Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Rapids of Kern River, California, USA. Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Flow, gradient, constriction, and obstacles are four factors that are needed for a rapid to be created.
A hydrograph is a graph showing the rate of flow (discharge) versus time past a specific point in a river, channel, or conduit carrying flow. The rate of flow is typically expressed in units of cubic meters per second (m³/s) or cubic feet per second (cfs). Hydrographs often relate changes of precipitation to changes in discharge over time. [3]
Streamflow, or channel runoff, is the flow of water in streams and other channels, and is a major element of the water cycle.It is one runoff component, the movement of water from the land to waterbodies, the other component being surface runoff.
Discharge regime, [1] flow regime, or hydrological regime (commonly termed river regime, but that term is also used for other measurements) is the long-term pattern of annual changes to a stream's discharge at a particular point. Hence, it shows how the discharge of a stream at that point is expected to change over the year. [2]
The theory is based on the concept of dynamic equilibrium in which streamforms balance between physical parameters, such as width, depth, velocity, and sediment load, also taking into account biological factors. [2] It offers an introduction to map out biological communities and also an explanation for their sequence in individual sections of ...
The gradient of a river is the rate at which it changes elevation along its course. This loss determines the river's slope, and to a large extent its rate of flow (velocity). Shallow gradients produce gentle, slow rivers, while steep gradients are associated with raging torrents.
Stage is measured by reading a gauge installed in the river. If the stage-discharge relationship does not change with time, it is called permanent control. If the relationship does change, it is called shifting control. Shifting control is usually due to erosion or deposition of sediment at the stage measurement site.
The water in this stream forms varying currents as it makes its way downhill. In hydrology, a current in a water body is the flow of water in any one particular direction. The current varies spatially as well as temporally, dependent upon the flow volume of water, stream gradient, and channel geometry.