WATER CYCLE & GENERAL RIVERS

Question 1

What is meant by the river source?

Answer 1

It is where the river begins.

Question 2

What is meant by the river mouth.?

Answer 2

It is where the river flows into the sea or a lake.

Question 3

What is meant by a confluence?

Answer 3

It is the point where two tributaries join.

Question 4

What is meant by a tributary?

Answer 4

It is a smaller river that follows into a larger river.

Question 5

What is meant by evaporation?

Answer 5

It is when water in the sea, lakes or any other form of water on the earth’s surface changes from a liquid into a gas due to been heated by insolation.

Question 6

What is meant condensation?

Answer 6

It is when air containing water vapour is cooled and turns into a water droplets.

Question 7

What is meant by overland flow?

Answer 7

It is when water flows over the surface of the ground into a river.

Question 8

What is meant by infiltration?

Answer 8

This is when water that has fall onto the ground soaks vertically into the soil below.

Question 9

What is meant by interception?

Answer 9

This is when vegetation stops the precipitation from reaching the ground.

Question 10

What is meant by through flow?

Answer 10

This is when water that has infiltrated into the soil moves horizontally to a river.

Question 11

What is meant by ground flow?

Answer 11

This is when water that has percolated into the bedrock flows horizontally through these rocks to a river.

Question 12

What is meant by percolation?

Answer 12

This is when water soaks from the soil into the underlying bedrock.

Question 13

What is meant by evapotranspiration?

Answer 13

It is where water is returned to the atmosphere from when a plant transpiring and when water evaporates from the earths surface.

Question 14

List the four main ways a river erodes.

Answer 14

They are hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition and corrosion.

Question 15

What is meant by hydraulic action?

Answer 15

It is the actual force of the moving water wearing away the bed and banks of the river.

Question 16

What is meant by abrasion?

Answer 16

It is the wearing away of the bed and banks of river by the load that it is carrying.

Question 17

What is meant by attrition?

Answer 17

It is the wearing away of the load as the particles bump against each other while being transported downstream.

Question 18

What is meant by corrosion?

Answer 18

It is where the river bed and banks along with its load been dissolved b y weak acids in the river water.

Question 19

List the four main ways a river transport it load.

Answer 19

They are solution, suspension, traction and saltation.

Question 20

Explain the two conditions that may lead to overland flow happening.

Answer 20

It happens when the soil is saturated and no more water can soak into the soil or when infiltration rates are greater than the soils infiltration capacity.

Question 21

What is meant by a soils infiltration capacity?

Answer 21

It is the rate that precipitation can soak into the soil. It is measured in millimetres per hour.

Question 22

What is meant by infiltration rate?

Answer 22

It is the actual rate that precipitation is landing on the soil and is measured in millimetres per hour.

Question 23

What are the two main climatic conditions that would increase the rate of evapotranspiration

Answer 23

It would increase when temperatures and wind speeds increase.

Question 24

What are the two main climatic conditions that would lead to high levels of overland flow.

Answer 24

It would be high when the soak is saturated after steady prolonged rainfall or very intense rainfall.

Question 25

What is meant by the term drainage basin?

Answer 25

It is the area of land that drains into one river and its tributaries.

Question 26

What is meant by the term watershed?

Answer 26

It is the dividing line between two drainage basins.

Question 27

What is meant by the term traction?

Answer 27

It is when large pieces of load rolls along a river bed.

Question 28

What is meant by the term saltation?

Answer 28

It is when the load bounces along a river bed.

Question 29

What is meant by the term suspension?

Answer 29

It is when smaller pieces of load are transported downstream in the rivers flow.

Question 30

What is meant by the term solution?

Answer 30

It is when dissolved pieces of material are transported in a solution.

Question 31

What is meant by the term flotation?

Answer 31

It is when material is transported on the surface of the river.

Question 32

What is meant by the term drainage basin?

Answer 32

It is the area of land that drains into one river and its tributaries.

Question 33

What is meant by the term watershed?

Answer 33

It is the dividing line between two drainage basins.

Question 34

What is meant by the term traction?

Answer 34

It is when large pieces of load rolls along a river bed.

Question 35

What is meant by the term saltation?

Answer 35

It is when the load bounces along a river bed.

Question 36

What is meant by the term suspension?

Answer 36

It is when smaller pieces of load are transported downstream in the rivers flow.

Question 37

What is meant by the term solution?

Answer 37

It is when dissolved pieces of material are transported in a solution.

Question 38

What is meant by the term flotation?

Answer 38

It is when material is transported on the surface of the river.