Rivers Glossary

Question 1

Abstraction

Answer 1

the taking of water from rivers, lakes and from below the watertable (aquifers)

Question 2

Aquifers

Answer 2

permeable rock that can transfer or store water below ground (ground water)

Question 3

Attrition

Answer 3

A process of erosion. The material is moved along the bed of a river, collides with other material, and breaks up into smaller pieces.

Question 4

Base flow

Answer 4

the usual level of a river, the part of a river’s discharge fed by groundwater

Question 5

Catchment area

Answer 5

Drainage basin

Question 6

Channel network

Answer 6

the pattern of linked streams and rivers within a drainage basin

Question 7

Clean water

Answer 7

water that is fit for human consumption and is therefore relatively free from pollutants

Question 8

Condensation

Answer 8

when water vapour is cooled and changes state to form water droplets

Question 9

Confluence

Answer 9

where two rivers/streams meet

Question 10

Corrasion

Answer 10

a process of erosion, sometimes known as abrasion. This is when fine material rubs against the river bank. The bank is worn away, by a sand

Question 11

Corrosion

Answer 11

a process of erosion. Some rocks forming the banks and bed of a river are dissolved by acids in the water

Question 12

Cumecs

Answer 12

cubic metres per second, the unit for river discharge

Question 13

Dam

Answer 13

a large structure, usually of concrete, sometimes earth, built across a river to hold back a large body of water (reservoir) taken for human use

Question 14

Deposition

Answer 14

the dropping of material that was being carried by a moving force, such as running water

Question 15

Discharge

Answer 15

the quantity of water flowing in a river channel at a particular location and time

Question 16

Drainage basin

Answer 16

It isa water system involving external inputs and outputs, where the amount of water in the system varies over time. It is the area where water from precipitation (rain/snow) drains downhill into a common body of water such as a river or lake. [The area drained by a river and its tributaries.]

Question 17

Erosion

Answer 17

the wearing away and removal of material by a moving force, such as running water

Question 18

Flood plain

Answer 18

the flat land lying either side of a river which periodically floods

Question 19

Hydraulic action

Answer 19

a process of erosion. The sheer force of water hitting the banks of a river

Question 20

Hydrograph

Answer 20

a graph showing the discharge of a river over a given period of time

Question 21

Hydrological cycle

Answer 21

the global movement of water between the air, land and sea

Question 22

Impermeable

Answer 22

if a material is impermeable, it does not allow water to pass through it

Question 23

Interlocking spur

Answer 23

a series of ridges projecting out on alternate sides of a valley and around which a river winds

Question 24

Levee

Answer 24

a raised bank of material deposited by a river during periods of flooding

Question 25

Mass movement

Answer 25

the movement of weathered material down a slope due the force of gravity

Question 26

Meander

Answer 26

a winding curve in a river’s course

Question 27

Oxbow

Answer 27

a horseshoe

Question 28

Pollution

Answer 28

the presence of chemicals, dirt or other substances which have harmful or poisonous effects on aspects of the environment such as rivers and the air

Question 29

Reservoir

Answer 29

an area where water is collected and stored for human use

Question 30

River regime

Answer 30

the seasonal variations in the discharge of a river

Question 31

Saltation

Answer 31

a process of transportation.smaller stones are bounced along the bed of a river in a leap

Question 32

Solution

Answer 32

a process of transportation. Dissolved material is transported by the river.

Question 33

Stores

Answer 33

features, such as lakes, rivers and aquifers, that receive, hold and release water

Question 34

Stormflow

Answer 34

the increase in stream velocity caused by a period of intense rainfall

Question 35

Stream velocity

Answer 35

the speed at which water is flowing in a river at a given location and time

Question 36

Suspension

Answer 36

a process of transportation. Fine material, light enough in weight to be carried by the river. It is this material that discolours the water.

Question 37

Traction

Answer 37

a process of transportation. Large rocks and boulders are rolled along the bed of the river

Question 38

Transfers

Answer 38

the movement of water between stores in the hydrological cycle

Question 39

Transport

Answer 39

the movement of a river’s load

Question 40

Waterfall

Answer 40

where a river’s water falls vertically, as where a band of hard rock runs across the river channel

Question 41

Watershed

Answer 41

the boundary between neighbouring drainage basins

Question 42

Weathering

Answer 42

the breakdown and decay of rock by natural processes, without the involvement of any moving force