Lecture 7 Flashcards
What is a drainage divide?
The high point separating different basins
Why is a watershed described as dendritic?
Because it is tree shaped in the way it connects
Why is a longitudinal profile important when looking at a river?
It shows slope change over a distance
Why are rivers so important to earths topography?
They erode and constantly change landscapes
What is a endorheic basin?
A basin that flows into the interior not the ocean
What is the fluvial river system?
Run off when precipitation is higher that the rate of soil infiltration creating run off.
Why is a river an open system?
It exchanges matter across the boundary
It collects run off
It transports sediment and deposits it into the ocean
What three things control a river form and function?
Drainage basin/topography
Flow discharge/ sediment slope
Base level
Define base level.
The lowest point in a river, defined by the elevation of the outlet
Does the amount of sediment in a river relate to the discharge rate?
Yes
Define stream competence.
The ability of a stream to do work, transport different sediment sizes.
Define stream capacity.
Ability of a stream to move volume
Define entrainment speed.
The required river speed to pick up a particle to initiate inertia. Must overcome friction.
Why does clay require a higher entrainment velocity?
Because the small particles have electrostatic energy holding them together as well as friction
What does the hjulstrom curve show?
How river velocity and size of sediment are related and result in erosion, deposition and transportation.
It is all dependent around the entrainment velocity
