Year 10 Key terms Flashcards
Watershed
The area of highland forming the edge of a river basin
Mouth
Where the river meets the sea
Source
Where the river begins
Tributary
A small river or stream that joins a large river
Channel
This is where the river flows
Precipitation
Moisture falling out of the atmosphere, rain, snow, sleet and hail
Stem flow
Water dripping down the stems and trunks of vegetation
Interception
Water held in the foliage of vegetation
Percolation
Downward movement of water entering the ground as soil becomes increasingly wet and soft
Surface storage
Water held as puddles/ pools on the land surface
Infiltration
Downward movement of water into the bedrock
Groundwater flow
The slowest movement of water which occurs in the bedrock
Water table
Level of water that occurs when all the pores in the soil have been filled
Ground flow
Water stored in bedrock
Surface run-off
Quick movement of water on land surface when either storm is too heavy for water to be absorbed by soil where the soil is impermeable or when the water becomes saturated
Evapotranspiration
Loss of water through the pores of vegetation and land surface
Transpiration
Water loss from the pores of vegetation into the atmosphere as water vapour
Throughflow
Sideways movement of water that can eventually cause a spring on the side of a valley
Hydrological cycle
As system caused of a series of inputs, transfers, stores and outputs
Erosion
Wearing away of rocks and it’s removal by streams, ice, wind and waves
Vertical erosion
The downward erosion of a river valley
Lateral erosion
The sideward erosion of a valley
Hydraulic action
Force of water hitting the bed and banks. Most effective when water is moving fast and there is lots of it
Abrasion
Load the river is carrying repeatedly hitting the river bed and banks, causing some of the material to break off
Attrition
Stones and boulders carried by river get knocked together and are worn into smaller bits over time
Traction
Boulders are too heavy and can only be moved by rolling along the river bed by the force of water
Saltation
Load the river is being bounced along bed e.g small stones or sand. The size of the sediment into big and heavy to remain afloat for a long time
Suspension
Small particles are carried along in water e.g silts and clays. When large amounts of sediment are carried in suspension, it can make water look cloudy
Solution
Dissolved load within river which only occurs with certain rock types e.g chalk and limestone. The load is not visible
Process of deposition
Where river dumps/leaves materiel that it’s been carrying. Largest is dumped first because heaviest.
Smaller the load, further it can be transported so is deposited further downstream
Confluence
The point at which two rivers meet
Drainage basin
Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
Discharge
The amount of water in a river passing a certain point at a certain time measured in cumecs (cubic meters per second) depends on velocity and speed
Cross profile
A line representing changes in the river valley or channel from one side to the other
Flood
Occurs when a river carries so much water that it cannot be contained by its banks and so it overflows to surrounding land - flood plain
Flood plain
Flat land around a river that gets flooded when the river overflows
Gorge
A narrow steep sided valley
Hard engineering
Building artificial structures aimed at controlling natural processes
Hydrograph
Shows how a river responds to a particular storm
Interlocking spurs
Ridges which extend alternatives from opposite sides of a v-shaped valley in the upper course of a river
Long profile
A line showing changes in altitude of a river along its course from source to mouth
Soft engineering
This option works with natural river system and avoids building on areas that are prone to flooding. Warn people about possible floods and planting trees increasing lag time
Waterfall
An abrupt, sometimes vertical drop in a river in its long profile
Climate change
Long term change in earths climate especially a change due to an increase in average atmospheric temperature
Quaternary period
Period of geological time from 2.6 million years ago to present
