Rivers, Floods And Management Flashcards
What is the watershed
The line which normally follows as ridge of high land that separates 2 drainage basins
Why is a drainage basin an open system
Because it has inputs and outputs of water as well as stores and transfers
What is the major input to any drainage basin
Precipitation
What are the 2 main outputs of a drainage basin
Evapotranspiration and river runoff
What is interception
Where the precipitation is caught by vegetation such as on the leaves
What is surface storage
Where water is stored on the surface of the land, such as in puddles. This is especially common in urban areas with impermeable surfaces
What is soil storage
Where water is stored in soil
What is groundwater storage
Where water is stored in porous rocks underground, also known as an aquifer
What is overland flow
Where water runs across the surface of the land, also know as surface run off, this is the fastest way for water to enter a stream or river
What is through flow
Where water flows through soil into the river channel, this is influenced by where roots have grown creating easy routes for the water to run
What is base flow
Where ware flows through porous rocks into the channel or into the sea, this is the slowest way for water to move
What is stem flow
Where water makes it way down to the ground from trees, by dripping down between branches. In heavy storms the water can run straight down the trunk
What is infiltration
Where water enters the soil
What is percolation
Where water seeps from the soil into the rocks below
What 2 factors make percolation slower
If the groundwater stores are already saturated and if the rocks are impermeable
