Water that flows into a river traveling through the ground
7 of 39
Groundwater
Rainwater that has soaked down through the ground and fills up in the cracks in the rocks below
8 of 39
Erosion
The wearing away and break down of rock by the force of water
9 of 39
Solution
Water dissolves the river bank and bed
10 of 39
Abrasion
Rocks and stones scraping away at the banks and beds
11 of 39
Attrition
Rocks and stones hitting into each other and wearing each other away
12 of 39
Hydraulic action
The force of the water wearing away at the rocks
13 of 39
Transportation
Movement of eroded material
14 of 39
Suspension
Small light particles of rock carried along by the river
15 of 39
Traction
Rolling of rocks and stones along the river bed
16 of 39
Saltation
Small pebbles are bounced along the river bed
17 of 39
Source
The starting point of a river
18 of 39
Drainage Basin
The land around a river from which water drains into a river
19 of 39
Tributary
A river that flows into a larger river
20 of 39
Watershed
A line that separates one drainage basin from another
21 of 39
Confluence
The point where two rivers meet
22 of 39
Flood plain
Flat land around a river that gets flooded
23 of 39
River channel
The river flows in this
24 of 39
Mouth
When the river flows into a lake, sea or ocean
25 of 39
River bed
The bottom of a river
26 of 39
Long profile
The side view of a river from source to mouth showing how the river changes
27 of 39
Upper course
The narrow, steep, upper part of a river that can contain waterfalls.
28 of 39
Middle course
The wider, deeper channel, contains meanders and ox-bow lakes.
29 of 39
Lower course
The widest, flattest part of the river, near the mouth, floodplains are here
30 of 39
Waterfalls
Where a river or stream flows over a steep drop
31 of 39
Meander
A bend in a river
32 of 39
Floodplain
Flat land around a river that gets flooded when a river overflows
33 of 39
Estuary
The wide mouth of a river where river water and sea mix
34 of 39
Embankments
High banks either side of the river to stop rivers overflowing
35 of 39
Dams and reservoirs
Dams (huge walls) are built across rivers forming a reservoir (man-made lake) behind it. There reservoirs store water so the river cannot overflow.
36 of 39
Dredging
Using heavy machinery, the river is widened and deepened. The river can then hold more water so does not overflow.
37 of 39
Afforestation
Planting new trees increases interception. This reduces surface run-off which reduces the risk of a flood.
38 of 39
Monitoring
Measuring how much water is in the river more often means we will know when water levels are increasing . This means we can warn people, reducing the impacts.
Comments
No comments have yet been made