Rivers Flashcards
What is a drainage basin?
An area within which water, supplied by precipitation, is transferred to an ocean, lake or larger stream
What is a watershed?
The imaginary lines that separate adjacent drainage basins
Is a drainage basin and open or closed system and why?
An open system. This is because it connects to a larger water body (ocean/ lake)
Define ‘River Discharge’
The volume of water passing a given point over a set time
What is the formula for river discharge?
River discharge = cross-sectional area x mean velocity of water
What is the unit for river discharge?
cubic meters per second (cumecs)
What are the factors affecting river velocity? (4)
-> Gravity - the gradient of the river
-> Frictional resistance with the bed + bank - this opposed downstream flow
-> volume of water - i.e. from precipitation
-> channel shape
What are the different flows of water?
-> Laminar flow
-> Turbulent flow
Define ‘Hydraulic radius’
The efficiency of a stream’s shape
What is the formula for hydraulic radius?
Hydraulic radius = cross-sectional area/ wetted perimeter
What is the wetted perimeter?
The water touching the river’s edge
Choose the correct word.
The higher the hydraulic radius ratio, the more/less efficient the stream is, and the smaller/larger the frictional loss
- more
- smaller
What is the ideal river shape?
A semi-circular river shape
Where is water stored?
-> Aquifer
-> Cryosphere
What is an aquifer?
A body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is the word used to describe precipitation that has infiltrated the soil beyond the surface and collected in empty spaces underground.
Describe the movement of water into an aquifer
It moves slowly downwards from the soil into the bedrock. When water slowly drips into porous materials, it is called percolation
What is a ‘water table’ ?
The upper layer of the saturation zone
What is a cryosphere?
Freshwater held in a snow and ice environment
What is the Bradshaw model?
A model depicting how the characteristics of the upper course of a river vary to the lower course
What are the best conditions for laminar flow?
-> shallow channels
-> low velocity
-> smooth, straight channels
What are the best conditions for turbulent flow?
-> high velocities
-> complex channel shapes (i.e. meanders)
-> Cavitation - pockets of air that explode under high-pressure
Which area in the river is fastest? why?
The middle of the river. It is affected by no friction due to the river bed, banks or air
What is vertical erosion? where is it usually found? and what does it create?
Downwards erosion
usually found in the upper course
creates v-shaped valleys