what is river capacity

Full Answer

What is the discharge of a river?

River discharge. River discharge is the volume of water flowing through a river channel. This is the total volume of water flowing through a channel at any given point and is measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs). The discharge from a drainage basin depends on precipitation, evapotranspiration and storage factors.

What is the largest river in the world by volume?

Largest Rivers by Volume. 1. The Amazon River. The Amazon River in South America passes through Brazil, Peru, and Columbia. At 3,997 miles long, it is not the longest river in the world, but it discharges an average of 7,831,000 cubic feet of water every second – more than the next seven largest rivers together.

What is the height of the surface of a river called?

The height of the surface of the water is called the stream stage or gage height. However, the USGS has more accurate ways of determining how much water is flowing in a river. Read on to learn more.

What is meant by river competence?

River Competence - Rivers and streams carry sediment that ranges in size from clay (smallest) to boulders (biggest). The "competence" of a river or stream refers to the largest particles that a river can transport.

What is river load?

The load is the total amount of sediment being transported. There are 3 types of sediment load in the river: dissolved, suspended, and bed load. The dissolved load is made up of the solutes that are generally derived from chemical weathering of bedrock and soils.

What is the carrying capacity of a stream?

Literally, the carrying capacity of a stream is the amount of sediment it can transport under the given flow conditions. This is generally a descriptive term not used for quantitative statements of rates and amounts of sediment discharge, and its use is generally discouraged.

What is meant by stream competence?

In hydrology stream competency, also known as stream competence, is a measure of the maximum size of particles a stream can transport. The particles are made up of grain sizes ranging from large to small and include boulders, rocks, pebbles, sand, silt, and clay.

What is a river load in geography?

A river's load is bits of eroded material, generally rocks, that the river transports until it deposits its load. A river's channel is eroded laterally and vertically making the channel wider and deeper.

What is river velocity?

The velocity of a river is the speed at which water flows along it.

What determines a rivers capacity?

The capacity of a stream or river is the total amount of sediment a stream is able to transport. This measurement usually corresponds to the stream power and the width-integrated bed shear stress across section along a stream profile.

What is carrying capacity in water?

Water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) is the ability of a water resource to bear the economic, social, and ecological environment [3], and a study of WRCC is the foundation of sustainable development and water security strategy [4,5].

What is the term defining the capacity of a river to transport the material?

d) Fluvial. Explanation: Competence defines the capacity of a river to transport the material and is represented by the largest size of a particle that can be transported at a given velocity.

What is the difference between river competence and river capacity?

Streams channel water downhill under the influence of gravity. Stream capacity is a measure of the total sediment (material other than water) a stream can carry. Stream competence reflects the ability of a stream to transport a particular size of particle (e.g., boulder, pebble, etc).

What is the difference between stream capacity and competence?

Stream competence depends on stream velocity (as shown on the Hjulstrom diagram above). The faster the current, the heavier the particle that can be transported. Stream capacity is the maximum amount of solid load (bed and suspended) a stream can carry.

What is the difference between capacity and competence?

It is important to differentiate capacity from competency. Competency is a global assessment and a legal determination made by a judge in court. Capacity, on the other hand, is a functional assessment regarding a particular decision.

How does a river carry its load?

The load bounces in line with the rise and fall in the velocity of the river; Saltation – small pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed; Traction – large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed. The load carried this way is called bed load.

What are the three types of stream load?

What is river and stream erosion?the bed load - materials bounced along the stream bottom.the suspended load - material carried in suspension in the stream water.the dissolved load - material carried as dissolved solids in the stream water.

What is meant by river erosion?

Erosion involves the wearing away of rock and soil found along the river bed and banks. Erosion also involves the breaking down of the rock particles being carried downstream by the river.

What type of load is sand?

Finer sand and mud that is supported by the water column is called the suspended load. Some minerals are dissolved in the water. These minerals form the river's solution load.

What is the role of rivers in the world?

Rivers have a critical role to play in draining surface water and carrying nutrients and water to where they’re needed. Let’s have a look at the 10 largest rivers in the world.

How many people live in the Yangtze River basin?

The Yangtze River. The Yangtze River in China discharges 1,059,440 cubic feet of water per second, and about 400 million people live in its basin (about a third of China’s total population.) A section of the river flowing through western Yunnan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making up one of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan.

What is the Congo River?

The Congo River in Africa, previously known as the Zaire River, is 2,716 miles long and discharges 1,454,964 cubic feet of water per second. It is the deepest river in the world, with its deepest point measuring 720 feet. And, by volume, it is the second-largest river, with the potential to supply hydropower to all of Sub-Saharan Africa. For the most part, the river forms the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo. In addition to these, it flows through Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.

What river is located in Asia?

8. The Amur River. The Amur River in Asia is 2,714 miles long and discharges 402,587 cubic feet of water per second. It sits on the border of Russia and China and is formed by the Shilka River from Russia and the Argun River originating in Manchuria.

How much water does the Amazon River discharge?

At 3,997 miles long, it is not the longest river in the world, but it discharges an average of 7,831,000 cubic feet of water every second – more than the next seven largest rivers together. Water from the Amazon river makes up 20% of the world’s river flow. Where it enters the Atlantic Ocean, its freshwater dilutes the salinity ...

How long is the Ob River?

The Ob (or Obi) River is the second of three great rivers in Siberia, which empty into the Arctic Ocean (along with the Yenisei and Lena.) It is 3,395 miles long and is one of the swiftest rivers, discharging 440,550 cubic feet of water per second.

How many miles long is the Mississippi River?

The Mississippi River. The Mississippi River in North America is 2,320 miles long and discharges between 200,000 and 700,000 cubic feet per second, making it 4th largest rivers in the world. It has two main tributaries, the Missouri River in the West and the Ohio River in the East.

Abstract

River networks are typically treated as conduits of fixed discharge conveyance capacity in flood models and engineering design, despite knowledge that alluvial channel networks adjust their geometry, conveyance, planform, extent and drainage density over time in response to shifts in the magnitude and frequency of streamflows and sediment supply.

Introduction

Alluvial river channels are self-formed by the sediment-laden flow they convey downstream, adjusting their geometry 1, 2, 3, 4, conveyance 5, 6, planform 7, network extent 8 and drainage density 9, 10 dynamically over time to reflect prevailing streamflow regimes 11, 12 and any changes in the sediment supply generated upstream 13.

Results

We first assess the strength of the relationship between the three climate indices and catchment-averaged precipitation at 1263 gaging sites over seven decades. Marked spatial variations can be seen across the USA (Fig.

Detailed Methods

This work is based on an analysis of 9,736 individual river cross-sectional channel surveys (transects) taken over a period of almost 70 years at 67 alluvial USGS stream gages. The methods used for preparing and filtering USGS stream field measurements are similar to 6, 59 but are detailed below for clarity.

Data Availability

Climate indices are available from NOAA at https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/climateindices/list/. USGS stream measurements are available at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/measurements and streamflow measurements from http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv/?referred_module=sw.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the work. The USGS, NOAA-CPC and PRISM climate group are thanked for making their data publicly available. The writers of R packages are also gratefully thanked for their work in creating and maintaining these packages.

Author information

School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

What is the term for the capacity of a river to transport water?

Flood – when the capacity of a river to transport water is exceeded and water flows over it’s banks. Base flow – The base flow of the river represents the normal day to day discharge of the river and is the consequence of groundwater seeping into the river channel.

What is the graph that shows river discharge and rainfall over time?

This means infiltration levels decrease and surface runoff increases. This leads to a short lag time and an increase in peak discharge. Hydrograph – a graph that shows river discharge and rainfall over time.

How does rainwater affect lag times?

Rainwater enters the river quicker, reducing lag times, as surface runoff is faster than baseflow or through flow. 5. if the rock type within the river basin is impermeable surface runoff will be higher, throughflow and infiltration will also be reduced meaning a reduction in lag time and an increase in peak discharge. 6.

How does the shape of a drainage basin affect runoff?

The shape of the drainage basin also affects runoff and discharge. Drainage basins that are more circular in shape lead to shorter lag times and a higher peak discharge than those that are long and thin because water has a shorter distance to travel to reach a river. 2.

What is river discharge?

River discharge is the volume of water flowing through a river channel. This is the total volume of water flowing through a channel at any given point and is measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs). The discharge from a drainage basin depends on precipitation, evapotranspiration and storage factors. Drainage basin discharge = precipitation – evapotranspiration +/- changes in storage.

Why do drainage basins have a higher peak discharge?

1. Large drainage basins catch more precipitation so have a higher peak discharge compared to smaller basins. Smaller basins generally have shorter lag times because precipitation does not have as far to travel. The shape of the drainage basin also affects runoff and discharge.

Introduction to USGS Streamgaging

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) started its first streamgage in 1889 on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico to help determine if there was adequate water for irrigation purposes to encourage new development and western expansion.

How Streamflow is Measured

As you're enjoying yourself sitting on the peaceful bank of a local river, one question you may ask yourself is "How much water is flowing in this river?" You've come to the right place for an answer.

Measuring stream stage

Most U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages measure stage and consist of a structure in which instruments used to measure, store, and transmit the stream-stage information are housed. Stage, sometimes called gage height, can be measured using a variety of methods.

The discharge measurement

Discharge is the volume of water moving down a stream or river per unit of time, commonly expressed in cubic feet per second or gallons per day. In general, river discharge is computed by multiplying the area of water in a channel cross section by the average velocity of the water in that cross section:

The stage-discharge relation

Streamgages continuously measure stage, as stated in the "Measuring Stage"" section. This continuous record of stage is translated to river discharge by applying the stage-discharge relation (also called rating).

Streamflow summary

Streamgaging involves obtaining a continuous record of stage, making periodic discharge measurements, establishing and maintaining a relation between the stage and discharge, and applying the stage-discharge relation to the stage record to obtain a continuous record of discharge.

The Amazon River

The Congo River

The Yangtze River

The Mississippi River

• The Mississippi River in North America is 2,320 miles long and discharges between 200,000 and 700,000 cubic feet per second, making it 4th largest rivers in the world. It has two main tributaries, the Missouri River in the West and the Ohio River in the East. The river system originates in Canada and flows through the U.S., ending in the Gulf of Me...

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The Yenisei River

The Paraná River

The Ob River

The Amur River

The Yellow River

The Nile River