Hydrological Cycle, River Management, and Major Rivers

Flashcards about Hydrological Cycle, River Flood Management, and Major Rivers and Lakes

What is a drainage basin (or watershed)?

An area drained by a river and its tributaries.

What are examples of Precipitation?

Rain, snow, etc.

What is Interception?

Water caught by vegetation.

What is Infiltration?

Water soaking into soil.

What is Percolation?

Water moving through soil to groundwater.

What is Surface Runoff?

Water flowing over the surface.

What is Throughflow?

Water moving through soil.

What is Groundwater Flow?

Movement in aquifers.

What is Evaporation?

Liquid to vapor.

What is Transpiration?

Water loss from plants.

What is Condensation?

Vapor to liquid in clouds.

What is the purpose of Dams and Reservoirs in river flood management?

Store floodwater.

What do Levees do?

Raise river banks.

What is the result of Straightening Channels?

Faster flow.

What is Afforestation?

Planting trees to reduce runoff.

What is Floodplain Zoning?

Limiting building in risk zones.

What is the purpose of Warning Systems in river flood management?

Emergency preparedness.

What benefit do Wetlands Restoration provide?

Natural flood control.

How long is the Nile river?

~6,650 km

What are some attributes of the Congo river?

Deepest river, large rainforest basin

What is the Niger river known for?

Important in West Africa

What is the Yangtze river known for?

Longest in Asia (China)

What is the Ganges river known for?

Sacred in India

What is the Mekong river known for?

Flows through SE Asia

What is the Murray-Darling river known for?

Main river system in Australia

What is the Volga river known for?

Longest in Europe (Russia)

What is the Danube river known for?

Crosses 10 countries

What is the Rhine river known for?

Flows into the North Sea

What is the Seine river known for?

Runs through Paris

What is the Thames river known for?

Flows through London

How long is the Mississippi-Missouri river?

~6,275 km

What is the Colorado river known for?

Carves Grand Canyon

What is the Columbia river known for?

Northwest USA, hydroelectric power

What are some attributes of the Amazon river?

Largest by volume, second-longest (~6,400 km)

What is the Paraná river known for?

Major river in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina

What type of water is the Caspian Sea?

Saltwater

What country comprises the surface area of the deepest lake in the world?

Russia

What if the deepest lake in the world?

Lake Baikal

How many countries does the Danube river flow through?

10 countries