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Samenvatting Bricks Geography thavo/tvwo volume 2 chapter 2.1 - 2.5
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Bricks Geography thavo/tvwo volume 2 chapter 2.1 - 2.5
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Geography Summary Chapter 2.170% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. 97% of this water is found in oceans, so it's
saline, or salty. This water cannot be used for drinking or bathing. Oceans play an important
role in many processes on earth, influencing the climate and also the lives of plants and
animals. The remaining 3% is freshwater, water that is not salty. Not all of this water is
located in accessible places: around 2/3 of freshwater is found in glaciers and ice caps. This
water cannot easily be used by people.
Accessible freshwater
Only 1% of freshwater is easily accessible to humans. This includes groundwater found
underground, and surface water, such as river water. This water is used for drinking and a
lot of other activities.
The water cycle
The water cycle, also called the hydrological cycle can be described as where water is found
and how it moves from one place to another. This cycle shows all movements and locations
of reservoirs of water. The ocean water evaporates and then is stored in clouds, this water
falls on mountains, and other places water reservoirs. This water can be stored in the ground
or back to the ocean.
River
Rivers mostly flow from mountains to an ocean. Rivers flow from a high area to a low area.
Water is collected from a wide area: the drainage basin. All water that falls within the
drainage basin will be moved downhill to the ocean. Either through rivers or the ground. On
its journey towards the ocean, a river might meet smaller side-rivers: tributaries. Both the
main rivers and tributaries transport water to the ocean. The boundary between 2 drainage
basins is called a watershed. The riverbed is the bottom of a river and the river banks are
the sides of a river. Both these will change on the river’s journey from the source to the
mouth.
Characteristics of the river
, From the source to the mouth, a river changes in shape and size. The upper course is the
area in the mountains, close to the source. The river is small and has big stones lying on the
riverbed. Sometimes water might fall down a waterfall. This water has a lot of energy, so the
erosion is high. In the middle course, the river is larger, and the riverbanks are further apart.
The river carries more water as some tributary rivers have joined the main river. The erosion
is lower than the upper course, and there are fewer big rocks. In the lower course, the water
received a lot of water from tributaries and confluences. The riverbanks are even further
apart. The river contains fine sediments like sand and pebbles.
Geography Summary Chapter 2.2
The Rhine
The Rhine flows through many countries. From the Swiss Alps to the Netherlands. The Rhine
is 1,230 kilometres long. The drainage basin is located in many countries, for example,
Switzerland. The Rhine is a mixed river: in the summer, most water comes from glaciers,
while in the winter it comes from rainfall. Because of the different origins, the discharge
fluctuates. The discharge of the Rhine is the highest in February and lowest in October.
The upper course of the Rhine
The Rhine starts at Lake Toma, 2,345m above sea level. The upper course ends in Bingen,
Germany. The Rhine erodes its rocky riverbed making it very steep (gradient/slope) and
high. Here the riverbanks are close to each other. Water falling from a high gradient falls
quickly. However, the discharge of the Rhine is only 114m3/s. But as more tributaries join the
main river, the discharge increases to 1,300 m3/s.
The middle course of the Rhine
Between Bingen and Bonn. At Bingen, the Rhine is 77 m above sea level. The gradient is
lower than the upper course, but the discharge is higher because of the tributaries. The river
is wider and has smaller rocks. The landscape next to the riverbanks is hilly but lower than
the upper course. In the middle course, erosion happens, but transportation is more
important: the river moves particles it has eroded. Smaller rocks are easier to transport by
the river: larger rocks are often only found in the upper course. Smaller rocks and suspended
sand particles are visible in the middle course.
The lower course of the Rhine
From Bonn to the North Sea. The discharge is the highest. At the Dutch border near Lobith,
the Rhine discharges an average of 2,290 m3/s. To make room for this water, the river is
wider and deeper. Once Rhine water crosses the Dutch border, the river splits into 3
distributaries: the Waal, the Nederrijn and the Ijssel. The water enters the delta, where
transported sediments are deposited. The sediments that are carried are small and either
suspended or dissolved. The riverbed is filled with small sediments like sand grains or silt.
The river here meanders. These large bends are created by erosion and deposition.
Meandering is the shaping of rivers over time. Structures made by people called groynes
help to limit river bank erosion and keep the depth in the middle of the river accessible for
ships.
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