New
New
Year 10
AQA

Using GIS to analyse river catchments and profiles

I can use GIS to analyse river catchments and profiles.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

Using GIS to analyse river catchments and profiles

I can use GIS to analyse river catchments and profiles.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The GIS tool 'Trace Downstream' can be used to analyse the course of a river.
  2. The GIS tool 'Create Watersheds' can be used to analyse the drainage basin (catchment) of a river.
  3. The GIS tool 'Elevation Profile' can be used to find out if a river's long profile corresponds to a theoretical model.

Keywords

  • Analysis tools - a range of GIS applications used to support the processing, analysing, and visualising of spatial data

  • Trace Downstream - a GIS tool which maps the course of a river from a location such as its source to the end of the river

  • Create Watersheds - a GIS tool which maps the drainage basin or catchment of a river and all of its tributaries

  • Elevation profile - a GIS tool which visualises changes in height above or below sea level along any transect line such as a river course

Common misconception

Difficulty in remembering meaning and location of icons in ArcGIS Online, e.g. Analysis Tools and Scene Tools.

Frequent reminders and checks for understanding about icon locations and their meanings, e.g. Analysis Tools and Scene Tools.


To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: Using GIS to analyse river catchments and profiles, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

No matter what your level of experience is with GIS, go through all the steps yourself first until you feel confident and fluent. Don't worry if you make a mistake, everybody does, even experienced practitioners!
Teacher tip

Equipment

The lesson will require students to have access to a suitable IT device, e.g. laptop and log-ons for ArcGIS Online. Some tasks would be facilitated by using a mouse to control the cursor.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a river source?
The point where a river meets the sea
A small lake in the middle of a river
A man-made dam
Correct answer: The area where a river begins
Q2.
What is the mouth of a river?
The highest point of the river
Correct answer: Where the river flows into a larger body of water
A bend in the river
The point where tributaries join
Q3.
What is a river’s watershed?
A small lake along the river
The place where a river floods
A type of water storage system
Correct answer: The area that separates different drainage basins
Q4.
What is a river catchment?
The area where the river ends
The location where the river begins
The land directly next to a river
Correct answer: The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
Q5.
What is a river profile?
A map of a river’s water temperature
A graph showing the river’s depth at different points
Correct answer: A diagram showing the change in elevation along the river’s course
A chart of the river’s discharge over time
Q6.
In which part of the river is the slope or gradient steepest?
Correct answer: Upper course
Middle course
Lower course
Mouth

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
How can GIS help analyse a river profile?
By measuring the depth of a river
Correct answer: By mapping the changes in the river's gradient and features
By determining the velocity of the river
Q2.
GIS analysis tools such as _________ Downstream can be used to analyse the course of a river.
Correct answer: Trace
Race
Visualise
Q3.
Which of these is 'a GIS tool which visualises changes in height above or below sea level along any transect line such as a river course'?
Correct answer: Elevation profile
Discharge profile
Watershead
Q4.
What is the main benefit of using GIS for river analysis?
It can create 3D models of river features
Correct answer: It allows for detailed, accurate spatial analysis and mapping
It measures river speed
It calculates the total volume of water in a river

Additional material

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