Manning’s School

Geography | Fifth (5th) Form | 5 Orange/Yellow

Fluvial Processes

Fluvial – a term used to describe the processes and landforms associated with rivers.

Roughly 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. Most of this water is
contained in our oceans. Some of it exists in our rivers and lakes. Much of it is frozen
in the ice sheets which exist in the northernmost and southernmost parts of our planet.
Some of it is found underground. Water is also found in our atmosphere as water
vapour.
Through a variety of processes, water is constantly moving around the planet. Rivers
flow into the oceans or lakes. Water evaporates from bodies of water (such as seas
and lakes) or the land and enters the atmosphere. Some of the water in the atmosphere
falls back to the Earth as rain, snow or even hail. Some water seeps into the ground to
join the stores of groundwater. Some of the water in the soil is taken up by the roots of
plants. Plants release water vapour into the atmosphere through their leaves. This
continuous movement of water from point to point on or below the earth’s surface and
between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere is known as the hydrologic cycle or
the water cycle. The diagram below shows many of the processes involved in the water
cycle.

The Water Cycle

 The Hydrological (Water) Cycle
Over 97% of the world’s water is stored in oceans and seas. These water bodies make
up about 70% of the surface of the Earth. The remaining stores of water are in:
 Ice and snow – 2.1%
 Groundwater (soil and rocks) – 0.6%
 Rivers and lakes – 0.1%
 Water vapour in the atmosphere – 0.001%
Water from the atmosphere falls as rain or snow. When it reaches the ground, most of it
flows into rivers and returns to the sea. Some snowfall is stored in ice caps and glaciers.
This pattern of circulation is known as the hydrological cycle or the water cycle.
Hydrology is the study of the earth’s water.
Water is transferred from:
i. The sea and land to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.
ii. The atmosphere to the land and sea by precipitation, falling as rain or snow
iii. The land to the oceans by rivers, streams, and groundwater seepage.
The three main processes in the hydrological cycle are evaporation, condensation
and precipitation.

1. Evaporation
This is the process in which liquid water is changed in water vapour which is a gas.
Evaporation takes place mainly from surface water. Energy is needed for it to occur.
The energy comes from the sun’s heat and from wind. Look how quickly water
evaporates from a concrete or tarmac surface on a very hot day compared with a cooler
day!
Evaporation is also faster on a windy day compared with the calm day.
Evaporation from water surfaces on land would not be enough to keep rivers and lakes
full and provide the human population with drinking water. Fortunately, large amounts of
water evaporated from the seas and oceans are carried by air masses on to land where
condensation and precipitation take place.

2. Condensation
This is the process by which water vapour changes into water droplets. It happens when
water vapour is cooled to a level known as dew point. Condensation forms clouds and
can also occur at the surface as fog. Condensation is crucial to the water cycle because
it is responsible for the formation of clouds.
3. Precipitation
This occurs when water in any form falls from the atmosphere to the surface. This is
mainly as rain, snow, sleet and hail. Thus, water is constantly recycled between the sea,
air and land.

The Drainage Basin System

When precipitation reaches the surface it can follow a number of different pathways. A
small amount falls directly into rivers as direct channel precipitation. The rest falls on
to vegetation on the ground. If heavy rains have fallen previously and all the air pockets
in the soil (pore spaces) are full of water, the soil is said to be saturated. Because the
soil is unable to take in any more water, the rain flows on the surface under the
influence of gravity. This is called surface runoff or overland flow.
If the soil is not saturated, rainwater will soak into it. If the rock below the soil is
permeable (allows water), the rainwater continues to soak down into the rock. It
eventually comes to impermeable rock (which does not allow water into it). The
underground water level builds up to the surface from here. It does not remain
stationary but flows downslope under gravity. The upper level of underground water is
the water table. Water contained in rocks is known as groundwater and water that
moves in rocks is called groundwater flow. Rocks that hold groundwater is known as
an aquifer.

A spring occurs when underground water emerges at the surface. This happens where:
 A permeable rock such as limestone covers an impermeable rock such as clay.
Rainwater that can percolate the impermeable rock below. This water will
emerge at the surface as a sprig provided the water table is above surface level.

 When the water table in a normally dry area reaches the surface during a period
of unusually heavy rain. Such springs only flow for only a short period of time.
Throughflow is the term for water flowing through the soil. Infiltration is the passage of
water into the soil. Percolation is the downward movement of water within soil or rock.
Rainwater can be intercepted by vegetation. Interception is greatest in the wet season
when trees and plants have most leaves. Some rainwater is stored on leaves and then
evaporated directly into the atmosphere. The remaining intercepted water drips to the
ground from leaves and branches and trickles down tree trunks or plant stems
(stemflow) to the reach the ground.
Vegetation takes in moisture through its root system. It loses some of this into the air by
transpiration. Surface water is also lost by evaporation. The combination of the two as
evapotranspiration.
Inputs are where water enters the system. Stores are places where water is held.
Transfers are where water is flowing through the drainage basin system. Outputs are
where water is lost to the system.
In some countries precipitation is fairly even during the year. However, in other
countries there may be distinct wet and dry seasons. In the Caribbean, rivers may dry
up completely for several months. In deserts, small river channels may be dry for most
of the time.
 Added Vocabulary is no big deal!!!
Evaporation is the process by which a liquid is converted into vapour. This
occurs on the surface of a liquid.

Transpiration is the process by which plants lose water through their leaves.
Water vapour escapes through tiny openings called stomata in the leaves.

Evapotranspiration is the loss of water from the land by evaporation and

transpiration.

Condensation is the process by which vapour is converted into a liquid. In the

diagram it refers to water vapour being converted into water droplets in the
atmosphere.

Precipitation refers to any of the forms in which water falls from the
atmosphere and reaches the ground including rain, snow or hail.

Infiltration is the process by which water enters the soil.

Percolation is the process by which water moves downward through the soil.