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YEAR 11 - GEOGRAPHY (THE BEST) > Rivers > Flashcards

Rivers Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a source?

A

The start of the river

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2
Q

What is a mouth?

A

The end of the river

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3
Q

What is a tributary?

A

A small river that flows into a bigger river

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4
Q

What is a confluence?

A

A place where 2 rivers join

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5
Q

What is a estuary?

A

The section of the river near the mouth that is tidal

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6
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

The area of land that drains into a river and its tributaries

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7
Q

What is a watershed?

A

The dividing line between 2 drainage basins

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8
Q

What is a river long profile?

A

The course a river takes from the source to the mouth. Often split into the upper and lower course

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9
Q

What is a bed?

A

The bottom of the river channel

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10
Q

What is a bank?

A

The sides of the river

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11
Q

What is a wetted perimeter?

A

The length of the bed and the banks in contact with the river

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12
Q

What is a channel?

A

The route course that the river flows

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13
Q

What is a thalweg?

A

The fastest part of the river

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14
Q

What are the 4 river processes?

A

Corrasion
Attrition
Solution
Hydraulic action

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15
Q

What is corrosion/solution?

A

The process of water dissolving a rivers’ load as well as the bed and banks

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16
Q

What is corrasion/abrasion

A

The process of the rivers’ load crashing and rubbing into the river banks

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17
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

Water and air getting into cracks in a river bank

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18
Q

What is attrition?

A

Load crashing into each other in a river

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19
Q

What type of erosion is there more of at the upper course of a river?

A

Vertical erosion

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20
Q

What type of erosion is there more of at the lower course of a river?

A

Horizontal erosion

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21
Q

What are the 4 main ways a river transports a load?

A

Traction, saltation, suspension, solution

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22
Q

What is traction?

A

The process of large pieces of load rolling along a river bed

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23
Q

What is saltation?

A

The process of load bouncing along the river bed

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24
Q

What is suspension?

A

The process of smaller particles joining the river flow

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25
Q

What is solution?

A

The process of minerals being dissolved into water

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26
Q

What is deposition?

A

When a river doesn’t have enough energy so it starts to deposit its load

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27
Q

What is the discharge of a river?

A

The amount of water being carried by a river

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28
Q

What is an open system?

A

Where water can be added or lost

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29
Q

What is a closed system?

A

Where water can’t be added or lost

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30
Q

What are the 4 stages of the water cycle?

A

Evaporation -> Condensation -> Precipitation -> Repeat

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31
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Any moisture that falls from the sky

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32
Q

What is infiltration?

A

When water travels from the surface of the earth into the ground

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33
Q

What is surface run off?

A

When water travels across the surface of the earth

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34
Q

What is channel flow?

A

Water that is travelling in rivers or streams.

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35
Q

What is stem flow?

A

When intercepted water then travels down the branches and trunks of vegetation.

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36
Q

What is percolation?

A

When water travels from unsaturated ground into saturated ground.

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37
Q

What is groundwater flow?

A

The movement of water through saturated ground.

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38
Q

What is throughflow

A

The movement of water through unsaturated ground.

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39
Q

What is a canopy drip?

A

Intercepted water dripping off vegetation onto the ground.

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40
Q

What is interception?

A

When an object (building, tree) stops precipitation reaching the ground beneath.

41
Q

What is surface storage?

A

Any water that is held on the surface of the earth e.g. lake or pond. Some surface stores like puddles may only be temporary.

42
Q

What is soil-moisture storage?

A

Water that is stored below the surface in unsaturated ground.

43
Q

What is groundwater storage?

A

Water that is stored in saturated ground.

44
Q

What is evaporation?

A

Liquid turning into water vapour

45
Q

What is transpiration?

A

Liquid water evaporating from vegetation.

46
Q

What is saturated soil?

A

Soil that can’t hold anymore water

47
Q

What is unsaturated soil?

A

Soil that still has space for water between its pores

48
Q

What is the water table?

A

The line between saturated and unsaturated soil

49
Q

What is condensation?

A

When water vapour cools and condenses and turns into water

50
Q

What is permeable?

A

A surface that will allow water through it

51
Q

What is non-permeable?

A

A surface that will not allow water through it

52
Q

What is porous?

A

An object that can hold water

53
Q

What is non-porous?

A

An object that can’t hold water

54
Q

What are some human impacts on the water cycle?

A

Deforestation, urbanisation, irrigation, agriculture, industry, transport, dams

55
Q

How does deforestation affect the water cycle?

A

Less interception -> less stem flow and canopy drip. More surface run off and higher flood risk

56
Q

How does urbanisation affect the water cycle?

A

In permeable surfaces are created -> less infiltration and more surface run off. Buildings can also intercept water

57
Q

How does agriculture affect the water cycle?

A

Uses large amounts of water -> Reduce amounts of river water. Can also pollute water -> Eutrophication

58
Q

How does industry affect the water cycle?

A

Big user of water -> Reduces amount of river water. Chemicals and water is also dumped into rivers

59
Q

How does transport affect the water cycle?

A

Ports need to be built for ferries, oil spills and noise can also disturb marine life

60
Q

How do dams affect the water cycle?

A

Reduce velocity and discharge of rivers

61
Q

State some river land forms that occur at the upper course

A

Waterfalls, rapids, V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs and gorges

62
Q

State some river land forms that occur at the middle course

A

Meanders, oxbow lakes, levees

63
Q

State some river land forms that occur at the lower course

A

Deltas, floodplains, meanders, oxbow lakes

64
Q

Name some land forms which are formed by erosion

A

Waterfalls, rapids, gorges, potholes, V-shaped valleys

65
Q

Name some land forms which are formed by deposition

A

Deltas, levees

66
Q

Name some land forms which are formed by erosion and deposition

A

Meanders, oxbow lakes, floodplains

67
Q

What is a waterfall?

A

An area where water descends vertically

68
Q

State some benefits of living near a waterfall

A

Beauty, tourism, jobs, HEP

69
Q

What is a gorge?

A

A deep sided valley left behind when a waterfall retreats

70
Q

State some disadvantages of living near a waterfall

A

Drowning, transport links, overcrowding and pollution,, navigation

71
Q

State the 5 processes of a retreating waterfall

A 
Undercutting soft rock
Overhang of hard rock collapses
Plunge pool develops
Waterfall retreats upstream creating gorges
Repeat
72
Q

What is a distributary?

A

A small river that breaks off from the main river in a delta

73
Q

What is flocculation?

A

The process of particles joining together

74
Q

What is a meander

A

A curve in the river due to one side of the river flowing faster than the other

75
Q

What is a slip off slope?

A

Formed on the side of the river with the greatest deposition

76
Q

What is a river cliff

A

A steep sided bank

77
Q

How are oxbow lakes formed?

A

When 2 meanders join or the “neck” of one gets cut off due to deposition

78
Q

How are floodplains created?

A

The constant horizontal erosion of meanders

79
Q

What is alluvium?

A

A mineral rich load deposited on floodplains

80
Q

What is bankfull discharge?

A

When a river channel is full and can’t hold anymore water

81
Q

What is a bluff line?

A

The outer limits of the floodplain

82
Q

What is a strand line?

A

The line of material left behind after a river has flooded

83
Q

What are types of flood protection?

A

Hard engineering, soft engineering

84
Q

State some examples of hard engineering

A

Levees, flood barriers, flood control channels, dams

85
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of levees?

A

Increases cross-sectional area -> Can hold more water before it flood

Ugly and expensive

86
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of flood barriers?

A

Form a physical barrier designed to stop storm surges

Very very expensive
Ugly
Liable to bust depending on quality

87
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of flood control channels?

A

Concrete channels that may run above or below the surface. Used when the river is about to reach bankfull discharge

Ugly
Expensive

88
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of dams?

A

Regulate river flow and river never exceeds bankfull discharge

Sometimes ugly
Very expensive

89
Q

What is hard engineering?

A

The building of physical and permanent structures

90
Q

What is soft engineering?

A

Working with nature to reduce flooding

91
Q

State some examples of soft engineering

A

Reforestation, sandbags, temporary flood barriers, land use, controlled flooding

92
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of controlled flooding?

A

Cheap and protects more valuable areas

Land becomes unusable and river floods

93
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of reforestation?

A

Increases “lag” time by intercepting precipitation, cheap

Trees take a while to grow

94
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of sandbags?

A

Cheap, forms some protection

Not flood-proof and water can still get through

95
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of temporary flood barriers?

A

Stops water damaging property

Ugly

96
Q

What are some advantages and disadvantages of land use?

A

Areas of high value won’t be built on hazardous ground

Aren’t really any

97
Q

What is a flash flood?

A

A flood that arrives with little notice

98
Q

What is relief?

A

The shape of the land

YEAR 11 - GEOGRAPHY (THE BEST) (11 decks)

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