freshwater systems vocab (hydrology)

Base Level

the lowest point to which a stream can erode its channel

Bed load

sediment that is carried by a stream found along the ocean floor

Capacity

 the total amount of sediment a stream is able to transport

Delta

 an accumulation of sediment formed where a stream enters a lake or an ocean

Discharge

the quantity of water in a stream that passes a given point in a period of time

Divide

an imaginary line that separates the drainage of two streams, often found along a ridge

Drainage basin

 the land area that contributes water to a stream

Flood

occurs when the discharge of a stream becomes so great that it exceeds the carrying capacity of its channel and overflows its banks

Flood plain

the flat, low-lying portion of a stream valley subject to periodic flooding

Gradient

 the slope of a stream over a certain distance

Infiltration

the movement of surface water into rock or soil through cracks and pore spaces

Meander

a loop like bend in the course of stream

Natural levee

an elevated landform that parallels a stream and acts to confine its waters, except during flood stage

Stream channel

 the course that the water in a stream follows

Transpiration

the process of plants absorbing water and releasing it into the atmosphere

Tributary

 A stream that empties itself into another stream

Water cycle

 the constant movement of water among the oceans, the atmosphere, geosphere, and the biosphere

Aquifer

rock or soil through which groundwater moves easily

Geyser

a hot spring or fountain that ejects water at various intervals

Groundwater

water underground in the zone of saturation

Permeability

a measure of a material’s ability to transmit fluids

Porosity

 the volume of open spaces in a rock or soil

Sinkhole

a depression produced in a region where double rock has been removed by groundwater

Spring

a flow of groundwater that emerges naturally at the ground surface

Water table

 the upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater

Well

an opening bored into zone saturation

Zone of Saturation

 a zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water