Chapter 13

The ________ describes the movement of water through Earth's hydrosphere.

________ are components of the hydrologic cycle that release water vapor directly to the atmosphere.

How does urbanization (paving, etc.) affect runoff and infiltration in a small, previously forested, drainage basin?

A ________ stream pattern is developed only on growing mountains like volcanoes or where the land surface is tectonically doming upward.

What is the drop in water surface elevation divided by the distance the water flows?

The ________ River has the largest discharge of any in the world.

Which one of the following is TRUE concerning a major river system? Upstream tributaries generally have higher competencies than the major river. Upstream tributaries generally have lower gradients than the major river. Discharge decreases below junctions with perennial tributaries. Channel bed roughness and turbulence generally increase downstream.

________ describes the total sediment load transported by a stream.

Which of the following must result in a lower base level for rivers and streams? Sea level falls; land subsides. Sea level falls; land rises. Sea level rises; land subsides. Sea level rises; land rises.

Which of the following features characterize wide streams and valleys? V-shaped valley cross-sections natural levees; broad floodplains rapids; channel bed potholes waterfalls; entrenched meanders

T/F: The lowest base level for most streams is sea level.

T/F: A V-shaped valley and no floodplain indicate a youthful, downcutting stream.

At the head of a delta, the major channel splits into smaller channels that follow different paths to the sea. These smaller channels are known as ________.

T/F: Foreset beds are part of a deltaic depositional sequence

T/F: Urbanization lowers peak discharges on small streams by routing the runoff directly to the stream.

Which one of the following statements is TRUE concerning natural levees? They form the high, steep banks of a downcutting stream. They are depositional features formed at times of low discharge. They are mostly fine sand and silt that build up during floods. They are erosional features left behind when meander cutoff occurs.

A natural, meandering, river channel is modified into a more or less straight and smooth, canal-like channel. Which of the following statements is correct? The natural channel had a lower gradient and less friction than the modified channel. All of the above statements are true. The straight channel has a higher gradient and more friction than the natural channel. The natural channel had a lower gradient and higher friction than the straight channel.

Which stream-channel-cutting process is most likely to create features called potholes?

In a braided stream system, in which direction do bars primarily grow?

Why will a narrow, deep river tend to have a higher maximum flow velocity than a wide, shallow one?

What is the difference between the capacity and competence of a stream?