Studied by 8 peopleAbstracted
When water is taken from a river, reservoir or underground store for use
Afforestation
The planting of forests
Annual regime
The way in which a rivers discharge varies throughout the year
Aquifers
Rocks in the ground that are capable of holding large quantities of water
Braided
A river pattern made when a shallow river has deposited gravel islands so that the river is split into several small channels
Cumecs
An abbreviation of cubic metres per second - measured discharge of a river
Discharge
The amount of water flowing through a river channel or out of an aquifer
Drainage Basin
The area a river collects its water from, also called a catchment area
Flash Floods
Flooding caused by sudden downpours of rain. It falls so quickly it cannot soak into the ground
Groundwater store
Water in the ground below the water table
Groundwater flow
The flow of water through rocks
Hard engineering
Artificial structures such as sea walls or concrete river embankments
Hydrograph
A line graph that shows either the discharge or height of a river over time
Impermeable
Soil or rock that does not allow water to pass through it eg. clay
Infiltration
The movement of rain or snow melt into the soil
Lag time
The time delay between a rain event and the peak discharge
Over abstraction
When water is abstracted at a faster rate than it is recharged, resulting in a decrease of the water store
Overland flow
The flow of water across the ground surface
Peak discharge
The maximum amount of water in a river during a flood
Permeability
The ability of a rock to allow water to pass through it
Permeable
A rock which allows water to pass through it eg. limestone
Porous
A rock which has many tiny gaps within that can store water eg. chalk
Recharge
Water that enters an aquifer and refills a groundwater store
Soft engineering
Alternative method of reducing floods by planting trees or allowing areas to flood naturally
Surface stores
Places where water is found on the surface such as lakes and rivers
Throughflow
The downhill flow of water through soil
Tributary
A small river which flows into a larger river channel
Note
Flashcard