Water Shed Flashcards
Water shed
Describes the total area contributing drainage to a stream or river
2/3 lost to floods and not available for human use
Surface runoff
1/3
Amount of runoff we get year to year
Reliable runoff
Zone of saturation
Water table-top zone of saturation
Ground water
Water saturated layers of sand gravel or bed rock through which groundwater flows
Aquifer
Rivers and streams escape their banks and flow into the flood plane
Flood
Floods are responsible for….
Replenishing nourishment on the sides of rivers
Pros of floods
Impervious surfaces
Removal of vegetation
Draining wet lands
Rain on snow
Cons of floods
If you live on the flood plains
Humans have created walls on rivers which make flood water unable to get out of flood plains
Pros of using dams and resivors
Recreation and fishing
Cheap/clean hydro electric power
Provides water for year round irrigation
Cons of using dams and resivors
Large losses of water due to evaporation
Flooded land destroys forests or crop land and displaces people
Down stream flooding
What’s one way people have fixed unhealthy rivers from the use of dams/resivors?
In spring they open bypasses and let fertile water through to the rivers creating a flood simulation
Pros of tapping ground water
- year round use
- No evaporation losses
- often less expensive
Cons of tapping ground water
- water table lowering
- depletion
- saltwater intrusion-near costal areas
- chemical contamination
- reduced stream flow
In what part of the water basin is the area of higher elevation?
The North East
What do the headwaters for all the rivers have in common?
The head waters begin in the mountains
Does the Colorado river pass Denver? Which direction does it flow?
It does not pass Denver and flows westward
Which direction does the Arkansas river flow?
The rivers flows east away from its head waters in the western mountains.
In what area of the river basin is the precipitation the highest?
The precipitation is the highest in the mountains at the top of the water basin’s head waters.
In what area of the river basin is the precipitation the lowest?
The precipitation his lowest in the south part of the water basin where the environment breaks away into desert.
What is the role of geography in natural water distribution?
In areas with higher elevation such as the mountains where there is snow pact that is where rivers start and are then distributed accordingly.
