GGR100H1 Lecture Notes - Baseflow, Suspended Load, Drainage Divide
Document Summary
Rivers drain the landscape; plumbing system for moving water falling in uplands lowlands. The water in rivers/stream flow comes from three main sources: Overland flow: water running off over land, not contained in a channel. Snow melt = incredible potential energy as well in areas with a lot of snowfall. Base flow: comes from groundwater when it isn"t raining. >groundwater: little droplets of water percolating through tiny pores in the ground; slow procession of water. They start as channels that merge into branches, and eventually these networks are large enough and have expanded enough to enter rivers. Gravity (for direction) and insolation (for moisture) are pwring these stream processes. >gravity: there must be some slope for water to flow downstream. >insolation/solar radiation: rainfall comes onto land b/c of evaporation, pwred by insolation. B/c of advection of moisture into clouds, rainfall occurs over land.
