Ø How do rivers and streams fit into the hydrologic cycle (run off verses infilt
ID: 291040 • Letter: #
Question
Ø How do rivers and streams fit into the hydrologic cycle (run off verses infiltration)? What are the different water reservoirs? Place them in order from largest to smallest.
Ø How are materials transported in rivers and streams?
Ø What are stream divides and drainage basins?
Ø Describe how velocity changes within a meandering stream. How does this lead to the formation of point bars and cut banks? How do meandering streams change over time? How do oxbow lakes form? What are meander scars?
Ø Explain how the following form: floodplain, levees, terraces, alluvial fans, deltas.
Ø If a flood has a recurrence interval of 20 years, what is the % chance that this magnitude flood will happen this year? What about the next year?
Explanation / Answer
Run off : water moves across the surface of the earth due to high saturation levels whereas in infiltration- water moves into the ground due to low saturation levels.
Water reservoir from largest to smallest in size are as follows-
Ocean
Glacier
Ground water
Lakes and rivers
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Material can be classified as suspended , dissolved and bed based on their size and based on that material is transported differently in rivers and streams.
Dissolved load - material is dissolved in water and is transported
Suspended load - these are small particles carried along taht rarely touch the bottom of the stream, causes water to become murky.
Bed load - these are larger particles that are rolled and bounced along the bottom of a river /stream.
Drainage basin - area of land which funnels all the water into streams draining the area.
Divide basin - these are ridges of high ground along which rain runs off one side or the other.
Strongest current occur at the outside of the curve , erosion occurs forming a cut bank.
Velocity is slowest on inside of curves so deposition occurs forming a point bar
Orbox lake - it is a curved lake produced when a stream cuts off a meander.
Meander - it is a landscape feature of a meandering stream channel formed when an oxbow lake is formed.
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