What factors influence stream velocity? (2023)

What factors can influence the stream velocity?

The velocity of a river is determined by many factors, including the shape of its channel, the gradient of the slope that the river moves along, the volume of water that the river carries and the amount of friction caused by rough edges within the riverbed.

Our experiments will examine three variables that affect water flow in a stream and test for their effect on erosion: slope (gradient) of the streambed, total amount of water flowing in a streambed (discharge), and pulses (spikes) in water. In these experiments a length of gutter will serve as the streambed.

Stream Velocity Depends on the Shape and Size of the Channel

The stream is thus slowest at the bottom and edges and fastest near the surface and in the middle of the stream (where there is the least amount of friction).

Gradient, cross-sectional shape, channel size and roughness, and discharge all affect a stream's flow velocity.

Stream velocity is the speed of the water in the stream. Units are distance per time (e.g., meters per second or feet per second). Stream velocity is greatest in midstream near the surface and is slowest along the stream bed and banks due to friction.

What three variables influence the speed of stream flow? Stream gradient, stream discharge, and channel growth.

First is gravity. A river that is fairly flat is likely to have a slower flow velocity than one which is on a steep hill. The second factor is friction. Water moves most quickly when it has less resistance, so the friction of water against rocks slows it down.

Horizontal, streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called surface currents. B. Surface currents are controlled by three factors: global winds, the Coriolis effect, and continental deflections.

Differences in seawater density also cause ocean currents. Water's density is affected by its temperature and salinity, or saltiness. The colder and saltier the water is, the denser and heavier it is. Cold, dense water tends to sink and flow under warmer, lighter water, creating a current.

How does channel shape affect stream velocity?

Channel shape and roughness affect a river's velocity. 1. Generally a narrower, more circular river channel allows faster flow of water. Broader flat channels tend to slow a river down.

Channel shape and texture.

The shape and roughness of the channel also affect the velocity of the flowing water. A narrow channel that is V‐shaped or semicircular in cross section results in faster flow; a wide, shallow channel yields a slower flow because there is more friction between the water and the stream bed.

As discharge increases, generally width, depth, and velocity of the stream also increase. A stream's velocity depends on position in the stream channel, irregularities in the stream channel caused by resistant rock, and stream gradient. Friction slows water along channel edges.

Answer and Explanation: The factor that does not influence stream velocity is b. stream elevation. While gravity is what causes water to flow through the stream, the actual elevation of the stream itself has no effect, though factors like channel size and shape, water volume, and the gradient of the land itself do.

As the flow velocity increases, only larger and larger particles will be deposited. Particles between these two curves (either moving too slow or being too small to be eroded or deposited) will be transported in the stream.

The two main factors that control stream erosion and deposition are a stream's velocity and discharge, of which velocity plays a greater role. What Factors influence the stream's velocity? Factors that influence a stream's velocity include gradient, channel shape, and channel roughness.

What is the term for sediment deposited by streams? As stream velocity slows, the smallest particles get deposited first. Streams carry most of their sediment load in the form of suspended load.

The process of deposition occurs when bedload and suspended load come to rest on the bottom of the water column in a stream channel, lake, or ocean. The two major factors causing deposition are the decrease in stream gradient and the reduction in velocity.

Multiply the average depth of the stream by the width of the stream to find the area in ft2. Divide the distance traveled by the average travel time to find the velocity of the stream in ft/sec.

Stream velocity, which increases as the volume of the water in the stream increases, determines the kinds of organisms that can live in the stream (some need fast-flowing areas; others need quiet pools). It also affects the amount of silt and sediment carried by the stream.

How can you increase the velocity of water in a river?

The velocity of a stream usually increases downstream. The gradient (slope) of the stream typically decreases but gravity, elimination of bed roughness and an increase in the amount of water from the entry of tributaries tends to increase the velocity.

Streamflow is represented by the path taken by a single atom in a fluid and can be classified into two types: streamline flow and turbulent flow.

Within the limiting constraints of precipitation or meltwater input or both, and the outputs of evapotranspiration and percolation, the actual distribution of rivers in nature is affected by available drainage area, lithology, and vegetation.

This is because a river tends to become deeper, wider and have a higher discharge the further downstream it moves. As a result relatively less water is in contact with the wetted perimeter, so friction on the river water from the bed and banks of the channel is reduced downstream and it consequently flows faster.

Factors affecting water quality

the geology of a stream – what the bottom or substrate of the stream is formed from. the surrounding land cover, soil types and activities carried out on the land. topography – the steepness of surrounding land.

Find the surface water velocity (in m/s) by dividing the distance from AA to BB (in this example, 10 m) by the average time (in seconds) and multiply this result by 0.85 (a correction factor) to estimate the average water velocity of the stream. Average water velocity = 0.5 m/s x 0.85 = 0.425 m/s.

A stream typically reaches its greatest velocity when it is close to flooding over its banks. This is known as the bank-full stage, as shown in Figure 13.17.

Solution. The three factors that describe the movement of surface water in streams and rivers include gradient, river flow and stream load.

Scientists measure a variety of properties to determine water quality. These include temperature, acidity (pH), dissolved solids (specific conductance), particulate matter (turbidity), dissolved oxygen, hardness and suspended sediment.

The factor that does not influence stream velocity is b. stream elevation. While gravity is what causes water to flow through the stream, the actual elevation of the stream itself has no effect, though factors like channel size and shape, water volume, and the gradient of the land itself do.

How does gradient affect the velocity of a stream?

The higher the gradient, the faster the stream flows. Channel shape and texture. The shape and roughness of the channel also affect the velocity of the flowing water.

Channel shape and roughness affect a river's velocity. 1. Generally a narrower, more circular river channel allows faster flow of water. Broader flat channels tend to slow a river down.

As discharge increases, generally width, depth, and velocity of the stream also increase. A stream's velocity depends on position in the stream channel, irregularities in the stream channel caused by resistant rock, and stream gradient. Friction slows water along channel edges.

Differences in seawater density also cause ocean currents. Water's density is affected by its temperature and salinity, or saltiness. The colder and saltier the water is, the denser and heavier it is. Cold, dense water tends to sink and flow under warmer, lighter water, creating a current.

The flow velocity, or speed of flow, can influence the shape and rate of erosion of a river system. The cross-sectional shape of a river dictates how much friction will impact the flow of water within a river. Finally, the sediment load, or the amount of rocks and soil in the river, impacts its flow velocity and shape.

As the flow velocity increases, only larger and larger particles will be deposited. Particles between these two curves (either moving too slow or being too small to be eroded or deposited) will be transported in the stream.

Water flow in a stream is primarily related to the stream's gradient, but it is also controlled by the geometry of the stream channel. As shown in Figure 13.14, water flow velocity is decreased by friction along the stream bed, so it is slowest at the bottom and edges and fastest near the surface and in the middle.

This is because a river tends to become deeper, wider and have a higher discharge the further downstream it moves. As a result relatively less water is in contact with the wetted perimeter, so friction on the river water from the bed and banks of the channel is reduced downstream and it consequently flows faster.

Multiply the average depth of the stream by the width of the stream to find the area in ft2. Divide the distance traveled by the average travel time to find the velocity of the stream in ft/sec.

The energy of flowing river water comes from the force of gravity, which pulls the water downward. The steeper the slope of a river, the faster the river moves and the more energy it has.

What factors control stream behavior?

Three factors that control stream behavior are: the gradient of its channel-how steep it is; the cross-sectional area of its channel-how wide it is; and. its load-how much sediments, debris and dissolved materials it is transporting.