Do the Characteristics of a river change downstream?
Geography Coursework Year's 10 and 11 Do the Characteristics of a river change downstream? Summer 2003 James black Section 1 - Introduction During this investigation, we aim to find out how the River Wharfe's characteristics change from its source to its middle course. Some of these characteristics are of course physical such as the width and depth of the river, the lithology of the bedload and so on, others are affected by human influence such as the type of bedload, and land use either side of the river valley. I have decided to choose the examples of Backstone Beck and the River Wharfe to see if the knowledge that I have gained in lessons concerning the theory of rivers applies to these real life examples. I have chosen to study the River Wharfe because not only is it one of the major rivers in Northern England but also flows through Ilkely, near our school meaning accessibility is not a problem. The site at which we will be conducting our experiments is far away enough from the source that it demonstrates the lower/middle course of the river. It also has little human influence making it relatively natural. I have selected to study Backstone Back since it is a tributary of the River Wharfe and therefore more accessible than the source. It is also a good representation of the upper course and should provide me with good contrasting results. We are not able to
Geography investigation - The River Skirfare located in the Littondale region in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
SECTION 1 Hypotheses; Hypothesis 1; 'Bedload will decrease in its size and angularity downstream'. By this, I mean that the material being carried, eroded and transported by the river will be smaller and more rounded downstream, than the material upstream. Hypothesis 2; 'The efficiency of the river will increase as you look further downstream.' This is where the river's ability to carry and transport material is greater downstream, but not upstream. Hence, we can say that upstream, has a poorer efficiency, than that downstream. Hypothesis 3; 'The velocity of the river will increase further downstream.' This would mean that the further down the river you travel the greater the surface speed of the river. Gradient will also be of great use as there will be an inverse relationship between the two variables, velocity and gradient. The further downstream, gradient will start to decrease. In other words the land around the river will be much more level downstream, but steeper upstream. SECTION 2 Introduction; This investigation sets out to prove or disprove three hypotheses. The hypotheses have been developed around the study of a river and hence, set out to focus on the processes and changes in the river downstream. To understand any possible changes or processes in as much detail as possible I have chosen three hypotheses that I think will help me achieve this best.
To assess whether the modified channel of the river ash is effective in reducing the risk of flooding to local homes.
GEOGRAPHY COURSEWORK INTRODUCTION Aim: To assess whether the modified channel of the river ash is effective in reducing the risk of flooding to local homes. To achieve this aim I will conduct a number of experiments within both the natural and modified channel to find out if the modified channel is effective in reducing the risk of flooding to local homes. A satellite image of the area studied in which the experiments on the River Ash took place. Both the modified and natural channel can be clearly seen. The location of the River Ash in relation to the UK. A map showing Staines at the source of the River Ash- the River Colne. The area in which the River Ash starts and flows out of the River Colne is very close to the A30 and the George VI Reservoir. A map showing the River Ash in Shepperton near Upper Halliford, Littleton and the Queen Mary Reservoir. A map showing Sunbury at the mouth of the River Ash where the Ash flows into the River Thames Location The River Ash is located in the south east of the UK. Although the river flows through Shepperton- in Surrey- the river is confined within the Spelthorne borough. The river's source is the River Colne in Staines. It flows from Staines in an easterly direction before flowing southeast through Laleham and bypasses Queen Mary's reservoir. It then turns east through Littleton and Shepperton before joining the
Investigation of the distribution and abundance off reshwater invertebrates in the Tillingbourne River at Abinger Hammeron Thursday, 17th of October 2002
Investigation of the distribution and abundance of freshwater invertebrates in the Tillingbourne River at Abinger Hammer on Thursday, 17th of October 2002 Introduction My research is about the distribution and abundance of freshwater invertebrates in the Tillingbourne River at Abinger Hammer at Surrey, England. Invertebrates are living organisms without backbones therefore there must be a number of factors, which affect the way they live and reproduce. The distribution of an invertebrate is partially affected by its environment. I chose to observe which species of invertebrates lived in the middle and at the edge of the riverbed- the river being their habitat. I feel that the three most important abiotic factors that contribute to the distribution and abundance of such invertebrates are the flow rate i.e. the velocity of the water, the temperature and the oxygen levels. As well as measuring these three things I did a kick sampling to see which different species I would be able to find in the invertebrates' habitat- the river. There were also various safety measures we took such as wearing gloves and waterproof clothing to protect us from any harmful diseases. We were instructed to handle all equipment gently and accurately to ensure that the results are as accurate as possible. The weather that day was quite sunny that day, which was useful for us because the sunlight
River Steyr, Hinterstoder
Geography: River Course Work River Steyr, Hinterstoder October 2002 Vanja Ivancevic 11F Contents Page 1 - Title page Page 2 - Contents Page 3 - Introduction Page 4 - Introduction Page 5 - Base Map Page 6 - Strahlers Stream Ordering of the Steyr Page 7 - Relief Map of the Steyr Page 8 - Aims Page 9 - Hypothesis Page 10 - Theoretical Background Page 11 - Theoretical Background Page 12 - Data Collection Page 13 - Data Collection Page 14 - Data Presentation, Location 1, Description Page 15 - Data Presentation, Location 1-4, Bedload Sampling Page 16 - Data Presentation, Location 2, Description Page 17 - Data Presentation, Location 2, Tabular Data Page 18 - Data Presentation, Location 2, Graphical Data Page 19 - Data Presentation, Location 3, Description Page 20 - Data Presentation, Location 3, Tabular Data Page 21 - Data Presentation, Location 3, Graphical Data Page 22 - Data Presentation, Location 4, Description Page 23 - Data Presentation, Location 4, Tabular Data Page 24 - Data Presentation, Location 4, Graphical Data Page 25 - Data Analysis and Discussion, Location 1 Page 26 - Data Analysis and Discussion, Location 2, Hydraulic Radius and Discharge calculations Page 27 - Data Analysis and Discussion, Location 2, Spearman's Bedload/Velocity Rank Correlation Tabular data & Graph Page 28 - Data Analysis and Discussion,
Hydrology and Fluvial geomorphology. (Q&A)
HYDROLOGY AND FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY Q: "Human activity, climate and landscape all affect a rivers regime". Discuss with reference to rivers from around the world. Suggested Answer The river regime is the expected seasonal pattern of discharge at a given point, over a year. The discharge is the amount of water flowing in the river channel. It is calculated by multiplying the cross-sectional area by the mean velocity (speed). A river's regime is based on average monthly discharge figures. These are collected over at least 20 years to try to eliminate minor year-to-year variations. There are several factors which will affect the river's regime, including rainfall, temperature, human use of the land and the landscape. For a better answer it is suggested that each of the factors has to be explained with examples using named rivers how each one may affect the regime of the river. Factors affect the regime Human activity means 'how people use the river and the surrounding land'. For example, if vast amounts of water are taken out of the river by industry, this may affect the regime as it will artificially decrease the amount of water in the river (although most industries do return the 'used' water to the river channel). In a similar way, if large amounts of water are used for agricultural irrigation, or water is removed from the river and directed somewhere else, the
Does the river Alyn follow Bradshaw's model?
Does the river Alyn follow Bradshaw's model? Introduction What is Bradshaw's model? The hydraulic geometry of rivers varies throughout their course. Bradshaw's model is a general model for how different river variables change downstream. Below is a diagram showing Bradshaw's model. Aim of my investigation The aim of my investigation is to see how the river variables change on the river Alyn and how this compares to Bradshaw's model in terms of 2 key questions: * How the velocity of the river Alyn changes along the profile? * How the Discharge of the river Alyn changes along the profile? Hypothesis Following Bradshaw's model I would expect both the river velocity and discharge to increase the further you travel downstream. Theory Velocity is the speed that the water is moving. It is measured in metres per second. The theory behind velocity increasing downstream is that it depends on 3 factors: Channel Gradient, Channel Roughness and Channel Shape. * Channel Gradient - Due to gravity the greater the channel slope the greater the velocity if other factors remain constant. * Channel Roughness - The rougher the channel is (how many rocks and boulders are found in the river channel) the more obstacles there are opposing the waters flow leading to increased friction and decreased velocity. The channel is less rough the further you go downstream and so the river flows
Geograpgy glendun river
Contents Page 1 Front cover Page 30 Location - map showing bed load distribution Page 2 Contents Page 31 Evaluation Page 3 Section 1 - Applied understanding Page 32 Evaluation Page 4 Location Page 33 Evaluation Page 5 Location - map Page 34 Evaluation Page 6 Theory - Ideal stream Page 35 conclusion Page 7 Ideal stream table Page 36 Bibliography Page 8 We should expect to find at: Upper course Page 37 Appendix Page 9 Middle course Page 10 Lower course Page 11 Glossary Page 12 Glossary Page 13 Methodology Page 14 Equipment used Page 15 Data table Page 16 A comprehensive range of techniques Page 17 A comprehensive range of techniques Page 18 Originality Page 19 Results and analysis - Hypothesis 1 Page 21 Results and analysis - Hypothesis 1 Page 22 Results and analysis - Hypothesis 1 Page 23 Results and analysis - Hypothesis 1 Page 24 Results and analysis - Hypothesis 1&2 Page 25 Hypothesis 2 Page 26 Hypothesis 3 Page 27 Hypothesis 3 Page 28 Conclusion Page 29 Originality GCSE Geography Coursework Section 1 - Applied understanding Why? We are doing this study to test all the text book theories. It brings all the ideas that we read in a book to real life, we can see exactly what happens for ourselves we get the chance to record the results ourselves also this is a requirement for our geography GCSE and the study is worth 25% of our
Investigating the river Caerfanell
INTRODUCTION I am going to be investigating the river Caerfanell. This river is a right-bank tributary of the River Usk of whose source is in the eastern end of the Brecon Beacons national park in South Wales, and joins the main river further downstream of Brecon. The catchment area is 32.4 km^2 and is an area of high precipitation, with 1800- 2000mm/year on average falling near the source and 1100mm/year near the confluence with the Usk. The valley of the Caerfanell lies within the Brecon Beacons national park and is relatively untouched except in more recent years where the river has attracted many holiday homes to situate nearby having an impact on surface runoff. The surrounding forest trees are coniferous and mostly evergreen, which also have an impact on runoff through interception and evapo-transpiration. A reservoir (the Talybont reservoir) was built in 1937 to store water, and now is being used as a drinking water supply for surrounding areas. The river has a built a delta, where it enters the reservoir, and just above the delta, the river has a strong tendency to meander eroding the farmland either side, although the farmer has attempted several times to straighten the river to protect his livestock. The Caerfanell valley has been carved into sedimentary rocks of the Devonian age (about 360 million years ago). These are known as the old red
Geography Coursework: Epping Forest
Abstract This is a study of the changes in river processes along the long profile of a river. To study this we will use a sample river. The river the study will be based on Loughton Brook, which is a river situated in Epping Forest in Essex and is also a tributary of the river Thames. A journey will be made to the river and measurements will be made at three different sites. The measurements that were taken will be studied so conclusions can be made about the changes to characteristics of a river with distance downstream. Aims and Hypotheses The overall aim of this study is to investigate the changes in river characteristics downstream along Loughton Brook. To investigate these changes in more detail a range of hypotheses will be tested. These hypotheses are: . The width of the river channel will increase with distance downstream. I expect to find this because in the long profile of a river channel width increases. This is because there is a greater volume of water at a faster velocity. This causes more hydraulic power erosion in the river channel downstream, which makes the channel wider. 2. The depth of the river channel will increase with distance downstream. I am expecting to find this because as the velocity of the river increase further downstream there will be more hydraulic power erosion which will cause the river to become deeper. 3. The wetted
