Rivers Flashcards

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1
Q

Drainage basin

A

The area drained by a river and it’s tributaries

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2
Q

Watershed

A

Boundary between drainage basins

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3
Q

Hydrological cycle

A

A cycle to represent the flow of water in a solid liquid or gas state between the earth and atmosphere

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4
Q

Bed load

A

The matter that is transported along the river bed by the flow of the water

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5
Q

Transpiration

A

The process of water loss from plants to the atmosphere

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6
Q

Oxbow lake

A

The remnants left behind when the river is powerful enough to cut through a meander

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7
Q

Efficiency

A

How good the river is at transporting load and moving through the channel from source to mouth

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8
Q

Cross profile

A

A “slice” of the river’s profile

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9
Q

Runoff

A

Excess water travelling along the ground. This happens when the water can’t infiltrate into the ground

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10
Q

Gorge

A

A steep-sided, narrow cut in the valley rock usually caused by waterfall erosion

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11
Q

Flooding

A

The result of when the discharge of the river exceeds the channel’s peak capacity

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12
Q

Evaporation

A

The change of state from liquid to gas from exposed water surfaces

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13
Q

Precipitation

A

The deposition of water from the atmosphere in liquid or solid form (rain or snow)

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14
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

The output which combines evaporation and transpiration

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15
Q

Overland flow

A

Water that moves across the surface of the ground into streams rather than being absorbed

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16
Q

Percolation

A

The process by which water moves into ground’s surface

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17
Q

Infiltration

A

The vertical movement of water in the zone of unsaturated soil or ground

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18
Q

Through flow

A

The downslope movement of water within the soil

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19
Q

Groundwater

A

The store of water held beneath the water table

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20
Q

Interception - STORE!

A

When precipitation is trapped on the surface of vegetation

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21
Q

Stem flow

A

Intercepted precipitation runs down the stems of plants to reach the ground

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22
Q

Water table

A

Upper level of ground water

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23
Q

Through fall

A

Water that drips off leaves when more water falls onto the leaves than can remain

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24
Q

Storm hydrograph

A

Graphical display of fluctuations in channel discharge

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25
Q

Baseflow

A

Water that reaches the channel through slow through flow

26
Q

Stormflow

A

Water that reaches the channel largely through runoff

27
Q

Water budget

A

Balance between inputs and outputs

28
Q

Potential evaporation

A

Max. evaporation that could occur if water was always available

29
Q

Hydraulic action

A

Sheer force of water dislodges particles from river’s bed and banks

30
Q

Abrasion

A

Bed and banks are worn by the river’s load. Water throws these particles against the bed and banks at high velocity

31
Q

Attrition

A

River’s load bumps into eachother and so are smoothed and broken down into smaller particles

32
Q

Corrosion/solution

A

Chemical action of river water. Acids in water slowly dissolve the bed and banks. This only occurs in some rocks - e.g. chalk and limestone

33
Q

Solution

A

Material dissolved in river water

34
Q

Suspension

A

Load is light enough to be carried in the water

35
Q

Traction

A

Load is rolled along river bed - too heavy to be carried

36
Q

Saltation

A

Load bounces along river bed

37
Q

Sheer stress

A

Force acting on a body that causes movement of the body down a slope

38
Q

River capacity

A

The amount of material it can transport

39
Q

River competence

A

Diameter of the largest particle that it can carry for a given velocity

40
Q

Discharge

A

The volume of water flowing through a river (cumecs)

41
Q

Cross profile

A

Similar to cross-section - view of valley from one side to the other

42
Q

Graded profile

A

River that is energy efficient and has a perfect concave sharp

43
Q

Hydraulic radius

A

Cross-sectional area divided by wetted perimeter

44
Q

Rapids

A

Sudden increase in the slope of the channel where the river flows over harder bands of rock and erodes the softer bands

45
Q

Potholes

A

Pebbles carried by river swirl in eddies and erode a circular hollow in the river bed

46
Q

Helicoidal flow

A

Corkscrew motion within the fastest flow of water

47
Q

Floodplain

A

Flat, adjacent land next to a river - when rivers flood, the water moves onto the floodplain

48
Q

Braided streams

A

Occur when the river is forced to split into several different channels

49
Q

Levee

A

Natural/man made embankments either side of the river channel

50
Q

Delta

A

Depositional feature at mouth of river - arcuate, cuspate and bird’s foot

51
Q

Flocculation

A

Salt and fresh water mix

52
Q

Rejuvenation

A

Increase of energy in river - fall in sea level or rise in land

53
Q

Knick point

A

Sudden irregularity in gradient/river channel

54
Q

Eustatic changes

A

Climatic changes - sea level changes due to ice melt or advancing/retreating ice sheets

55
Q

Isostatic changes

A

Land changes relative to sea - ice depresses land

56
Q

Flash flooding

A

Extremely heavy rainfall occurs and cannot be infiltrated so becomes heavy runoff

57
Q

Hard engineering

A

Controlled destruction of natural processes by using man-made structures

58
Q

Soft engineering

A

Long term, sustainable methods of flood prevention - less impact on environment

59
Q

Laminar flow

A

Smooth, without turbulence

60
Q

Riffles

A

Shallow section of fast flowing water

61
Q

Pools

A

Deport stretches of slow moving water

62
Q

Risk

A

The exposure of people to an event that has the potential to cause damage or harm