ERTH 1050 - Rivers and Floods

What is a drainage area?

If water fills here, it will be drained to the ocean

What is bed load?

The things found in the bed of a river

What is a drainage divide?

splits water flow into multiple directions. Driven by tectonic forces

What is an endorheric basin?

Water that has no ocean exit. The rate of evaporation prevents it from pooling

Definition of meandering?

Twists and turns within a river/lake used to handle high discharge on a flat plain

What is a river delta?

The place where a river connects to the ocean

Rivers and stream transport water from a to a __ elevation

High, low

As you move upwards on a river, the drainage area ___

decreases

What feeds rivers?

Rainfall, snowmelt, and groundwater

What is found at the source zone of a river?

Wild waters

Lots of streams

Steep gradient

Low discharge

Braided rivers

Course sediments

Flash flooding

Waterfalls (except Niagara)

What is found in the deposition zone of a river?

Fine sediments

Calm waters

Fewer individual streams

High discharge

Low gradient

Meandering rivers

Regional flooding

Marshes, swamps

What defines a flashflood?

Quick (mins - hours)

Source area

Topographically variable

Unpredictable

Deadlier

Less costly to fix

In poor drainage areas/in highly developed areas

What determines a regional flood?

Slow (days - weeks)

Floodplain

Accumulation of unusually high discharge over a large area

Predictable

On soft sediments

Costlier to fix