Drainage basin

• What is the drainage basin?

  The area drained by a river and it’s tributaries
• What is the edge of the drainage basin called?

  Watershed
• What is the start of the river called?

  The source of the river
• What is a tributary?

  A smaller river channel that joins another
• What is a confluence?

  The point where two rivers meet
• What is precipitation?

  Rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface.
• What is percolation?

  The downwards movement of water through soil and rock
• What is evaporation?

  Water from the land and plants returns to the atmosphere as a gas due to heating
• What is transpiration

  When plants release water through their leaves back into the atmosphere
• What is stem flow?

  When water flows along the stems of plants to the ground
• What is groundwater flow?

  When water sinks into the ground but reaches impermeable rock beneath the water table, it then builds up underground and flows sideways through the soil
• What does permeable mean?

  Ground surfaces that allowed water to soak in
• What is the water table?

  The water table is the underground level at which the soil and rock are completely saturated with water.
• What is interception?

  When trees and plants catch rain water before it reaches the ground
• What is infiltration?

  When water soaks into the ground and filters into tiny pores between soil particles
• What is throughflow?

  Movement of water through the soil layer above the water table.
• What is surface runoff?

  When the ground is saturated with water and cannot absorb any more, water flows over the top of the land as it is unable to soak in
• What is the source of the river?

  The start of the river
• What is the mouth of the river?

  Where a river meets at sea or a lake