Rivers etc. Flashcards
In which erosional landform does differential erosion occur?
Headlands and Bays
A meander is…
curves in the middle-lower course of a river
What processes occurs on the outside of a bend and why?
-erosion and deposition
-caused by the fastest flowing water hitting it
What processes occurs on the inside of a bend and why?
-Deposition
-occurs on the inside of the bend due to the water being forced to slow down
Why does the neck of a meander eventually break through?
Floodwaters cause the neck of the meander to break through
as the force of the water erodes the neck
and creates a new, straighter channel
A floodplain is…
a generally flat area of land next to a river or stream
What makes the floodplain wider?
when there is a significant amount of meander migration
What is an estuary
Where the River Meets the Sea
What often forms in estuaries
brackish water
What is a storm hydrograph
a graph on which river discharge (y-axis) is plotted against time (x- axis)
What is river discharge?
the volume of water flowing through a river channel; measured at any given point in cubic metres per second
Give the name for the time between the peak rainfall and peak discharge
Lag time - the time taken between peak rainfall and peak discharge.
If there is a short lag time what does this mean?
water is reaching the river quickly, so there is a greater chance of a flood
If there is a steep rising limb what does this mean?
the more likely a flood is to occur
Identify one physical factor that increases the risk of flooding.
steep slopes