Drainage basin vocabulary
Drainage basin
the area from which a single stream or river and its tributaries drains all of the water
Source
the place where a river begins
Mouth
the place where a river enters a sea or lake
Surface runoff
water flows horizontally over the land into the river
Groundwater flow
water flows horizontally through the rock into the river
Throughflow
water flows horizontally through the soil into the river
Percolation
water flows vertically through the soils and rocks
Interception
water is stored on leaves and branches of vegetation
Infiltration
water seeps into the ground
Evaporation
water turns from water droplets into water vapour
Transpiration
water vapor is released through the stomata in the leaves
Watershed
The boundary or edge of a river basin
Channel
a narrow, deep waterway connecting two bodies of water; the deepest part of a river or waterway
Tributary
a stream or river that flows into a larger river