The point at which a

Confluence tributary joins the main river

channel.

The area of land drained by

Drainage a river and its tributaries

Basin

Mouth Where a river enters the

sea.

Source The start of a river

Tributary A small river feeding a

large river channel
 The boundary between two
Watershed drainage basins (a ridge of
high land)

Precipitation Rain, hail, sleet or snow

(Input)

Groundwater Water stored in porous

rocks deep below the
ground
(Store)

Interception When water droplets collect

on trees and plants
(Store)

Soil Moisture Water stored in the soil and

broken rocks near the
surface
(Store)
 Surface When water lies on the
Storage ground as puddles
(Store)

Infiltration When surface water soaks

down into the soil
(Transfer)

Groundwater The very slow movement of

water deep below the
flow ground
(Transfer)

Water moving downwards

Percolation through the soil into the
rocks below
(Transfer)

Surface The movement of water

over the surface as a
Runoff stream or river
(Transfer)
 The movement of water
Throughflow laterally downhill through
soils
(Transfer)

When water changes to

Evaporation water vapour when the sun
heats it
(Output)

Transpiration Water vapour released by

trees and plants
(Output)

Erosion caused by the

Abrasion rubbing and scouring effect
of material carried by the
rivers. (also known as
corrasion)

Process of river erosion by

Attrition which particles are reduced
in size as they hit against
each other
 Process of river erosion by
Corrosion which chemical action
wears away rocks

Hydraulic Process of river erosion in

which the sheer force of
Action water breaks off rock

Process of river transport

Saltation by which small particles
bounce along the bed.

Process of river transport

Solution by which material is carried
dissolved in the water

Process of river transport

Suspension by which material is carried
along within the water
 Process of river transport
Traction by which material is rolled
along the bed

When a river loses energy

Deposition and drops some or all of
the material it is carrying.

An area flooded when a

Floodplain river bursts its bank

Gorge A steep sided valley

Meander A bend in the river

 A crescent shaped lake
Ox-bow lake formed when a river cuts
through the neck of a
meander.

A hollow at the base of a

Plunge Pool waterfall caused by erosion
(hydraulic action)

Area of fast moving water,

Rapids usually travelling over a
gentle slope

V-shaped A long narrow valley

formed by vertical river
valley erosion creating a
distinctive “v” in the
landscape

A vertical or near vertical

Waterfall drop of water resulting from
a sudden change in the
river gradient.
 A raised embankment of
alluvium flanking a river
Levee channel, formed due to the
deposition of alluvium when
a river floods its banks.

The volume of water in the

Discharge river at a given point at any
given time (measured in
cumecs)

The part of a hydrograph

Falling Limb showing the river levels
dropping back to normal

A graph showing the

Hydrograph changes in the discharge of
a river over a period of
time.

The period of time between

Lag Time peak rainfall and peak river
discharge.
 Maximum Highest rainfall total
Rainfall reached

Maximum The greatest discharge

Discharge reached during flood event.

The part of a hydrograph

Rising Limb showing the rise in river
levels