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