Water balance

Question 1

What is the water balance?

Answer 1

the balance between inputs and outputs

Question 2

Water balance formula?

Answer 2

precipitation = discharge + evapotransipiration +/- changes in storage

Question 3

What is the discharge of a river?

Answer 3

amount of water in a river flowing past a particular point

Question 4

How is discharge calculated?

Answer 4

by multiplying the cross-sectional area of the river by its velocity at the measuring point

Question 5

What is bankfull?

Answer 5

maximum discharge that a river channel is capable of carrying without flooding

Question 6

What is base flow?

Answer 6

the normal day-today discharge of the river and its consequence of slow moving soil throughflow and groundwater seeping into the river channel

Question 7

What is lag time?

Answer 7

time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

Question 8

What is peak discharge?

Answer 8

point on a flood hydrograph when river discharge is at its greatest