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Geography > Rivers - Physical > Flashcards

Rivers - Physical Flashcards

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1
Q

What places is the UK made up of?

A

England, scotland, nothern ireland, and wales

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2
Q

What is the highest mountain in the UK?

A

Ben Nevis, in the Grampian Mountain Range, at 1344metres high

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3
Q

What is relief?

A

The height, shape and steepness of land. The relief of an area is determined by its geology.

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4
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

An area of land drained by a river, and its tributaries

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5
Q

What does long profile show?

A

A line showing the course of a the river from its source to its mouth where it ends, and the changes in height along its course

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6
Q

What is the upper course like in a Long profile diagram?

A
  • Its gradient is steep
  • V-shaped valley, steep sides,
  • Narrow and shallow channel
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7
Q

What is the middle course like in a Long profile diagram?

A
  • Its gradient is medium
  • Gentle sloping valley sides
  • Wider and deeper channel
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8
Q

What is the lower course like in a Long profile diagram?

A
  • Its gradient is gentle
  • Very wide almost flat valley
  • Very wide and deep channel
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9
Q

What does a cross profile diagram show?

A

Represents what it would be like to walk from one side of the valley, across the channel and up the other side

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10
Q

What are the characteristics of a channel upstream?

A
  • Shallow water
  • Low velocity
  • Low discharge
  • Large bedload
  • Hugh turbulence
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11
Q

What are the characteristics of a channel downstream?

A
  • Deep water
  • High velocity
  • High discharge
  • Small bedload
  • Low turbulence
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12
Q

What is veritcal erosion?

A

It deepens the river channel and valley making it v-shaped. Its dominant in the upper course and movs in a downwards action

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13
Q

What is lateral erosion?

A

Widens the river valley and channel, it is dominant in the middle and lower course and moves in a sideways action

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14
Q

What is Hydraulic action?

A

The sheer force of the water breaking rock particles away from the river channel. It is most effective when the water is moving fast

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15
Q

What is Abrasion?

A

The load that is carried by the river which repeatedly hits the bed or banks dislodging particles into the flow of the river

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16
Q

What is Attrition?

A

Stones that are carried by the river, they knock into each other repeatedly and gradually become smaller and smoother.

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17
Q

What is Traction?

A

Large particles are pushed along the river bed by the force of water

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18
Q

What is saltation?

A

Sand-sized particles are bounced along the river bed in a hopping motion

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19
Q

What is suspension?

A

small sediment is held in the river

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20
Q

What is solution?

A

when the river flows over limestone or chalk, the rock is lowly dissolved. this is because it is soluble in mildly acidic water

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21
Q

What is Deposition?

A

When a river drops the eroded material its transporting.

It happens when a river slows down

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22
Q

What type of material is first depositied? Where is it likely to happen? And why?

A
  • Largest material is deposited first as it is heaviest
  • Likely to happen in the upper course
  • as larger rocks only transport for a very short distance
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23
Q

Where is finer sediment carried to? Where is it mostly held? where will it be depostited? why will it be deposited there?

A
  • Carried downstream and mostly held in suspension

- It deposits on the bed or banks where velocity is slowed by friction

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24
Q

Where is a large amount of deposition at? What is the terrain like?

A

At the river mouth where there is a gentle gradient and interaction with tides

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25
Q

What happens to the upper course in the cross profile change downstream?

A
  • The river erodes its bed hydraulic action and abrasion.
  • As the river travels downstream it is joined by a number of tributaries
  • these increased the volume of water which gives the river energy which means more erosive power.
  • this allows it to cut a much deeper channel with increased distance downstream,
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26
Q

What does the channel become downstream in the channel cross profile change for downstream?

A
  • becomes wider as the gradient becomes less steep as there is less vertical erosion
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27
Q

What happens to the middle course in the cross profile change downstream?

A

Lateral erosion is dominant, this erodes the river banks which makes the channel wider

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28
Q

What happens in the upper course of a VALLEY cross profile change downstream?

A

There is a steep V-shaped cross profile

  • vertical erosion by the river is important,
  • creates a slope that weathered material from the valley sides can fall down.
  • rivers have their source in upland areas sonthe rock is harder.
  • weathering and erosion cannot have much impact and the slopes remain steep.
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29
Q

What happens in the middle course of a VALLEY cross profile change downstream?

A
  • The gradient is less steep, river begins to meander and erode into valley sides
  • rate of weathering also increases on the softer rocks.
  • the river uses more energy on lateral erosion so not as much weathered material is removed
  • this builds up the valley floor to give it a more gentle profile.
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30
Q

What happens in the lower course of a VALLEY cross profile change downstream?

A

The river is passing through low lying country.
Deposition from floods builds up the flood plain
meanders migrate.
This builds and widens the valley

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31
Q

Why do rivers deposit sediment? (4)

A
  • The volume of water in the river falls
  • The amount of eroded material in the water increases
  • The water is shallower eg on the inside of the bend
  • The river reaches its mouth
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32
Q

What are interlocking spurs? How are they caused? Where are they found?

A
  • They are fingers or projections in the hillsides, that alternate from either side of the valley and project into the valley floor
  • They are caused by fluvial erosion
  • Found in the upper course
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33
Q

What do interlocking spurs have?

A
  • A steep gradient
  • Convex slopes
  • Separated by a narrow valley which is taken up the river channel
  • Freeze thaw weathering may occur on the slope scree
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34
Q

What is a waterfall?

A

Its is where water falls down a vertical drop in the channel

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35
Q

How does a waterfall form?

A

1) . Softer rock is eroded by hydraulic action and abrasion, more than the hard rock creating a ‘steep’ in the river
2) . As water goes over the steep it erodes more and more of the softer rock
3) . A steep drop is eventually created, which is a waterfall.

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36
Q

How are Gorges formed?

A

1) . The hard rock is eventually undercut by erosion. It becomes unsupported and collapses.
2) . The collapsed rocks are swirled around at the foot of the waterfall where they erode the softer rock by abrasion, this creates a deep plunge pool.
3) . Over time, more undercutting causes more collapses. The waterfall will retreat leaving a steep-sided gorge.

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37
Q

How do Rivers shape the land?

A
  • the river erodes downwards as boulders, stones and rock particles are bounced back and scraped along the channel bed.
  • as river cuts down, the steep sides are attacked by weathering. This breaks up and loosens the soil and rock
  • the loosended material slowly creaps doen the slope because of gravity and is washed into the river and carried away
  • the end result is a steep sided valley that has the shape of a V
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38
Q

What is the formation of a ox bow lake?

A

1) . Meanders migrate over time across the valley floor, they may start to erode towards each other
2) . Gradually the neck of the meander narrows until it is completely broken through, usually during a flood.
3) . This forms a newer straightner channel, the old meander loops are cut off by deposition to form a ox bow lake

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39
Q

What is a floodplain?

A

A wide flat area of marshy land on either side of a river and is found in the middle and lower courses

40
Q

What are the two ways floodplain could be formed?

A
  • meanders could migrate across the floodplain due to lateral erosion, when they reach the edge of a floodplain they erode the valley side which explains why is it wide
  • when the river floods it deposits silt, creating a vey flat floodplain
41
Q

What is a levee?

A

A raised river bed found alongside a river in its lower course

42
Q

What is the formation of a levee?

A

1) . During low flow conditions deposition takes place, raising the river bed and reducing the capacity of the channel
2) . When flooding occurs, water flows over the sides of the channel. The velocity of the river decreases quickly leading to deposition of sediment on river banks.
3) . After many floods the height of the banks can be raised forming levees

43
Q

What are estuaries? What is the main process that happens in them?

A

Transitional zones between river and coastal environments and are affected by wave action as well as river processes.
- main river process is deposition

44
Q

What is flooding?

A

Where the land is not normally underwater becomed inundated.

45
Q

When does a river flood occur?

A

When a river channel can no longer hold the amount of water flowing in it. Water over tops it and floods the adjacent land - the floodplain

46
Q

How does precipitation effect flooding?

A

Increase - Steady rainfall over a long period of time can lead to saturated soils and high river levels

47
Q

How does torrential rain effect flooding?

A

Increase - Can lead to flash floods

48
Q

How can geology effect flooding?

A

Increase - Impermeable rocks such as shales and clay encourage water to flow overland and into river channels.
- this speeds up water flow and makes flooding more likely

49
Q

How does urbanisation effect flooding?

A

Increase - Building on impermeable surfaces such as tarmac roads leads to water being transferred quickly to drains and rivers and into river channels
- this rapid movement of water makes flooding more likely

50
Q

How does deforestation effect flooding?

A

Increase- Water that falls in trees is stored in leaves and branches as it is good for their growth.
- when trees are removed, water flows more rapidly to the river

51
Q

How does agriculture effect flooding?

A

Soil is left unused and exposed for a long period of time, this can lead to more surface run off.
- this is increased if land is ploughed up and down steep slopes as water can flow quicker along furrows.

52
Q

What is drianage basin density?

A

Total length of all the streams in the drainage basin ➗ total area of the drainage basin

53
Q

What can drainage basins store?

A

Rainwater either in the river channel, in lakes or in the ground. Excess water is carried back to the sea by rivers

54
Q

What is river discharge?

A

The volume of water passing a given point in a river at any moment in time. It is measured in cucmecs

55
Q

How does impermeable rock effect river discharge?

A

More likely to cause flooding - as it encourages water to flow over and into the channel

56
Q

How does permeable rock effect river discharge?

A

Slow flooding down - as the rock has holes in it which will allow water to pass through

57
Q

How does heavy rainfall effect river discharge?

A

More likely to increase flooding - Can lead to sudden flash floods as river channels cannot contain the sheer volume of water

58
Q

How does prolonged rainfall effect river discharge?

A

Will cause flooding- as the ground will become logged with water and there are no drainage systems to store it

59
Q

How do low temperatures effecf river discharge?

A

Will cause flooding - as if it snows then melts the excess water could over flow the rivers
- the ground could also freeze and therefore infiltration can’t occur

60
Q

How do high temperatures effect river discharge?

A

Reduce risk of flooding- due to evaporation which means less surface water
However, the land can be hard and dry which would result in water running over ground and into the channel

61
Q

How does dry weather effect river discharge?

A

Reduce the risk of flooding - as soil absorbs the water

However it could dry up the land too much and lead to not being able to absorb water

62
Q

How does wet weather effect river discharge?

A

Will cause flooding - as saturated soil increase surface run off into river channel

63
Q

How does gently sloping land effect river discharge?

A

Cause less flooding - as there is more time for water to infiltrate and go down
However, the water would still go down and could cause a flood at the bottem

64
Q

How does steep sloping land effect river discharge?

A

Cause flooding - as water can flow down quicker

65
Q

How does deforestation effect river discharge?

A

Cause flooding - when trees are removed much more water is available and transferred to river channels as there is no storage for the water ie leaves

66
Q

How does afforestation effect river discharge?

A

Reduce the risk of flooding - as there are more trees to collect the water

67
Q

How does urbanisation effect river discharge?

A

Will cause flooding - Building on floodplains allows water to be transferred quickly to drains and then the channel

68
Q

What are the characteristics of an estuary?

A
  • It may have high tidal range
  • It may be very wide
  • It will have mudflats that are visible at low tides
  • It may have tidal bores - which are huge waves that funnel up the river
69
Q

Where is Banbury located?

A

In the Cotswold Hills, about 50km north of oxford.
Much of the town is on the flood plain of the river Cherwell, a tributary of the River Thames
The population is 45,000

70
Q

Why was a flood management scheme needed in Banbury?

A

Has a history of flood
- 1998&2007 = devastating flood affects included the railway station submerging, roads closed, more than 150homes and businesses were flooded, £12.5 million damage

71
Q

What is the first of three features in the Banbury flood storage reservoir?

A

A 2.9km earth embankment- built parallel to the M40 motorway to create a flood storage area; it holds 3 million cubic meters of water. Reduces flooding

72
Q

What is the second of three features in the Banbury flood storage reservoir?

A

The A361 road - the road plus improvements to the drainage basin has helped to prevent flooding

73
Q

What is the last of three features in the Banbury flood storage reservoir?

A

Flow control structures- specially designed openings that control the rate of flow downstream towards Banbury.
Any excess water backs up behind filling up the reservoir rather than continuing towards Banbury.

74
Q

What type of strategy is Dams and Reservoirs? What can they do?

A
  • Hard engineering strategy
  • Dams are barriers which trap water in a lake (reservoir). Water can be released in a controlled way.
  • they are often multipurpose and can be used for recreation, H.E.P, water supply and flood prevention
75
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of dams and reservoirs?

A

Issues - often controversial people lose land and may have to move if the valley floods
Costs - very expensive to build
Benefits - can provide renewable energy, store water for when levels are low, effective at controlling water flow eg Elan Valley Dam

76
Q

What type of engineering is Channel straightening? What does it do?

A

Hard engineering

- meanders are cut off to form a straight channel which may be lined with concrete

77
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of channel straightening?

A

Issues - can lead to flooding, it can be unattractive, needs maintaining
Benefits - speeds up water flow to reduce flooding in an area eg River Derwent

78
Q

What type of engineering is Embankments? What do they do?

A

Hard engineering

- they are man made levees

79
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of Embankments?

A

Issues - if made of concrete blocks can make it look unattractive
Benefits - allows river channels to hold up more water eg River Trent

80
Q

What type of engineering is Flood relief channel? What does it do?

A

Hard engineering

- a man made river built to bypass an urban area

81
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of a flood relief channel?

A

Costs - expensive to build
Benefits - during high flow, sluice gate allows water from the river to enter the relief channel to reduce flooding
- can create recreational opportunities

82
Q

What is flood plain zoning?

A
  • soft engineering

Restricts different land uses to certain locations on the floodplain

83
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of flood plain zoning?

A

Issues - Difficult to implement, farmers may be inconvenienced
Cost- Doesn’t cost to implement,
Benefits- reduces risk to high value land uses e.g. Hospitals

84
Q

What is wetland and flood storage areas?

A
  • soft engineering

Fields of grassy areas that are allowed to flood

85
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of wetland and flood storage areas?

A

Issues- Land cannot be used for anything else

Benefits- Reduces flooding elsewhere, creates wildlife habitat

86
Q

What is preparation for floods?

A
  • soft engineering

River levels and weather are monitored by the environment agency who issue warnings

87
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of preparation for floods?

A

Issues/cost - Cost of running Environment agency, insurance may increase and house prices decrease
Benefits- Reduce damage by taking action
Emergency service will also be prepared

88
Q

What is afforestation?

A

Tree planting

89
Q

What are the issues/costs/benefits of tree planting?

A

Issues- Cost of trees, planting and maintenance

Benefits- Trees intercept rainfall and slows down transfer of water to the river channel

90
Q

What are the social benefits for people in the banbury scheme?

A
  • Road A362 - will be open during a flood to avoid disrupting people’s lives
  • reduced levels of anxiety and depression through fear of flooding
91
Q

What are the environmental benefits for people in the banbury scheme?

A
  • a new biodiversity action plan habitat has been created with ponds, trees and hedgerows
  • part of the floodplain will deliberately allowed to flood if levels are high
92
Q

what are the economic benefits in the Banbury scheme?

A
  • cost of scheme was about £18.5 million

- donors included environment agency and Cherwell district

93
Q

where is the river tees?

A

its an important river in the north east of England. its source is in the pennine hills near cross fell

94
Q

how has high force waterfall and gorge been formed

A
  • its located close to forest in Teesdale in the river’s upper course
  • it has formed due to a resistant band of ingenious rock, its hard to erode this tough rock which has formed a step in the long profile of the river -> high force waterfall
  • as the river plunges over the waterfall, it undercuts the weaker limestone forming an overhang. is eventually collapses and the waterfall retreats upstream to form a gorge.
95
Q

what are pools and riffles?

A
  • where streams carry coarse sediment they may develop alternating sequence of shallow, fast flowing sections called riffles, they develop between meander bends where a drop in velocity has led to deposition of coarser sediment.
  • the deeper, slower-moving sections called pools, they develop close to the outside bend of the meander.

Geography (10 decks)

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