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Rivers begin in upland areas and flow downhill towards the sea. The start of a river is called the SOURCE and the end is called the MOUTH. Along the main river, there are many other smaller rivers which join it called TRIBUTARIES. These join with the main river at a point called the CONFLUENCE. A river and its tributaries obtain their water from the surrounding land. The area drained by the river and its tributaries is called the DRAINAGE BASIN. The boundary of the drainage basin is called the WATERSHED.
The long profile of a river is a cross-section from the source to the mouth. It consists of three sections:
Upper section narrow, steep-sided valleys (v-shaped) where gorges and waterfalls may form
Middle section wider valley with floodplain but still with steep valley sides Lower section very wide, flat-floored valley with meanders and ox-bow lakes
Attrition-This is when material bashes against each other and breaks up into smaller and more rounded pieces
Corrosion- This is when material in the river is broken down by chemicals Corrasion- This is when stones and pebbles rub away at the bed and banks
Hydraulic action- This is the power of the water on the bed and banks
TRANSPORTATION Saltation- This is when smaller pebbles are bounced along the river bed Solution- This is when lighter material is dissolved and is carried along in the water
Traction- This is when larger bed load is dragged or rolled along the river bed
Suspension- This is when light material is carried along within the water (in suspension) DEPOSITION A river requires lots of energy to transport its load and when this energy is reduced, the river is forced to deposit the load. An example would be on the inside of a river bend where the slow moving water has little energy and deposits the load.
Meanders are bends in a rivers course. Water flowing around a meander moves fastest on the outside of the bend leading to erosion and the formation of a steep river cliff. On the inside of the bend, water slows down leading to the deposition of sediment. This forms a gently-sloping slip off slope in the shallow water. Lateral erosion by meanders leads the widening of the valley floor (floodplain). Meanders often migrate downstream and become wider and larger over time.
Where there are well developed meanders, a river may take a short-cut across a narrow meander neck in times of flood and this leads to the creation of sections of abandoned river called ox-bow lakes. Over time, the ox-bow lakes dry up and leave just a meander scar.
A flood plain is the wide, flat area of land on either side of the river in its middle and
lower course. A flood plain forms through both erosion and deposition. When material is deposited on the slip off slope of a meander it gradually builds up over time. When a river overflows its banks, water pours on to the floodplain and as it drains away fine material (alluvium) is deposited. Levees are natural embankments of silt along the banks of a river, which are often several metres higher than the flood plain.
A delta is a flat area of sand and silt built into the sea. When a river enters the sea carrying large volumes of fine material, the velocity slows and causes the load to be deposited in layers. Over time, the deposited material forms small islands separated by river channels called distributaries.
MEDIUM TERM
Afforestation - trees are planted to absorb water and reduce surface runoff. Managed flooding - the river is allowed to flood in some places to avoid destruction close to large settlements
Planning - governments and local councils implement plans to help prevent damage to property in future
LONG TERM Dam building- dams are built in order to control the amount of discharge released
River engineering- the river channel may be widened, deepened or straightened to allow water to flow more quickly
The values and attitudes of interested groups Environmental groups and residents often prefer options which have as little impact on the settlement and environment as possible, such as planting trees Governments and investment groups often prefer hard engineering options, such as dam building, as this can often generate large profits and can also attract people for leisure purposes such as sailing
SUMMARY The start of a river is called the SOURCE and ends at the MOUTH The long profile of the river consists of three sections; Upper- where gorges and waterfalls form Middle- where meanders tend to form Lower- where deltas and floodplains form There are four processes of erosion and transportation Deposition is the putting down of material along the river due to a loss of energy A waterfall is a steep drop in the course of a river. They form when a band of resistant rock lies over softer, less resistant rock Meanders are bends in a rivers course A flood plain is the wide, flat area of land on either side of the river in its lower course Levees are natural embankments of silt along the banks of a river, which are often several metres higher than the flood plain. A delta is a flat area of sand and silt built into the sea. When a river enters the sea carrying large volumes of sand, the velocity slows and causes material to be deposited. Flooding in MEDCs has a different impact to flooding in LEDCs There are short, medium and long term attempts at managing flooding