The Drainage Basin System

These icons indicate that teacher’s notes or useful web addresses are available in the Notes Page.

This icon indicates that the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable.
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.
1 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Learning objectives

What is a drainage basin?

How does the drainage basin system operate?
What is a flood hydrograph?
What factors influence the shape of a flood hydrograph?

2 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

What is a drainage basin?
Tributary
Mouth A river which joins a larger river.
Where the river
flows into the sea,
or sometimes a Catchment
lake. The area from
which water drains
Watershed into a particular
The boundary drainage basin.
dividing one
drainage basin
from another- a
ridge of high Source
land. The upland area
where the river
Confluence
begins.
The point at which two rivers join.

3 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Do you know your drainage basin terminology?

4 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Watershed
The drainage basin of the Afon Caerfanell, a tributary of
the River Usk, South Wales.

the watershed can

be clearly seen on
this photograph

5 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The confluence of two rivers

6 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Match the label to the correct letter

Watershed
c
Confluence

Tributary b

Source
d

7 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Sketch the river showing its catchment

Add the following labels – Watershed, Confluence, Tributary

8 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Learning objectives

What is a drainage basin?

How does the drainage basin system operate?
What is a flood hydrograph?
What factors influence the shape of a flood hydrograph?

9 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

How does the drainage basin system operate?

A drainage basin system is a part of the world’s

hydrological (water) cycle:
The hydrological cycle is a closed system.
The drainage basin is an open system.
You should be able to explain why once you have seen
the following slides!

10 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The water cycle – more detailed

11 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The water cycle – definitions!

12 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The drainage basin

13 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Drainage basin system
precipitation

interception

evapotranspiration

infiltration

percolation

river
water table

14 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Drainage basin system

inputs stores and flows outputs

precipitation interception river runoff

surface water storage evaporation

surface runoff transpiration

infiltration
soil water storage
throughflow
percolation
groundwater storage

groundwater flow
15 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Drainage basin terms

16 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Drainage basin system

17 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Learning objectives

What is a drainage basin?

How does the drainage basin system operate?
What is a flood hydrograph?
What factors influence the shape of a flood hydrograph?

18 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

What is a flood hydrograph?

19 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Hydrographs
Peak discharge

Falling
Rising
limb
limb
storm flow

normal (base) flow

I = Lagtime Peak rainfall

Write a definition of lagtime.

Calculate the lagtime shown on this hydrograph.
20 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Learning objectives

What is a drainage basin?

How does the drainage basin system operate?
What is a flood hydrograph?
What factors influence the shape of a flood
hydrograph?

21 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Hydrographs

Geology and soil Gradient of the valley sides

What affects the shape

of a hydrograph?

Land use Drainage density

Type and amount of precipitation

22 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
How do trees reduce flooding?

trees intercept the rain

evapotranspiration
reduces the amount
of water that
reaches the river

water is taken through the roots

and so less enters the river

23 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

What factors influence the shape of a hydrograph?

The hydrographs ‘a’ and ‘b’ have been produced from the
same storm event but from different drainage basins.

24 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Hydrographs

Imagine that these two areas have had the same

amount of rain over a 24-hour period. Draw a possible
hydrograph for each of these areas.

A B

25 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Hydrographs

What could cause 2 peaks in a hydrograph?

26 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Hydrographs

Compare these two hydrographs.

Which one has the largest lag time? Explain your answer.

27 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

What do you know about drainage basins?

28 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Key ideas

A drainage basin is an area of land drained by a main

river and its tributaries.
The hydrological (water) cycle is the global circulation of
water. It is a closed system.
A drainage basin system is one part of the hydrological
cycle. It is an open system as it has inputs and
outputs.
A flood hydrograph shows how a river’s discharge
changes in response to a rainfall event.
The shape of a flood hydrograph is influenced by a
range of physical and human factors.

29 of 29 © Boardworks Ltd 2005