1. Geography Knowledge Organiser: Year 7 Unit 6 – Rivers
Importance of Rivers and Water Cycle
River
A river is water that flows downhill in a channel. 
Settlement
A place where people establish a community. It can be an isolate house to a large city.
Water Cycle:
This is how water is transferred from the hydrosphere (rivers, seas and oceans), the lithosphere (earth's crust) and atmosphere. It consists of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. 
Evaporation
When a solid or liquid is heated and turns into a gas.
Condensation
When a gas is cooled and turns into a liquid.
Infiltration
This is when water enters the soil.
Transpiration
This is when water evaporates from the leaves and branches of trees and plants.
Surface run-off
This is when water runs over the land surface.
Throughflow
This is when water flows through the soil that it has infiltrated.
Landforms
V-Shaped valley
V-shaped valleys are found in the mountains and hills. They are called this because they have very steep sides. V-shaped valleys are formed by erosion.
Interlocking spur
Is one of any of a number of projecting ridges that point out from the opposite sides of a V-shaped valley in the upper course of a river.
Waterfall
A waterfall is where water falls over a step of hard rock in the long profile of a river. The waterfall forms because there is softer less resistant rock beneath the hard more resistant rock, which is easier to erode. 
Gorge
A steep sided valley known that is left behind as a waterfall retreats upstream is known as a gorge.
Floodplain
A floodplain is the wide and flat land either side of the river in the middle and lower course, it gets its name from the simple fact, this land regularly floods. 
Meander
A meander is a bend in the long profile of a river. It starts as a slight bend but eventually becomes bigger and loopier due to erosion and deposition.
Ox-bow lake
A U-shaped lake that forms when a wide meander from the main channel of a river is cut off, creating a separate body of water.
Causes of Flooding
Floods occur when water overflows the river's channel and land that is not usually underwater becomes inundated. 
Natural causes:
Prolonged rainfall
Geology
Relief
Human causes:
Urbanisation
Deforestation
Agriculture
Flood Management
Soft engineering:
Soft engineering means working with the rivers natural processes to protect communities and habitats from flooding. It is not invasive and does not involve artificial (man-made) structures. 
Soft engineering strategies:
Planting trees
Floodplain zoning
Flood warnings
Hard engineering:
Hard engineering involves using artificial structures to slow down the flow of a river. It is very invasive and expensive. 
Hard engineering strategies:
Dams and reservoirs
Embankment
Channel straightening
Drainage Basins
Drainage Basin
Refers to an area of land which provides a river with its water.
Watershed
The edge of highland surrounding a drainage basin. It marks the boundary between two drainage basins.
Source
The beginning or start of a river.
Tributary
A stream or smaller river which eventually joins a larger stream or river.
Confluence
The point at which two rivers or streams join.
Channel
The main body of water in a river from source to mouth.
Mouth
The point where a river comes to an end, usually when entering a sea.
Fluvial Processes
Fluvial processes
Fluvial relates to rivers. There are three fluvial processes that shape the land; erosion, transportation and deposition. 
Erosion
This means the wearing away of land.
Transportation
This refers to how the river carries the eroded material (its load).
Deposition
This refers to the processes of the river dropping its load as it loses energy.
Hydraulic action
In a fast flowing river, water is forced into cracks in the banks and bed of a river. This breaks bits of rock off the banks and bed and wears it down. 
Abrasion
Rocks, stones and sand in the water acts almost like sandpaper and they scrape along the river banks and bed wearing it away.
Attrition
This is where rocks bang against each other and knock bits off wearing them down. This is why pebbles have curved edges, because other rocks have knocked the rough and pointed edges off. 
Traction
The heavier load is carried along the river bed. The larger stones and rocks roll along the river bed.
Suspension
Very light particles can be carried (suspended) by the river. This material can make the water look cloudy or muddy. 
Saltation
Lighter sand and stones bounce along the river bed because they're too heavy to be carried (suspended) by the river.
Solution
Smaller particles are dissolved and the solution is carried along.
Long Profile of River
Long profile
The journey a river takes from its source to mouth.
Upper course
The gradient (steepness of the land) is very steep in the upper course . The water flows quickly down the steep hill but, the channel is narrow. The source is located in the upper course.
Middle course
As the river flows through the middle course the gradient becomes less steep and the channel holds more water making it wider and deeper. 
Lower course
As the river flows through the lower course the gradient becomes almost flat. The channel is now very wide and deep. The mouth is located in the lower course.