The Hydrological Cycle Flashcards
What is the hydrological cycle?
The hydrological cycle is the process of recycling water found on the earths surface.
Name the stages of the hydrological cycle.
Evaporation/transpiration, condensation, precipitation, surface run-off/infiltration.
What is evaporation?
The transfer of water from the surface into the air as water vapour.
What is transpiration?
The transfer of water from plants into the air as water vapour.
What is condensation?
The change of water vapour in the air into water droplets-visible as clouds.
What is precipitation?
The transfer of water from air to land.
What is surface run-off?
The transfer of water across the land into the sea or lake.
What is infiltration?
The transfer of water from the surface to the soil, then to the river channel(flow through).
What is a drainage basin?
A drainage basin is an area of land that a river starts and ends in(where the river collects its water from).
What is the source of a drainage basin?
Where a river starts.
What is the watershed of a drainage basin?
The dividing line between drainage basins.
What is the tributary river of a drainage basin?
A smaller river joining onto a main river.
What is the confluence of a drainage system?
Where a tributary joins a main river(like a junction of a minor road turning onto a major road).
What is the channel of a drainage system?
The route the river takes to the sea.
What is the load of a drainage system?
The material rivers carry(rocks, stones, gravel).
What is the mouth of a drainage system?
The end of the river.
Name the three main stages of a river.
The upper, middle and lower stage.
Name three of the main processes of the changing landscape of rivers.
Erosion, deposition and transportation
How does the upper stage of a rivers landscape change?
Mainly erosion and transportation.
How does the middle stage of a rivers landscape change?
Erosion transportation and some deposition.
How does the lower stage of a rivers landscape change?
Mainly deposition, transportation and a little erosion.
Name the 4 ways erosion takes place in.
Hydraulic, abrasion, attrition and solution.
What is hydraulic action?
Hydraulic action is the force of just the water in the river wearing away the land.
What is abrasion?
Abrasion is the force of the water plus the load(rocks etc) that the river is carrying, wearing away the land.
What is attrition?
Attrition is the material that is carrying, breaking each other down in the river.
What is solution?
Solution is the acid on the river water, dissolving the rock and wearing it down.
Name the 3 ways transportation takes place in.
Traction, saltation and suspension.
What is Traction?
Traction is the bigger load rolling across the bottom of the river.
What is saltation?
Saltation is the smaller material bouncing along the bottom of the river.
What is suspension?
Suspension is fine material, floating inside the river, being carried by the water.
What are the 3 main reasons for deposition.
The material that the river is carrying is too heavy. The river has lost power/speed/energy and no longer can move the material(heaviest material deposited first). The river doesn’t have enough water to move the material.
