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. Note that capacity is greater than the load, which is the amount of sediment carried by the stream.
What is the capacity of a stream?
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. Note that capacity is greater than the load, which is the amount of sediment carried by the stream.
What is a river?
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water. Small rivers can be referred to using names such as stream, creek, brook, rivulet, and rill.
What are the characteristics of a river?
Rivers can flow down mountains, through valleys ( depressions) or along plains, and can create canyons or gorges. The river channel typically contains a single stream of water, but some rivers flow as several interconnecting streams of water, producing a braided river.
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 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.
How do rivers flow?
Rivers can flow down mountains, through valleys ( depressions) or along plains, and can create canyons or gorges. The river channel typically contains a single stream of water, but some rivers flow as several interconnecting streams of water, producing a braided river.
Where does a river start?
A river begins at a source (or more often several sources) which is usually a watershed, dra ins all the streams in its drainage basin, follows a path called a rivercourse (or just course) and ends at either at mouth or mouths which could a confluence, river delta, etc.
How does human activity affect floods?
In many developed areas, human activity has changed the form of river channels, altering magnitudes and frequencies of flooding. Some examples of this are the building of levees, the straightening of channels, and the draining of natural wetlands. In many cases human activities in rivers and floodplains have dramatically increased the risk of flooding. Straightening rivers allows water to flow more rapidly downstream, increasing the risk of flooding places further downstream. Building on flood plains removes flood storage, which again exacerbates downstream flooding. The building of levees only protects the area behind the levees and not those further downstream. Levees and flood-banks can also increase flooding upstream because of the back-water pressure as the river flow is impeded by the narrow channel banks. Detention basins finally also reduce the risk of flooding significantly by being able to take up some of the flood water.
How does a river start and end?
A river begins at a source (or more often several sources), follows a path called a course and ends at a mouth or mouths. The water in a river is usually confined to a channel, made up of a stream bed between banks. In larger rivers there is often also a wider floodplain shaped by flood -waters over-topping the channel. Floodplains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel. This distinction between river channel and floodplain can be blurred, especially in urban areas where the floodplain of a river channel can become greatly developed by housing and industry.
What is an intermittent river?
Main article: Intermittent river. An intermittent river (or ephemeral river) only flows occasionally and can be dry for several years at a time. These rivers are found in regions with limited or highly variable rainfall, or can occur because of geologic conditions such as a highly permeable river bed.
What is the name of the river delta?
Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. The Nile is an example of a wave-dominated delta that has the classic Greek letter delta (Δ) shape after which river deltas were named.
What is a river bifurcation?
There are rare cases of river bifurcation in which a river divides and the resultant flows ending in different seas. An example is the bifurcation of Nerodime River in Kosovo . A river flowing in its channel is a source of energy that acts on the river channel to change its shape and form.
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.
The Amazon River
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. Note that capacity is greater than the load, which is the amount of sediment carried by the stream. Load is generally limited by the sediment available upstream.
The Congo River
The Yangtze River
The Mississippi River
The Yenisei River
The Paraná River
The Ob River
The Amur River
The Yellow 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. The main course of the Ob runs in Russia, but tributaries extend to China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.
The Nile River
Overview
Topography
Types and ratings of rivers
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water. Small rivers can be referred to using names such as stream, creek, brook, rivulet, and rill. There are no official definitions for the generic term river as applied to geographic …
Flow of river
Ecosystem of rivers
Uses of rivers
Management of rivers
Concerns