Water Surface Movement- Chapter 9

Meander

A bend or curve in a stream channel caused by moving water.

divide

A divide is an elevated land area that seperates one wateshed from another.

flood

A flood occurs when water spills over the sides of a streams banks onto the ajacent land.

Oxbow lakes

A lake that was formerly part of the channel of a meandering stream.

Suspension

A meothod of transpotation for all particles small enough to be held up by the turbulence of a stream's moving water.

tributaries

All streams flow downslope to lower elevations. Getting wider and longer turning into small river or stream that flows in to a larger river or stream; a branch of the river

stream bank

Ground bordering each side of a stream that keeps the moving water confined

rate of precipitation

How much rain falls per ___. Light rain more likely to infiltrate than heavy rain.

base level

Lowest elevation to which the stream can erode downward, for many streams, the water surface level of the body of water into which they flow

wet land

Marshes, swamps, bogs. Saturated with water and support aquatic plants.

Solution

Minerals that are dissolved in a stream's water are called materials in a solution.

Origin of lakes

Oxbow Lakes, Landslides, Glacial Origins, Meteore

rejuvenation

Process during which a stream resumes downcutting toward its base level, increasing its rate of flow

vegetation

Soil that contains grasses or other vegetation and allows more water to enter the ground than soil without vegetation.

suspension

Suspension is the method of transport for all particles small enough to be held up by the tubulence of a stream's moving water.

Stream Carrying Capacity

The ability of a stream to transport material. Depends on both the velocity and the amount of water moving in the stream

flood plains

The broad flat area that extends out from the streams banks and are covered by the excess water are called the floodplains.

eutrophication

The buildup over time of nutrients in freshwater lakes and ponds that leads to an increase in the growth of algae

Stream Load

The material that a stream carries (rock, mud, silt) Stream load is carried in three ways 1.Suspension 2. Load bed 3. Solution

soil composition

The physical and chemical composition, which affects its water-holding capacity.

stream channel

The portion of a stream with the greatest depth. The path along which a stream is currently flowing on a flood plain.

water discharge

Volume of water moving through a channel at a given place, per unit time

Run Off

Water running downslope along earth's surface

Stream systems

Water that doesn't go into the ground. Some surface water flows in thin sheets and eventually collects in small channels, which are the physical areas where streams flow.

Flood stages

When the water level in a stream rises higher than its banks, the river is said to be at flood stage.

lake

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

meander

a curve in a stream

Alluvial fan

a fan-shaped mass of material deposited by a stream when the slope of the land decreases sharply

delta

a low triangular area where a river divides before entering a larger body of water

watershed

all of the land that drains into a body of water.

slope

any land whose surface gradually rises in a general direction. The steeper the slope the quicker the water will run off and quicker erosion.

bed load

sand, pebbles, and boulders that are moved along the bed of a stream and that are too heavy to be carried in suspension

Water Cycle

the continuous process by which water moves from earth's surface to the atmosphere and back. the water molecules eventually evaporate back to the atmosphere, form clouds, fall as precipitation and the cycle repeats.

Discharge

the measure of the volume of the stream water that flows past a particular location within a given period of time. Discharge=average widthxaverage depthxaverage velocity

pore space

the space between soil particles

ground water

water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers

infiltration

water that is absorbed by the soil and funneled down to groundwater