1. Describe how floodplains, levees, meanders, and oxbow lakes form.
- When a river overflows and covers the valley floor the valley floor is called floodplain
- When a river flows through a floodplain it is curvy and erosion mostly happens on the outside of the river bend and then it becomes so deep there that a meander is formed.
- When deposits seperate a meander from its river its called an oxbow lake.
- When deposits build up near the stream banks and build a natural ridge its called a levee.
2. What are some of the causes of floods?
- Lots of rain, a broken dam or levee, a stream or river overflowing.
3. Describe some of the artificial means used to control flooding?
- Dams, man made levee, flood gate, sandbags are stacked on top of levees, dig ditches, reservoirs.
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Thursday, March 15, 2012
Page 283-286 Questions
1. Describe how rivers wear down rock materials.
- They break up the bedrock and remove soil materials and eroded rock.
2. Describe how rivers transport materials.
- There are 3 ways that materials are transported; in its bed load, suspension, and solution. When minerals are dissolved from the bedrock and moved its solution. When the river is muddy it is moving rock in suspension. Rocks that are too heavy to be moved in any of these are moved in bed rock along the bottom of the river.
3. How does a river's velocity affect its competence and capacity?
-Competence is the maximum size of particles that the stream can carry. Capacity is the maximum amount of materials that a river can hold. If the river's velocity increased the capacity would get larger and if the river's velocity decreased the capacity would get smaller.
4. Under what circumstances do rivers and streams deposit sediment?
- When the stream or river no longer has the energy to move them, they deposite the sediment.
- They break up the bedrock and remove soil materials and eroded rock.
2. Describe how rivers transport materials.
- There are 3 ways that materials are transported; in its bed load, suspension, and solution. When minerals are dissolved from the bedrock and moved its solution. When the river is muddy it is moving rock in suspension. Rocks that are too heavy to be moved in any of these are moved in bed rock along the bottom of the river.
3. How does a river's velocity affect its competence and capacity?
-Competence is the maximum size of particles that the stream can carry. Capacity is the maximum amount of materials that a river can hold. If the river's velocity increased the capacity would get larger and if the river's velocity decreased the capacity would get smaller.
4. Under what circumstances do rivers and streams deposit sediment?
- When the stream or river no longer has the energy to move them, they deposite the sediment.
Page 280-282 Questions
1. Describe the role that rivers and streams play in the water cycle.
- They are the number one cause of erosion on Earth and most of the water that falls on Earth usually ends up in a river or stream at some point.
2. What is a river system?
- A river and all of the little rivers that make it up are known as a river system.
3. Define these terms: discharge, velocity, gradient, and channel.
- Discharge: The volume of water that passes a certain point in a stream or river in a given amount of time
- Velocity: The distance that water travels in a given amount of time.
- Gradient: The slope or incline of an area of land or of a stream
- Channel: The path that water flows through in a river or stream.
4. Explain how a river's gradient could affect its velocity.
- If a slope is really steep it can make the water go faster and travel a further distance and if the shape is really squiggly than it would make the water slow down and go a shorter distance than just a straight channel.
- They are the number one cause of erosion on Earth and most of the water that falls on Earth usually ends up in a river or stream at some point.
2. What is a river system?
- A river and all of the little rivers that make it up are known as a river system.
3. Define these terms: discharge, velocity, gradient, and channel.
- Discharge: The volume of water that passes a certain point in a stream or river in a given amount of time
- Velocity: The distance that water travels in a given amount of time.
- Gradient: The slope or incline of an area of land or of a stream
- Channel: The path that water flows through in a river or stream.
4. Explain how a river's gradient could affect its velocity.
- If a slope is really steep it can make the water go faster and travel a further distance and if the shape is really squiggly than it would make the water slow down and go a shorter distance than just a straight channel.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Flood Control
Should humans continue to attempt to control rivers, or not?
- I honestly believe that people shouldn't try to control rivers. We all know that rivers can flood and sometimes go dry and I just don't get why you would live so close to something that is very unpredictable and can completely change your environment and way of life and just spend money trying to defend against all these different senerios. It would be a whole lot easier to just not live along a flood plain. Now if someone is just so determined to live on the flood plain or very close to one and want to spend that extra money because for them it is a really good investment. I could see why they would think it is a good investment; you have good, fertile soil for farming, it's very natural, transportation of goods up and down the river is easy, etc. There are so many reasons, but if you are going to go through with it and try to control the river, I suggest you make sure it is done adequate so there is not that constant scare of something going wrong.
What do you feel are the strongest arguments supporting your point of view?
- It is such a huge risk, both econimically and financially. There is always the chance of something going wrong and having it result in loss of life, structures, everything. I mean what if a levee breaks, what if a dam breaks, what if the river flows over the levee, etc. It is just, in my opinion, too much work for something that can easily result in a casastrophy.
- I honestly believe that people shouldn't try to control rivers. We all know that rivers can flood and sometimes go dry and I just don't get why you would live so close to something that is very unpredictable and can completely change your environment and way of life and just spend money trying to defend against all these different senerios. It would be a whole lot easier to just not live along a flood plain. Now if someone is just so determined to live on the flood plain or very close to one and want to spend that extra money because for them it is a really good investment. I could see why they would think it is a good investment; you have good, fertile soil for farming, it's very natural, transportation of goods up and down the river is easy, etc. There are so many reasons, but if you are going to go through with it and try to control the river, I suggest you make sure it is done adequate so there is not that constant scare of something going wrong.
What do you feel are the strongest arguments supporting your point of view?
- It is such a huge risk, both econimically and financially. There is always the chance of something going wrong and having it result in loss of life, structures, everything. I mean what if a levee breaks, what if a dam breaks, what if the river flows over the levee, etc. It is just, in my opinion, too much work for something that can easily result in a casastrophy.
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