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IGCSE GEOGRAPHY REVISION > Rivers Definitions > Flashcards

Rivers Definitions Flashcards

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1
Q

Precipitation

A

any form of water(eg. dew, fog, frost, hail, mist, sleet, snow, etc.) falling on the Earth’s surface from the atmosphere

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2
Q

Discharge

A

the amount of water flowing across the width of a river at any given point

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3
Q

Drainage basin

A

the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries(streams)

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4
Q

Watershed

A

the boundary of a drainage basin

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5
Q

Evaporation

A

the change of water(liquid) into water vapour(gas) in a water body

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6
Q

Transpiration

A

the loss of water in the form of water vapour through the stomata of plants

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7
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

the loss of water in the form of water vapour through plants and in water bodies

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8
Q

Condensation

A

the change of water vapour(gas) back into water(liquid)

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9
Q

Infiltration

A

the movement of water into the ground from the surface

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10
Q

Percolation

A

the movement of water through the soil itself

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11
Q

Overland flow

A

the movement of water over the land

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12
Q

Through-flow

A

the flow of water under permeable ground

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13
Q

Groundwater flow

A

the movement of water underground(below the soil)

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14
Q

Saturated

A

full of water

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15
Q

Permeable

A

capable of soaking up water

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16
Q

Wetted perimeter

A

length of the wet part of the channel’s cross-section containing flowing water

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17
Q

Velocity

A

the speed at which the river is flowing

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18
Q

Erosion

A

the wearing away and removal of rocks through the action of the agents of erosion(wind, water, ice and gravity)

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19
Q

Deposition

A

the laying down of solid material(eg.mud, sand, etc.) on the seafloor and river or lake beds

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20
Q

Network

A

a collection of all the paths formed by every tributary of the river in its drainage basin

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21
Q

Tributaries

A

streams that feed into a larger stream, river or other water body

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22
Q

Source

A

the original point from which the river flows

23
Q

Confluence

A

the point at which two rivers meet

24
Q

Interception

A

the process of interrupting the movement of water in the water cycle leading to water bodies(or the ground)

25
Q

Capacity

A

the total amount of sediment or load that a stream or river can carry at any one time

26
Q

Competence

A

the maximum size of a particle that a stream or river can carry

27
Q

Flood plain

A

an area next to a river that would be affected by flooding if the river overflowed its banks

28
Q

Distributaries

A

a stream or river channel resulting from the division of a larger stream channel(often found in deltas)

29
Q

Delta

A

a landform(often triangular in shape) which develops where a river meets a slow body of moving water such as a lake or ocean(sediment builds up above the water level forcing the river to split into distributaries to form a delta)

30
Q

Levée

A

a natural or artificial wall that blocks water from going to certain areas

31
Q

Gorge

A

a deep, narrow valley with steep, rocky sides often with a stream or river flowing through it

32
Q

Vertical erosion

A

the process in which a stream or river flowing quickly down a steep gradient in an upland area wears away the bed at a faster rate than the valley sides, leading to a V-shaped valley

33
Q

Lateral erosion

A

the process in which a stream or river wears away the sides and banks on each side of the channel

34
Q

Hydrograph

A

a graph which shows the pattern of a river’s discharge(measured in cubic centimetres per second(cumecs) over a period of time)

35
Q

Hydraulic action

A

the process by which the force and impact of flowing water removes material from the bed and banks of a river

36
Q

Corrasion/Abrasion

A

the effect of the load grinding away at the bed and banks of a river like sandpaper(the most effective process of river erosion)

37
Q

Attrition

A

the process in which material such as rocks or stones carried by waves hit and knock against each other, wearing them down, and resulting in them becoming smaller and more rounded

38
Q

Solution/Corrosion

A

the process in which some rocks are dissolved in the presence of water in the river

39
Q

Load

A

the material carried by a river

40
Q

Solution load

A

the materials/minerals that are dissolved in the river and carried through it

41
Q

Suspension load

A

the very light materials that are carried near the surface of the river(giving it its colour)

42
Q

Saltation load

A

the small pebbles and stones that are bounced along the riverbed

43
Q

Traction load

A

the heavy boulders and rocks that are rolled along the riverbed(this takes the most energy)

44
Q

Plunge pool

A

a deep depression in a riverbed at the base of a waterfall which is formed by erosion

45
Q

Interlocking spurs

A

a series of ridge-like projections which protrude out on alternate sides of a V-shaped valley around which a river winds its course

46
Q

Meander

A

a bend in a river channel

47
Q

Oxbow lake

A

a U-shaped lake that is formed when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water

48
Q

Base flow

A

the low level of water that is always in the river throughout the year

49
Q

Peak discharge

A

the maximum amount of water in the river due to rainfall

50
Q

Bankful discharge

A

the maximum amount of water in the river just before it is about to flood over its banks

51
Q

Time lag

A

the time between the peak rainfall and the peak discharge

52
Q

Hard engineering

A

the construction of costly, permanent structures that will affect river flow, prevent the damage caused by floodwater, or even prevent the flooding completely

53
Q

Soft engineering

A

the use of relatively cheap methods or structures that work with the river and do not involve permanent structures or lots of construction

54
Q

Dredging

A

the process of clearing the bottom of a riverbed by removing material(eg. weeds, silt) from it

IGCSE GEOGRAPHY REVISION (34 decks)

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