Rivers, Floods and Management

• Catchment area where a river system obtains its water.
• The watershed(imagnary line) seperates one basin from another- generally follows a ridge of highland, water will fall either side creation the two seperate basins.
• Open system with inputs and outputs.

INPUTS: - Evaporation-> energy from the sun              

-Precipitaion-> rain, snow or sleet

OUTPUTS: - Evaporation and Transporation-> plants              

-Water percolating deep into the ground where it can be lost in the system.

STORAGE: - On the surface - glaciers, lakes, rivers, puddles
                    -Vegetation stores water by interception and plants
                    -The soil can hold water
                    - Groundwater is stored in permeable rocks

TRANSFERS AND FLOWS: -Transfers include throughfall, stemflow, infiltration, throughflow and groundwater flow.