Revise

This week you will revise rivers. It would help if you covered the following:

The shape of river valleys changes as rivers  flow downstream:

• The long profile and changing cross profile of a river and its valley.

Fluvial processes:

• erosion – hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution, vertical and lateral erosion
• transportation – traction, saltation, suspension and solution
• deposition – why rivers deposit sediment.

Distinctive  fluvial landforms result from different physical processes:

• Characteristics and formation of landforms resulting from erosion – interlocking spurs, waterfalls and gorges.
• Characteristics and formation of landforms resulting from erosion and deposition – meanders and ox-bow lakes.
• Characteristics and formation of landforms resulting from deposition – levées,  floodplains and estuaries.
• An example of a river valley in the UK to identify its major landforms of erosion and deposition.

Different management strategies can be used to protect river landscapes from the effects of  flooding:

• How physical and human factors affect the flood risk – precipitation, geology, relief and land use.
• The use of hydrographs to show the relationship between precipitation and discharge.
• The costs and benefits of the following management strategies:
  hard engineering – dams and reservoirs, straightening, embankments,  flood relief channels
  soft engineering –  flood warnings and preparation,  floodplain zoning, planting trees and river restoration.

An example of a flood management scheme (Boscastle | Jubilee River | Banbury) in the UK to show:

• why the scheme was required
• the management strategy
• the social, economic and environmental issues.

Use one of the three strategies below to revise these areas.