✅🟢Rivers Landscapes in the UK Flashcards

1
Q

Source meaning

A

The start of a river, often a spring

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2
Q

Drainage basin meaning

A

Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

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3
Q

Tributary meaning

A

A small stream that joins a larger river

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4
Q

Confluence meaning

A

Where 2 rivers join

Eg. A tributary joining a larger river

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5
Q

Watershed meaning

A

The edge of a river basin

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6
Q

Mouth of a river meaning

A

End of a river where it joins the sea

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7
Q

What’s an estuary?

A

Transitional area between river and sea

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8
Q

Delta meaning

A

Material laid down in the mouth of a river

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9
Q

Meander meaning

A

River course bends

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10
Q

Flood plain meaning

A

Flat area near the mouth of a river where depositing dominates

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11
Q

How does the shape of the river + valley change as the river flows downstream?

A

Source - usually an upland area + flows over steep slopes with uneven surfaces.

It flows over a series of water falls.

As a river flows down steep slopes, the water performs vertical erosion. Forming V-shaped valleys.

As the river flows towards the mouth the rivers gradient becomes less steep, it eventually flows over flat land as it approaches the sea.

The load of the river also changes as it’s transported + eroded along the rivers profile.

The discharge increases as river approaches the sea

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12
Q

Whats the altitude in relation to sea level in the:
Upper course
Lower course

A

Altitude - source of potential energy stored / height above sea level

Upper course : High
Lower course : Low

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13
Q

Whats the weight / mass of the water in the:
Upper course
Lower course

A

Volume of water increases as river flows

Upper course : Low
Lower course : High

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14
Q

Whats the steepness of the long profile in the:
Upper course
Lower course

A

The gradient gets less steep as the river flows

Upper course : Steep
Lower course : Gentle

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15
Q

Whats the velocity in the:
Upper course
Lower course

A

The velocity increases as the river flows

Upper course : Low
Lower course : High

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16
Q

What are channel processes and what do they all

depend on?

A

The amount of energy available

Channel processes - erosion / transportation/ deposition

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17
Q

What’s erosion?

A

Wearing away and removal of soil + rock

Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Solution
Attrition

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18
Q

What’s Difference between lateral and vertical erosion?

A

Vertical :

  • downwards
  • steep v-shaped valley
  • river narrow + shallow
  • cutting down into the river bed

Lateral:

  • side to side erosion (across valley)
  • flat valley floor
  • deeper + wider channel
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19
Q

Describe hydraulic action + what type of erosion is it?

A

Sheer force of the moving water against the banks can cause air to be trapped in the cracks and crevices, the pressure weakens the banks and it gradually wears away.

  • vertical erosion
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20
Q

Describe abrasion + what type of erosion is it?

A

Rocks carried along be river scraps + scour + rub along the river bed and banks and wear down the river like sandpaper.

  • lateral erosion
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21
Q

Describe solution + what type of erosion is it?

A

Minerals in the rocks are dissolved by weak acids in the river water. Particularly in ricks like chalk+limestone, soluble particles are dissolved into the water.

  • lateral erosion
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22
Q

What is attrition?

A

Rocks being carried by the river s,ash together + break into smaller, smoother and rounded particles.

23
Q

Compare the upper + lower course

A

Uppercourse :
Shallow + narrow channel
High GPE = height above sea level - high
Volume of water + velocity + kinetic energy = low
Loads of friction as water volume is low = higher % of water touches the valley

Lowercorise:
Board + deep river channel
Low GPE = height above sea level = low
Volume of water + velocity + kinetic energy = high
Less friction as water volume is high = lower % of water touches the valley

GPE = gravitational potential energy

24
Q

What’s transportation?

A

The movement of particles in the river

  • solution
  • suspension
  • saltation
  • traction
25
Q

What’s traction?

A

Large Boulders and rocks being rolled along the river bed

26
Q

What’s solution?

A

Minerals dissolved in water eg. Calcium carbonate found in limestone and chalk dissolves in a weak acid like rainfall witch fills rovers. This is called solute load

27
Q

What’s suspension?

A

Fine and light material is help up by floating in the water eg. Alluvium. This is called suspended load

28
Q

What’s salutation?

A

Small pebbles and stones are bounces along

Lifter and dropped depending on the velocity

29
Q

What do deposition + transportation rely on?

A

Energy:

  • how steep the gradient is
  • water volume
  • velocity of the water
30
Q

What’s deposition + why does it occur

A

Occurs when the velocity decrease and doesn’t have the energy to transport material

It’s the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice

31
Q

Why are larger rocks deposited in the upper course?

A

Because there’s the least amount of energy, and it’s unable to carry large rocks

32
Q

When will finer sediment be deposited?

A

Near the lower course as the river ends, when the sea meets the river it slows the velocity of the river as the water is pushing in a different direction causing decrease in velocity causing deposition of materials.

33
Q

Why does so much deposition occur at the mouth of the river

A

Because the river slows down as it has a loss of energy due to the :

  • Incoming tide which opposed the direction of the flow of the river
  • it has a gentle gradient
  • at sea level
34
Q

What is ,want by the long profile of the river?

A

Change in gradient of a river from source to mouth

35
Q

Landforms at the 3 stages of the river

A

Source / upper course:

  • v-snapped valleys
  • waterfalls

Middle reaches:
- meanders

Mouth / lower course:

  • deltas
  • salt marshes

Landforms of deposition (mouth has the most deposition):
- levees - elongated ridge, prevents flooding by raising river banks

36
Q

What are waterfalls a result of?

A

Erosion

37
Q

How are waterfalls formed

A

Occurs When a band of hard rock (eg. Granite) overlies a soft rock (eg. Sandstone).

Erosion processes such as hydraulic action (force of water) and abrasion (where river rubs stones that are being transported against the bed - eroding it down) dominate.

The softer rock erodes faster than the hard rock and gradually washed downstream, creating a plunge pool where water is swilled around, corrosion occurs deepening it further.

Overtime softer rocks eroded further creating an overhand of hard rock, Thsi overhand = unstable as its unsupported. It eventually collapses and waterfall retreats.

This creates gorges which are steep sided river valleys. This process repeats

38
Q

What’s a gorge?

A

Narrow deep + steep sided valley

Formed by waterfall retreats

39
Q

What’s a meander a result of?

A

Erosion + deposition

40
Q

What can meanders form?

A

Oxbow lakes

41
Q

How do meanders form

A

As the river erodes laterally it forms large bends and them horseshoe like loops called meanders.

The formation of meanders is due to deposition and erosion and meanders gradually migrate downstream.

The force of the water erodes and undercuts the river bank on the outside of the bend where water flow has most energy due to decreased friction. This will form a river cliff.

On the inside of the bend, where the river flow is slower, material is deposited, as there is more friction. This will form a slip-off slope.

Water flows faster on the outside of the bend, where it’s deeper and there’s less friction, causing greater erosion which depends channel - this creates a steep sided river bank.

Overtime the horseshoe becomes tighter until it becomes straight, creating oxbow lakes

42
Q

Describe what flood warnings + preparations are and how it works

A

Signals sent out saying how severe the flood will be

Flood watch / flood warning / severe flood warning
Warnings are sent from satellites / social media to wan people what type of flooding there will be / when the flooding will be

43
Q

Positives of flood warnings + preperations

A

Protects property to a certain point
Cheap
Makes people feel secure
People are in control of what they do

44
Q

Negatives of flood warnings + preparations

A

Not everyone has social media
Based on forecast - not always accurate, situations change fast
Doesn’t take direct action / people don’t always listen / doesn’t prevent flooding
House values drop

45
Q

Describe what flood plain zoning is + how it works

A

Zoning the land for different uses

Restricts different land uses to different locations (close to river = farmland / woodland, far from river = high value property and land uses / housing)
Planning land use to minimise flood impacts

46
Q

Positives of flood plain zoning

A

Restricting impermeable surfaces
Low cosy
Environmental benefit = promoting green space

47
Q

Negatives of floodplain zoning

A

Doesn’t stop flooding

Cant move building in areas which have been built on / difficult to implement to places which have been built on

48
Q

Describe how planting trees as a management strategy for flooding is positive

A

Soaks up water / Slows water flow / Intercepts water
Cheap
Environmentally friendly + promotes woodland + wildlife
Meeting environmental charter / rules (carbon sink)

49
Q

Describe how planting trees as a management strategy for flooding is negative

A

Loss of farmland
Could take a long time
Might note fit in with the environment around it (use of different trees)

50
Q

What’s river restoration + describe how it works

A

Where a course of the river has been artificially changed, can restore it to its original course.

River restoration uses the natural processes and features of a river such as meanders + wetlands to slow down river flow + reduce likelihood of major flooding downstream

51
Q

What’s soft engineering?

A

where the natural environment is used to help reduce coastal erosion and river flooding

52
Q

River restoration positives

A
Prevents flooding downstream 
Improve ecology + biodiversity - by reducing floods
Little / no maintenance 
Low cost solution
Increases capacity of river
53
Q

River restoration negatives

A

Can look intrusive + out of place

Can be quite loud to build - intrusive to those around while building