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aquifer
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Rivers
terminology for rivers
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| aquifer | body of rock that is sufficiently permeable to allow for wells and springs |
| arid | region with low precipitation that does not allow agriculture without irrigation |
| bed | the bottom of a channel |
| canal | constructed open channel for transporting water |
| channel | area that contains continuously flowing water confined by banks/streambed |
| condensation | change of state in which gas becomes liquid by cooling |
| confluence | the point at which rivers meet |
| contaminate | to make impure or unclean by contact or mixture |
| delta | a river mouth with sediments causing the main channel to split into smaller channels |
| depletion | water is consumed within a service area and no longer available |
| depth | the measurement of the height of water in the river |
| discharge | the amount of water passing a specific point at a given time |
| drainage basin | the land that is drained by a river and its tributaries |
| dredging | removing sediments from waterways to make them deeper and wider |
| drought | periods of below usual precipitation causing a serious hydrological imbalance |
| erosion | the wearing away of the bed and banks of the river |
| evaporation | physical process by which a liquid/solid is transformed to the gaseous state |
| evapotranspiration | water transpired by plant tissues and evaporated from water bodies |
| flash flood | sudden flood of great volume, usually caused by a heavy rain |
| flood plain | the wide, flat floor of a river valley consisting of sediments deposited by the river |
| flow | the amount of water passing a particular point in a stream or river |
| groundwater | subsurface water and underground streams |
| groundwater table | the upper level of the ground water |
| hydrograph | a curve showing stream discharge over time |
| infiltration | the movement of water through the soil surface into the soil |
| interception | when water is absorbed and collected by vegetation (store) |
| kinetic energy | comes from the movement of the water |
| landslide | a movement of earth mass down a steep slope |
| load | the particles of rock carried by a river |
| meander | the winding of a stream channel, usually in an erodible alluvial valley |
| mouth | where a river ends, at a lake or the sea |
| percolation | the downward movement of water through the soil to a groundwater table |
| permeability | the capability of soil or other geologic formations to transmit water |
| potential energy | a still body of water above sea level has a certain amount of stored energy |
| precipitation | an input where water is introduced to the drainage basin system |
| runoff | water that flows over the ground and reaches a stream resulting from rainfall/snowmelt |
| salinity | the concentration of mineral salts dissolved in water |
| sediment | small fragments of rock and soil that form layers |
| sedimentation | the combined processes of soil erosion, transport and deposition |
| sewage | the liquid waste from domestic, commercial, and industrial establishments |
| silt | substrate particles smaller than sand and larger than clay |
| source | where a river starts, usually in the mountains - spring |
| surface runoff/overland flow | water moves across the surface of the earth becoming a stream |
| surface storage | the total volume of water held on the Earth's surface |
| transportation | to move objects or people from one place to another |
| tributary | small river that joins the main river channel |
| velocity | the speed of the water flow |
| wash | to carry, erode, remove, or destroy by the action of moving water |
| water cycle | the system where water is constantly moving above, on or below the earth’s |
| watershed | the highland separating one river basin from another |
Created by:
mbuchel
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