HigherHydrosphere

Drainage Basins [Date]

Today I will:- Know what a drainage basin is- Be able to explain it in terms of inputs, processes or outputs

HigherHydrosphere

A drainage basin is part of the

hydrological cycle and may be viewed

as an individual system with inputs,

storage and outputs.

Sea/Ocean

Sea/Ocean

Sea/Ocean

Sea/Ocean

Main Channel

Another Drainage Basin

Sea/Ocean

The Source of the river is where it

starts

Sea/Ocean

A tributary is a stream or smaller river that

flows into a larger one

Sea/Ocean

A confluence is where a small river joins a

larger one

Sea/Ocean

A watershed is a boundary of a drainage

basin

Sea/Ocean

The catchment area is the area from where

water flows into the river

Sea/Ocean

A mouth is the end of a river

HigherHydrosphere

1. Read ‘The Drainage Basin as an Open System’ on pages 47 and 48

2. Answer questions 4 and 5 on page 64

HigherHydrosphere

Q: Describe the movement of water in a drainage basin

Each drainage basin is a system with inputs, outputs, stores and transfers. Inputs are where water enters the system through precipitation (rain or snow). Stores are places where water is held e.g. in pools and lakes on the surface or in soil and rocks in the ground. Transfers are processes by which water flows or moves through the system e.g. infiltration, surface runoff and through flow. Outputs are where water is lost to the system either by rivers carrying it to the sea or direct to the atmosphere through water lost by evaporation or transpired by plants.