Mark scheme for Test 2 Hydrology (6/4/09)

1. (a) (i) Describe how precipitation intensity can 

affect discharge in a river channel.  [4]

Precipitation intensity, such as high intensity 
rainfall occur during convectional thunderstorms, 
where heavy rain lead to high infiltration capacity 
of the soil causing large quantities of surface 
runoff and a rapid rise in river discharge. 

Low intensity such as light or drizzle rainfall less 
infiltration occurs thus less runoff occur lead to 
decrease in river discharge.

(ii) Briefly describe the process of interception 
and give reasons why it is of importance in the 
hydrological system.  [3]

By Muhammad Izzat Zainal (block 3)
Interception storage is a process where the
precipitation water will fall onto leaves
before it falls directly into the ground via
stemflow or throughfall. It is important in
the hydrological system because it controls
the amount of water that reaches the
ground and control flooding to occurs. if too
much water flows on the surface without
being intercepted by leaves, surface runoff
occurs and may lead to flooding. Another
reason is without vegetation covered,
rainwater washed soil into stream (soil
erosion) and will increase river bed thus
increase river discharge cause flooding to
occur.

(b) Using simple sketch hydrographs,

explain how a change in land use in a
drainage basin from woodland to
urbanisation may affect river discharge.
[8]

Draw storm hydrograph

(i) Urban land use-flashy storm
hydrograph (steep rising and falling
limbs, shorter lag time and high peak
discharge
(ii) Woodland-gentle slope graph with
gentle rising and falling limbs, longer
lagtime and low peak discharge.
 Then you describe how it has steep rising
and falling limbs-run off and infiltration
rate & interception rate, permeable and
impermeable ground, time to reach the
stream (lagtime) then produce peak/low
discharge.

(c) How can the abstraction (removal) and

the storage of water by humans affect flows
and stores within a drainage basin.
[10]

Abstraction occurs not only directly from channel flow

(irrigation, water supplies etc.) but also from groundwater
sources through wells, boreholes etc. The former will affect
discharge levels whilst the latter will affect water tables,
baseflow and ultimately channel flow. Storage will be seen
largely in terms of reservoirs. These increase surface storage,
regulate channel flow, ironing out flood peaks etc. It also
deprives water from the lower parts of the catchment (e.g. Nile,
Colorado etc.). Evapotranspiration rates may also increase as
may groundwater supplies in part of the catchment and
decrease elsewhere. Good answers will consider these
elements in terms of changes to stores and flows.
2. (a) (i) Briefly define the term water
balance.
[4]

Water balance is balance between inputs and 
outputs in hydrological cycle. The major input 
is precipitation such as rain or snow. Output is 
where water move out of the system by 
process of river run­off or loss or return back 
to atmosphere by process of 
evapotranspiration from both plants and 
animals. Water balance can be expressed 
using an equation:

P (Precipitation) = Q (run­off) + E (Evapotranspitation) + 
/­ Stores.

(ii) Describe one reason why the water 

balance may vary over time.  [3]
Seasonal nature of precipitation,
major input in hydrological cycle
such as rain or snow and output
which is the change of stores. For
example the seasonal requirement
of plants and animals through
uptake and abstract water from not
only surface storage such as ponds,
lake or river channel or ground
water storage for own use, such as
for water supplies, domestics and
irrigation.

(b) Using a labelled diagram (or diagrams) 
describe how water moves through a 
catchment system.  [8]
Habibah (Block 3)
The major input of the hydrological cycle is
precipitation. When precipitation occur,
some of the water intercepted onto leaves
of vegetation (plants & trees) which shelters
underlying ground to form interception
storage. Some may directly fall
onto the earth’s surface and store in surface
depression such as lake, puddles as surface
storage. After sometimes, the plants can no
more hold water, thus drip from the plants
as throughfall or run down the stem/thrunk
to reach the ground by stemflow. Some of
the water will infiltrate into the ground until
maximum rate of infiltration is reached and
held in soil as soil moisture storage. The
water that cannot infiltrate will flow as
surface run-off. After sometime the water
that is being infiltrated will move laterally by
throughflow to reach stream or downward
due to gravity deep into the soil and in
bedrocks via cracks and joints to form
saturated rock known as groundwater
storage. Groundwater will be discharge into
stream by baseflow. Water will return back
to atmosphere by process of
evapotranspiration.

(c) Explain the ways in which human 
activities can affect the flows of water in a 
catchment
system.  [10]

Human activities such as land use changes from woodland to

urbanisation and abstraction of water can affect the flows of water in a
catchment system.

In the first example of land use changes when people cut down trees in
woodland areas for urbanisation the water falls directly onto the ground
without being intercepted, much water overflow on land surface as run-
off thus increase river discharge. The ground which is covered with
tarmac and concrete for road building and buildings, and building gutter
or drains further increase surface run-off and water is quickly diverted
into river increasing discharge further since no water infiltrate into
impermeable ground.

In the second example human abstract water from ground water storage
for water supplies by building wells and boreholes in aquifer can affect
lead to fall in water table and decrease amount of groundwater. It also
decrease amount of river discharge when people use up water in
surface storage such as stream, pond and lake for water supplies and
irrigation.

Another example is when people build dam to prevent flooding where

water is store behind dam thus increases surface storage. Unfortunately
it decreases the amount of discharge downstream.