Rivers, Floods and Management

Question 1

What is the watershed?

Answer 1

A ridge of highland separating two drainage basins, a boundary.

Question 2

What is a confluence?

Answer 2

The point at which two rivers or streams join.

Question 3

What is a tributary?

Answer 3

A smaller river joining a larger river.

Question 4

What is an input?

Answer 4

Water entering the system.

Question 5

What are the 2 inputs in the hydrological cycle?

Answer 5

Precipitation and solar energy.

Question 6

What are the different forms of precipitation?

Answer 6

Rain, snow, sleet and hail.

Question 7

Why is solar energy considered an input?

Answer 7

It provides the entry for evaporation.

Question 8

What is a store?

Answer 8

Where water is stored within the system.

Question 9

What are the 6 stores in the hydrological cycle?

Answer 9

Interception, surface storage, vegetation storage, groundwater storage, soil storage and channel storage.

Question 10

What is a flow/process?

Answer 10

Water moving within the system.

Question 11

What is interception?

Answer 11

Temporarily water is stored on buildings/vegetation, Tarmac or concrete.

Question 12

What is surface storage?

Answer 12

Depression storage, ponds lakes and on the arts surface.

Question 13

What is vegetation storage?

Answer 13

Water stored in plants.

Question 14

What is Groundwater storage?

Answer 14

Water underground in permeable rock strata (aquifers), it links to the water table.

Question 15

What is soil storage?

Answer 15

Water is stored in the soil.

Question 16

What is channel storage?

Answer 16

Water held in a river or stream channel.

Question 17

What is base flow?

Answer 17

Channel flow from ground water flow that feeds into a river.

Question 18

What is channel flow?

Answer 18

River discharge, the movement of water in a river.

Question 19

What is groundwater flow?

Answer 19

Movement if water in permeable rock strata under the water table.

Question 20

What is infiltration?

Answer 20

Downwards movement of water into the soil surface.

Question 21

What is inter flow?

Answer 21

Water flowing downhill through permeable rock strata above the water table.

Question 22

What is percolation?

Answer 22

Gravity flow of water in soil towards permeable rock.

Question 23

What stemflow?

Answer 23

Water running down a plant stem or tree trunk.

Question 24

What is surface runoff/overland flow?

Answer 24

Th movement of water over the Surface of the land

Question 25

What is through flow?

Answer 25

The movement of water downhill through the soil.

Question 26

What is an output?

Answer 26

Water leaving the system.

Question 27

What is evaporation?

Answer 27

Water from liquid to vapour.

Question 28

What is transpiration?

Answer 28

Evaporation from plant leaves.

Question 29

What is evapotransporation?

Answer 29

Evaporation and transpiration from leaves.

Question 30

What is river discharge?

Answer 30

To the sea/mouth

Question 31

What are the 4 outputs of the hydrological cycle?

Answer 31

Evaporation, transpiration, evapotransporation and river discharge.

Question 32

What are the 9 flows/processes in the hydrological cycle?

Answer 32

Baseflow, channel flow, groundwater flow, infiltration, inter flow, percolation, stemflow, surface runoff and through flow.

Question 33

What is an open system?

Answer 33

Where there are inputs and outputs of energy and matter.

Question 34

What is a closed system?

Answer 34

There are inputs and outputs of energy but not mass.

Question 35

What is an isolated system?

Answer 35

There are no inputs of energy of matter (universe)

Question 36

How is the water balance/budget worked out?

Answer 36

Worked out from the inputs and outputs of a drainage basin.

Question 37

What does the water balance/budget show?

Answer 37

Shows the waters stores and seasonal patterns.

Question 38

What is the equation for the water balance/budget?

Answer 38

P = Q + E +/- change in store

Question 39

What does Q stand for in the water balance equation?

Answer 39

Runoff

Question 40

What does E stand for in the water balance equation?

Answer 40

Evaporation

Question 41

What happens In The winter in terms of the water balance?

Answer 41

Precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration (linked to temperature) there is a soil moisture surplus leading to surface runoff and high discharge as as ground water stores fill.

Question 42

What happens in the summer in terms of the water balance/budget?

Answer 42

Evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation are stores are used by plants and humans known as soil moisture utilisation.

Question 43

What happens at the end of summer in terms of the water balance and budget?

Answer 43

There is a deficit of water, plants must adapt and crops become irrigated as stores have been used up.

Question 44

What happens in the autumn in terms of the water balance/budget?

Answer 44

Temperatures fall, precipitation a exceeds evapotranspiration and soil moisture recharge occurs up until field capacity is reached the. Ground water stores are said to be replenished.

Question 45

Define discharge…

Answer 45

The total volume of water in a river channel passing any given point each second, measured in cumevpcs.

Question 46

What is a drainage basin?

Answer 46

An area of land drained by a river and its tributaries (catchment).