Water cycle 2: Drainage basin systems

Question 1

What is the input in a drainage basin system?

Answer 1

Precipitation

Question 2

What are the flows in a drainage basin system?

Answer 2

Throughfall
Stemflow
Infiltration
Throughflow
Overland flow(s)
Channel flow
Percolation
Groundwater flow

Question 3

What are the stores in a drainage basin system?

Answer 3

Interception
Vegetation store
Surface store
Channel
Soil moisture store
Groundwater store

Question 4

What are the outputs in a drainage basin system?

Answer 4

Evaporation
Transpiration
Channel discharge to oceans

Question 5

What is a drainage basin?

Answer 5

A subset of the global hydrological cycle

Question 6

What is the drainage basin system defined as?

Answer 6

A catchment area forming part of the Earth’s surface area which is drained by a particular stream or river

Question 7

Is the drainage basin system an open or closed system?

Answer 7

Open system

Question 8

The drainage basin system allows what to be transferred across what?

Answer 8

Allows energy and matter to be transferred across its boundary (the watershed or drainage divide) from externam areas

Question 9

Why is the river basin an open system, whereas the global water cycle is a closed system?

Answer 9

There are outputs and inputs in the river basin, unlike the global water cycle

Question 10

What is the main physical input into a drainage basin?

Answer 10

Precipitation

Question 11

What are the different types of precipitation?

Answer 11

Rain
Snow
Sleet hail
Frost

Question 12

What two things of precipitation affect how a drainage basin system responds?

Answer 12

Duration and intensity

Question 13

Very high-intensity rainfall can result in what?

Answer 13

Flash flooding

Question 14

Give an example of a place where they received flash flooding

Answer 14

Boscastle

Question 15

What kind of rainfall is common in the UK?

Answer 15

Low intensity but relatively long duration rainfall