Rivers🌊

Question 1

Water/hydrological cycle

Answer 1

A natural system where water is in constant movement above, on or below the surface of the earth, always changing from water vapour (gas) to liquid into ice (solid)

Question 2

Drainage basin

Answer 2

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 3

Drainage basin system -imputs

Answer 3

When water is introduced or put into the system

Question 4

Drainage basin system- stores

Answer 4

When water is kept within the system and not moved through it.

Question 5

Drainage basin system- transfers

Answer 5

Process or flows within the system, where water is moved from one place to another.

Question 6

Drainage basin system - outputs

Answer 6

When the water is carried through the river and back into the sea or water leaving the system.

Question 7

Evapotranspiration

Answer 7

Loss of water from soil/ leaves/ plants by evaporation.

Question 8

Example of input

Answer 8

Precipitation

Question 9

Example of stores

Answer 9

Interception (from veg), soil moisture, ground water, surface storage.

Question 10

Example of transfers

Answer 10

Surface run off/over land flow, infiltration, through flow, percolation, ground water fall.

Question 11

Example of outputs

Answer 11

River discharge,evaporation.

Question 12

Percolation meaning

Answer 12

Downward movement of water through soil by gravity.

Question 13

Infiltration meaning

Answer 13

Downward movement of water into the soil from the surface.

Question 14

Characteristics of a drainage basin

Answer 14

97% of water on earth is stored in the seas and oceans. 2% is stored in icecaps and glaciers. 0.3% is freshwater on the surface of the earth as part of the drainage basin system.

Question 15

Features of drainage basin - drainage basin

Answer 15

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.

Question 16

Features of drainage basin - watershed

Answer 16

The boundary separating two drainage basins.

Question 17

Features of drainage basin - source

Answer 17

The start of the river.

Question 18

Features of drainage basin - tributary

Answer 18

A smaller river flowing into the main river channel.

Question 19

Features of drainage basin - confluence

Answer 19

Where two rivers meet.

Question 20

Features of drainage basin - river mouth

Answer 20

The end of a river, where the river meets the sea.

Question 21

Load definition

Answer 21

The sediment carried by a river.

Question 22

Gradient definition

Answer 22

The slope over which the river loses height.

Question 23

Depth definition

Answer 23

The distance from the surface of a river to the river bed.

Question 24

Width definition

Answer 24

The measurements from one river back to the other across a channel.

Question 25

Discharge definition

Answer 25

The amount of water in a river which is passing a certain point in a certain time, (measured in cubic meters per second).

Question 26

Erosion definition

Answer 26

The wearing away of the landscape by the action of ice, water and wind.

Question 27

Abrasion definition

Answer 27

The grinding of rock fragments carried by a river against the bed and banks of the river.

Question 28

Attrition definition

Answer 28

Transported particles hit against each other making the particles smaller and more rounded.

Question 29

Hydraulic action definition

Answer 29

Erosion caused by force of moving water. It undercuts riverbanks on the outside of meanders and forces air into the exposed cracks in rocks in waterfalls.

Question 30

Solution definition

Answer 30

The process by which water (in the river or sea) reads chemically with soluble minerals in the rocks and dissolves them.

Question 31

Transportation definition

Answer 31

The movement of material across the earths surface.

Question 32

Solution definition - transportation

Answer 32

Soluble materials dissolve in the water and are carried in solution. This chemical change affects rocks such as limestone and chalk.

Question 33

Suspension definition

Answer 33

Transportation of the smallest load eg. fine sand and clay which is held up continually within river (or sea water).

Question 34

Saltation definition

Answer 34

The bouncing of medium sized load (small pebbles and stones) along the river bed.

Question 35

Traction definition

Answer 35

The rolling of boulders and pebbles along the river bed. (This requires a lot of energy)

Question 36

Deposition definition

Answer 36

When the velocity of the river is reduced, the energy decreases, the water can no longer erode or transport material. Instead the load of dropped starting with the largest (heaviest) particles.

Question 37

When is deposition likely

Answer 37

-River enters a lake or the sea slowing its flow.
-The river floods onto its floodplain, where it flows very slowly.
-There is an area of shallow water flowing the river flow.
- The load is increased suddenly eg after a landslide.