Rivers

Question 1

What is Precipitation?

Answer 1

Rain, hail, sleet or snow

Question 2

What is Interception?

Answer 2

When water droplets collect on trees and plants.

Question 3

What is Infiltration?

Answer 3

When surface water soaks into the soil.

Question 4

What is Percolation?

Answer 4

Water moving downwards through the soil into rocks below.

Question 5

What is Surface Runoff?

Answer 5

Water moving across the ground as a stream or river.

Question 6

What is Throughflow?

Answer 6

Water flowing downhill through the soil.

Question 7

What is Groundwater Flow?

Answer 7

Very slow water movement deep below the ground.

Question 8

What does a hydrograph show?

Answer 8

A river’s discharge over a period of time.

Question 9

What is Peak Flow on a hydrograph?

Answer 9

When the river’s discharge is at its highest.

Question 10

What is the Rising Limb on a hydrograph?

Answer 10

It shows the increase in the river’s discharge.

Question 11

What is the Falling Limb on a hydrograph?

Answer 11

It shows the decrease in discharge as the river goes back to normal.

Question 12

What is Lag Time on a hydrograph?

Answer 12

How long it takes for the rainwater to enter the river channel.

Question 13

What is Base Flow on a hydrograph?

Answer 13

The normal discharge flow of a river.

Question 14

What is a “flashy” hydrograph?

Answer 14

One with a short lag time and high peak flow which indicates a high flood risk

Question 15

What is a “slow flow” hydrograph?

Answer 15

One with a long lag time and a lower peak flow which indicates less flood risk

Question 16

What is a Hard Engineering river management strategy?

Answer 16

A strategy that involves building artificial structures to control a river.

Question 17

How do Dams and Reservoirs work as a flood defence?

Answer 17

They store water in a reservoir to be released when rainfall is low.

Question 18

What is an advantage of dams and reservoirs?

Answer 18

They can store lots of water.

Question 19

What is a disadvantage of dams and reservoirs?

Answer 19

They cost a lot of money and the reservoir floods huge areas of land.

Question 20

How does Channel Straightening work?

Answer 20

It involves cutting through meanders to create a shorter

Question 21

What is an advantage of Channel Straightening?

Answer 21

It speeds up water flow and prevents the channel from collapsing.

Question 22

What is a disadvantage of Channel Straightening?

Answer 22

It can look unnatural and damage wildlife habitats.

Question 23

What is a Soft Engineering river management strategy?

Answer 23

Adapting to a river and working with natural processes.

Question 24

What is Floodplain Zoning?

Answer 24

A soft engineering strategy that restricts land use based on flood risk, for example reserving areas for grazing instead of housing

Question 25

What is River Restoration?

Answer 25

A soft engineering strategy that involves removing hard engineering structures to return a river to its natural state.