EARTHSC 2GG3 Lecture 6: Natural Disasters - Lecture 6 - Floods
16 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Stream and rivers are part of the hydrologic cycle. Surface flow (runoff) finds its way to streams. A region drained by a single stream is called a drainage basin, watershed, ricer basin, or catchment. The gradient of a river is determined by calculating its drop in elevation over distance: greatest in its headwaters, decreases downstream, and is lowest at the river mouth, which is its base level. The slope of a river is shown on a 1 longitudinal profile. The valley of a river is steeper-sided and narrower in its headwaters. The floodplain is the flat surface adjacent to the channel. Rivers move a tremendous amount of material. Bed load: particles of sand and gravel that slide, roll, and bounce along bottom of a channel in rapidly moving water. Suspended load: slit and clay particles that are carried in the water. Accounts for nearly 90% of the total load of most rivers.
