What is the gradient of a river?

Overview. Stream gradient refers to the slope of the stream’s channel, or rise over run. It is the vertical drop of the stream over a horizontal distance.

How do you find the gradient of a river?

Gradient = vertical difference in elevation / horizontal distance.

What is the gradient of a stream or river?

The gradient, or slope, of a stream or river expresses the loss in elevation of the stream or river with distance downstream. Obtain one or more topographic maps that cover your community and nearby areas.

Are river gradients steep?

Stages of Streams

At a stream’s headwaters, often high in the mountains, gradients are steep. The stream moves fast and does lots of work eroding the stream bed.As a stream moves into lower areas, the gradient is not as steep.

What is the gradient at the mouth of a river?

What is the gradient of this stream? Gradient is the slope of the stream and is measured by the difference in elevation between two points on a stream divided by the distance between the two points that the water actually flows. Gradient is usually expressed in feet per mile of meters per kilometer.

How do you calculate the gradient?

To calculate the gradient of a straight line we choose two points on the line itself. The difference in height (y co-ordinates) ÷ The difference in width (x co-ordinates). If the answer is a positive value then the line is uphill in direction. If the answer is a negative value then the line is downhill in direction.

How does the gradient of a river affect its flow?

The flow of the river is dependent upon the position along the stream in terms of the gradient. Near the top of a high gradient, the flow will be less than that near the bottom. Likewise, the steeper the river’s gradient, the faster the flow of water (due to the pull of water down the gradient by gravity).

Where is the stream gradient of most rivers?

Stream gradients tend to be higher in a stream’s headwaters (where it originates) and lower at their mouth, where they discharge into another body of water (such as the ocean).

Why does the gradient of a river decrease downstream?

As a river flows down steep slopes, the water performs vertical erosion . This form of erosion cuts down towards the river bed and carves out steep-sided V-shaped valleys. As the river flows towards the mouth, the gradient of the slope becomes less steep.

What is stream gradient quizlet?

gradient is the steepness of the stream’s slope. … the faster a stream flows, the higher the discharge and greather the load that the stream can carry.

Which section of the river has a steepest gradient?

The steepest gradient in the long profile of a river is found in the upper course near to the source.

What is the base level of a stream?

baselevel, in hydrology and geomorphology, limit below which a stream cannot erode. Upon entering a still body of water, a stream’s velocity is checked and thus it loses its eroding power, hence, the approximate level of the surface of the still water body is the stream’s baselevel.

What a river flows into is called its?

A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. … A confluence, where two or more bodies of water meet together, usually refers to the joining of tributaries.

What is the velocity of a river?

A river’s velocity refers to the speed at which water moves through its channel.

What is discharge in a river?

Discharge is the volume of water moving down a stream or river per unit of time, commonly expressed in cubic feet per second or gallons per day.

What is the speed of the river?

“Speed also varies along the stream channel, being fastest where the channel is narrowest and the gradient steepest, and it changes with time, being fastest at flood stage. Speed probably varies from about 3 ½ to 7 miles per hour.”

Is gradient the same as slope?

The Gradient (also called Slope) of a straight line shows how steep a straight line is.

How do you calculate the gradient of a slope?

Convert the rise and run to the same units and then divide the rise by the run. Multiply this number by 100 and you have the percentage slope. For instance, 3″ rise divided by 36″ run = . 083 x 100 = an 8.3% slope.

Which number is the gradient?

Finding the gradient of a straight-line graph

For a straight-line graph, pick two points on the graph. The gradient of the line = (change in y-coordinate)/(change in x-coordinate) .

How does gradient affect streams?

Water and sediment move more rapidly through streams with a steep gradient, while streams that are more gradual in slope may have slow moving water that allows sediment to settle to the bottom. … Artificially steep channels can speed water flow and cause erosion.

What happens to gradient and channel size as a river moves downstream?

Gradient (the slope of the land) decreases as rivers flow because the river meanders across the land rather than erode into it and follow a straight path as it does in the source. This means it covers a decrease in height over a longer distance the further downstream you get.

What is the bedload of a river?

1 Bedload. Bedload consists of coarse particles, usually sand, gravel or coarser particles which roll, slide or saltate on or close to the riverbed. … During major floods tributaries and slides will often supply more bedload than the river is able to carry, and depositing bedload may raise the riverbed significantly.

How would you describe the gradient of a river that has meanders?

How would you describe the gradient of a river that has meanders? A river that has meanders probably has a low gradient. Braided streams are a direct result of large sediment load, particularly when a high percentage of the load is composed of coarse sand and gravel.

Where is the flow in a river fastest?

In straight rivers, the fastest flow is in the middle of the river and around bends the water tends to flow fastest and be deepest around the outer edge of the bend. In other words, the position of the fastest surface flow is displaced towards the outer edge of the bend.

What makes a river flow faster?

Generally a narrower, more circular river channel allows faster flow of water. Broader flat channels tend to slow a river down. 2. Smoother channels also allow faster flow of water, rougher channels slow water flow.

Why does a river get deeper downstream?

As a river flows downstream, its velocity increases. The speed increases due to the fact that more water is added from tributaries along the course of the river. … The larger mass of water causes wider and deeper water channels in order to allow water in the river to flow more freely.

Why does a river flow faster in the middle?

Water moves most quickly when it has less resistance, so the friction of water against rocks slows it down. For that reason, the fastest part of a river tends to be in the center, just below the surface. This is where friction is lowest.

What are the characteristics of a river with a high gradient low gradient?

High gradient streams tend to have steep, narrow V-shaped valleys, and are referred to as young streams. Low gradient streams have wider and less rugged valleys, with a tendency for the stream to meander.

How does gradient affect the velocity of a stream?

Gradient is the slope or steepness of a stream channel. It affects the stream’s velocity because the steeper the gradient is, the greater the velocity, due to gravity. Discharge is the volume of water flowing past a certain point in a given unit of time.

What two changes occur in a river as it travels from a low gradient to a high gradient?

High-gradient streams can result in downward erosion, or downcutting. This makes steep, straight valleys with little or no floodplains. On the other hand, low- gradient streams wear land away both sideways and downward. This makes wider and wider valleys.

Which stage of river has steeper slope?

The Upper Stage

The upper stage of a river is also called the youthful stage or mountain stage. The velocity and speed of the stream are very high because the slope here is steep. The vertical erosion is the most dominant work here.

What is gradient geography?

Gradient is a measure of how steep a slope is. The greater the gradient the steeper a slope is. The smaller the gradient the shallower a slope is.

What is the relationship between gradient and elevation of stream?

For example, a gradient of 10 feet per mile means that the elevation of the channel drops a total of 10 feet over 1 mile of horizontal distance traveled. Gradients are typically the lowest at a river’s mouth, and highest at its headwaters. The higher the gradient, the faster the stream flows. Channel shape and texture.

What is the ultimate base level of a stream or river?

The ultimate base level is sea level – streams will not erode their channels below their base level. Many temporary base levels can exist along a stream’s path.

What happens when a river reaches base level?

At the location where a stream reaches its base level, it slows down and deposits nearly all of the sediment it is carrying. A stream that comes down a canyon and enters a flat valley or plain builds a fan shaped deposit of sediment known as an alluvial fan.

What is a bend in a stream called?

A meander is another name for a bend in a river. … Due to erosion on the outside of a bend and deposition on the inside, the shape of a meander changes over time.

What is it called when a river meets another river?

Confluence – the point at which two rivers meet. Tributary – a small river or stream that joins a larger river.

What is the end of the river called?

This source is called a headwater. The headwater can come from rainfall or snowmelt in mountains, but it can also bubble up from groundwater or form at the edge of a lake or large pond. The other end of a river is called its mouth, where water empties into a larger body of water, such as a lake or ocean.

What’s it called when a river meets the ocean?

Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater. … Estuaries are delicate ecosystems.