GCSE rivers Revision

Drainage Basin

Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.

Source

The place where a river begins or originates.

Tributary

A stream flowing into a river.

Mouth

The point where a river flows into the sea.

Watershed

The boundary of a drainage basin; the highest point surrounding it.

Confluence

The point where two streams or rivers meet.

Water Cycle

The system of water movement between sea, river, air, land, and back to the sea.

Precipitation

Water that falls from the atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Interception

The process by which vegetation delays rainfall reaching the ground.

Surface Runoff

Water running on the surface that cannot infiltrate into the ground.

Infiltration

The process of water being absorbed into the soil.

Throughflow

Water flowing through soil towards a river.

Percolation

The process of water sinking through rocks.

Groundwater flow

Water flowing from rocks into the river.

Discharge

The flow of water in a river.

Evaporation

The process of water turning into water vapor due to heating.

Condensation

The process of vapor changing back into water droplets due to cooling.

Gradient

The steepness of the slope of land.

Load

The material that a river is carrying, such as pebbles, stones, and mud.

Traction

The method of transportation in which large rocks roll along the riverbed.

Saltation

The method of transportation in which medium-sized particles bounce or leapfrog in the water.

Suspension

The method of transportation where fine particles are carried within the water.

Deposition

The process of dropping the load that a river is carrying.

Oxbow lake

A cut-off lake formed from the river meandering.

Floodplain

A flat area that is covered in water during floods.

Natural Levees

Ridges built up along the banks of a river from coarsest material deposited during floods.

Afforestation

The planting of trees to intercept and store water.

Urbanization

The expansion of urban areas resulting in more impermeable surfaces.

Hydraulic Action

The sheer force of water that erodes rock and soil.

Abrasion/Corrasion

The scraping action of the river's load against the riverbed and banks.

Attrition

The process where rocks and stones hit each other, breaking up into smaller pieces.

Corrosion

The chemical reaction that dissolves minerals in the river.

Flood Management Strategy

Methods to mitigate the impacts of flooding, including both hard and soft engineering solutions.

Hard Engineering

Physical structures built to control water flow and reduce flooding.

Soft Engineering

Natural methods used to manage flood risks such as afforestation and land use zoning.