topic 4 : the water cycle

topic 4: the uk's evolving physical landscape

evaporation

the transfer and change of water from the ground into water vapour in the air

evapo-transpiration

the transfer and change of water from plants into water vapour in the air

condensation

water vapour in the air changing back into a liquid

how are clouds formed through condensation?

it forms small droplets which are visible as cloud

precipitation

the transfer of water from the air to the land. water can fall as snow, rain, or sleet

overland flow (surface run-off)

the transfer of water back to the sea over the ground surface

groundwater flow

the transfer of water through the ground back to the sea

perlocation

water seeping deeper below the surface into the ground layer

interception

water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees or grass

the water cycle diagram

explain how surface run off could be impacted by human actions (4 marks)

key points:

-human actions can speed up surface run-off

-buildings roads because roads can be large, flat and impermeable

-human actions slows down surface run-off

-planting more trees because trees can intercept rainfall preventing it from reaching the ground

drainage basin

an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

what is the source in a drainage basin?

the starting point of the river

tributaries

the streams and smaller rivers that feed into a main river

most rivers flow down towards sea level even if they don't reach the sea. true or false?

false. the correction should be "all rivers flow down towards sea level

confluence

the point where two rivers join

watershed

an imaginary line that seperates one drainage basin from the next

flood plain

the area of low-lying ground that gets flooded when the river overflows

the river gets ________ as you go from the source to the mouth.

wider

surface storage

where water is held on the ground surface e.g. lakes, puddles

infiltration

where water sinks into the soil or rock from the ground surface

water table

the current upper level of saturated rock/soil where no more water can be absorbed

throughflow

water flowing through the soil layer parallel to the surface

groundwater

water stored in rock