drainage area
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈdreɪnɪdʒ ˈɛəriə/
- Specialized
:
cuenca
- The Amazon River has a vast drainage area that spans several countries and supports diverse ecosystems.
Examples
-
The sewage comes principally from households, but also includes wastes from light industries and food processing facilities within the drainage area, which covers 12,020 hectares and supports a population of approximately 135,000.
Academic text (2005) -
More than 55 percent of agricultural lands and 33 percent of U.S. farm-related jobs are found in the river's drainage area.
Academic text (2006) -
Because the drainage area increases downstream, discharge in most streams also increases with distance downstream.
Academic text (1997) -
The Buffalo Bayou watershed, the principal drainage system of Houston, Texas, is approximately 75 miles long with a drainage area of 482.5 square miles.
Academic text (2006) -
This was also evident at Ibsen Pond and New Lake, where the tailings in the drainage area have impacted lakes downstream that account for a lake area that is approximately seven times larger than the area of the tailings.
Academic text (2018) -
In studying the local environment, scientists focused on the drainage area to understand how water flows into the river.
-
The city plans to improve its stormwater management system to better handle runoff from the drainage area during heavy rains.
Synonyms
72
3.1
An area of land where water collects and flows into a river, lake, or sea
16
6.1
An area of land where rain flows into one river
3
6.4
An area of land that collects rain and sends water into a river or reservoir
1
5.6
An area of land where rain and water flow into the same river, lake, or reservoir
1
3.5
Land where a river and its streams send water to the same place
1
4.0
A large area of land where all the rain and rivers flow into the same river or sea
An area of land where all rain flows into a river, lake or reservoir
How Large
- Specialized
16
6.1
- Specialized
1
3.5
- Specialized
1
4.0
- Specialized
1
3.7
- Specialized
3
6.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the land area from which water drains' is directly built from 'drainage' (removal or flow of water) + 'area' (a region). This noun-noun composition follows a standard, compositional pattern and, despite being slightly technical, is readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The term drainage area comes from the image of land acting like a roof or bowl where all the rain runs into one drain. Here drainage is the water leaving the land and area is the land itself, so the phrase means 'the land that sends water to a single river or stream'.