Drainage Basin (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Bridgette Barrett
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
The Drainage Basin Processes
Drainage basin
A major part of the hydrological system, drainage basins drain all the water which lands on the Earth's surface
A drainage basin is an open system
Every drainage basin is unique and is different in shape and size, with different rock types, relief and land use
Drainage basin features
All drainage basins have some features in common:
Watershed
Source
Confluence
Tributary
Mouth
Drainage Basin Features
Channel network
Every drainage basin is covered by a network of tributaries which connect to the main river channel. The numbers of tributaries in a drainage basin is referred to as the drainage density:
Drainage basins with lots of tributaries have a high drainage density
Drainage basins with few tributaries have a low drainage density
Worked Example
Study Fig 1, which shows information about flows through the drainage basin,
(i) What is meant by transpiration?
[1 mark]
Answer:
The changing of water to water vapour by plants/evaporation of water by plants/trees/vegetation [1]
(ii) Identify the processes which take place at X ,Y and Z in Fig 1.
[3 marks]
Answer:
X = Overland flow/surface run off [1]
Y = Through flow [1]
Z = Ground(water) flow [1]
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