River's long profile Flashcards
(16 cards)
definition of channel width
how wide the river channel is
definition of channel depth
how deep the channel is
definition of valley profile
the shape of the valley on either side of the river channel. E.G a V-shaped or U-shaped valley
definition of gradient
how steep the land is
definition of discharge
how much water is in the river
definition of velocity
speed
definiton of load
what is the river carrying = e.g rocks / sediment etc.
definition of sediment size and shape
size of material the river is carrying
how does the channel width change as you go down the river?
it increases because it is shallow in the upper course as it doesn’t have enough power to erode the huge rocks at the bottom.
how does the channel depth change as you go down the river?
it is shallow in the upper couse becaue it doesn’t have enough power to erode so it increases as you go down.
how does the valley profile change as you go down the river?
v-shaped valley in the upper couse but flattens as you go down
how does the gradient change as you go down the river?
flattens as you go down
how does the discharge change as you go down the river?
it increases
how does the velocity change as you go down the river?
it speeds up as you go down stream so it increases
how does the load change as you go down the river?
upper course doesn’t have the power to move load so it increases as you go down.
how does the sediment size and shape change as you go down the river?
it decreases because of the power the river gains it erodes so more sediment because smaller and round-shaped.
