[ f l o o d i n g : g l o s s a r y ]
Below are definitions of important flood terms.
- artificial levee: raised banks that increase a river’s water capacity
- bypass channels: special structures that redirect overflowing dam water
- coastal flooding: seashore flooding caused by high tides usually brought about by storms
- concrete dam: a man-made dam erected across a river valley to hold back water
- cumulonimbus: a very large thundercloud that brings heavy rain, hail, or snow
- dam: a barrier made of any material, which stops the flow of rivers and streams
- delta: a triangular area of swampy land created here the mouth of a river branches into several streams
- dike: a barrier usually made of earth, which runs alongside a river to keep it from overflowing at high water
- dysentery: an infection of the intestine caused by drinking polluted water
- earthen dams: dams made up of earth and stone
- embankment: raised banks that increase a river’s water capacity
- flash flood: a faster, more dangerous flow of water that results from tropical storms, dam failures, or excessive rain and snow; the flooding of an area that occurs in a matter of hours
- flood: the submerging with water of a normally dry area
- floodgates: locks or gates built across a river, which can be opened or closed to prevent flooding downstream
- flood barriers: special structures built across river mouths to prevent flooding
- flood plain: the plain next to a river where flooding occurs
- levee: a barrier usually made of earth or clay, which runs alongside a waterway to keep it from overflowing
- reservoir: a body of water stored in an artificial or natural pond or lake
- spillway: a specially built structure to catch overflowing water from dams
- tropical storm: an ocean storm that forms in the tropics
- typhoid: a dangerous infectious fever caused by drinking polluted water
- wetlands: land, such as a bog or marsh, that has wet and spongy soil
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Forces of Nature: ThinkQuest 2000 (Team #C003603)
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/flooding/glossary.shtml