so surface run off occurs quickly, the city lies at the foot of the Pennines where three rivers (Rivelm, Loxley, Don) meet meaning the volume of water increases, the river Don was already almost up to its banks so a backlog of water occurred so water backed up along the other two rivers and overflowed
How did Sheffield’s drainage cause floods?
The drains became blocked and overflowed due to the amount of surface run off, the city’s drain system is designed to cope with rainfall that may occur once every 30 years, the drains were the heaviest they’d been for 35 years
What were three effects of Boscastle’s 2004 floods?
100 homes and businesses damaged, tourist industry affected, 75 cars washed into the sea
What were four effects of Tewkesbury’s 2007 floods?
48,000 homes flooded, £3.2 billion cost, water polluted with sewage, many schools and businesses closed
What were three effects of Somerset Levels’ 2014 floods?
Flood waters took 12 weeks to drain away which disrupted transport, 1000 hectares of farmland left underwater, local residents of moorland and fordgate evacuated
How has the UKs population increased flood risk?
Since 1964 the population has grown by over 10 million people (18.7%) and half of this growth has occurred since 2001
How have changes to land use increased the UK’s flood risk?
More trees are being cut down than planted for the first time in 40 years, tree cover in the UK stands at about 10% which is well below the EU average of 38%
How do flood walls work?
Artificial barriers along the side of the river raise the height and increase river capacity so it floods less easily
Give 2 benefits of flood walls
Can be built in areas with high flood risk, require minimal maintenance
Give three costs of flood walls
The stronger the building material the more expensive, cause water to build up further down the river due to less friction, look unnatural/block view of river
How do embankments work?
Artificial levees which raise the height of the river channel which increases the rivers capacity so it floods less easily
Give two benefits of embankments
Cheaper than floodwalls (maximum £1 million), blend in with environment as they use natural materials
Give two costs of embankments
Subject to slumping or erosion, water can get stuck behind them if they get overtopped or burst which can cause widespread flooding