WATER CYCLE & GENERAL RIVERS Flashcards
What is meant by the river source?
It is where the river begins.
What is meant by the river mouth.?
It is where the river flows into the sea or a lake.
What is meant by a confluence?
It is the point where two tributaries join.
What is meant by a tributary?
It is a smaller river that follows into a larger river.
What is meant by evaporation?
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.
What is meant condensation?
It is when air containing water vapour is cooled and turns into a water droplets.
What is meant by overland flow?
It is when water flows over the surface of the ground into a river.
What is meant by infiltration?
This is when water that has fall onto the ground soaks vertically into the soil below.
What is meant by interception?
This is when vegetation stops the precipitation from reaching the ground.
What is meant by through flow?
This is when water that has infiltrated into the soil moves horizontally to a river.
What is meant by ground flow?
This is when water that has percolated into the bedrock flows horizontally through these rocks to a river.
What is meant by percolation?
This is when water soaks from the soil into the underlying bedrock.
What is meant by evapotranspiration?
It is where water is returned to the atmosphere from when a plant transpiring and when water evaporates from the earths surface.
List the four main ways a river erodes.
They are hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition and corrosion.
What is meant by hydraulic action?
It is the actual force of the moving water wearing away the bed and banks of the river.
What is meant by abrasion?
It is the wearing away of the bed and banks of river by the load that it is carrying.
What is meant by attrition?
It is the wearing away of the load as the particles bump against each other while being transported downstream.
What is meant by corrosion?
It is where the river bed and banks along with its load been dissolved b y weak acids in the river water.
List the four main ways a river transport it load.
They are solution, suspension, traction and saltation.
Explain the two conditions that may lead to overland flow happening.
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.
What is meant by a soils infiltration capacity?
It is the rate that precipitation can soak into the soil. It is measured in millimetres per hour.
What is meant by infiltration rate?
It is the actual rate that precipitation is landing on the soil and is measured in millimetres per hour.
What are the two main climatic conditions that would increase the rate of evapotranspiration
It would increase when temperatures and wind speeds increase.
What are the two main climatic conditions that would lead to high levels of overland flow.
It would be high when the soak is saturated after steady prolonged rainfall or very intense rainfall.
What is meant by the term drainage basin?
It is the area of land that drains into one river and its tributaries.
What is meant by the term watershed?
It is the dividing line between two drainage basins.
What is meant by the term traction?
It is when large pieces of load rolls along a river bed.
What is meant by the term saltation?
It is when the load bounces along a river bed.
What is meant by the term suspension?
It is when smaller pieces of load are transported downstream in the rivers flow.
What is meant by the term solution?
It is when dissolved pieces of material are transported in a solution.
What is meant by the term flotation?
It is when material is transported on the surface of the river.
What is meant by the term drainage basin?
It is the area of land that drains into one river and its tributaries.
What is meant by the term watershed?
It is the dividing line between two drainage basins.
What is meant by the term traction?
It is when large pieces of load rolls along a river bed.
What is meant by the term saltation?
It is when the load bounces along a river bed.
What is meant by the term suspension?
It is when smaller pieces of load are transported downstream in the rivers flow.
What is meant by the term solution?
It is when dissolved pieces of material are transported in a solution.
What is meant by the term flotation?
It is when material is transported on the surface of the river.
