fw.1 Drainage basin hydrology and geomorphology

Unit Contents

• fw.1.1 The drainage basin as an open system
• fw.1.2 River discharge and hydrographs
• fw.1.3 River processes - erosion, transportation and deposition
• fw.1.4 River landforms

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Geographic inquiry: How physical processes influence drainage basin systems and landforms

• The drainage basin as an open system with inputs (precipitation of varying type and intensity), outputs (evaporation and transpiration), flows (infiltration, throughflow, overland flow and base flow) and stores (including vegetation, soil, aquifers and the cryosphere)
• River discharge and its relationship to stream flow, channel characteristics and hydraulic radius
• River processes of erosion, transportation and deposition and spatial and temporal factors influencing their operation, including channel characteristics and seasonality
• The formation of typical river landforms, including waterfalls, floodplains, meanders, levees and deltas

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