Chapter 16 Homework

In general, the erosional base levels of a river are _ ______ ____ _____, _ ____, and __ _____.

A closed land basin A lake An ocean

When conditions such as climate remain stable, a river may approach a dynamic equilibrium state. The river would then be considered _ ______ ______.

A graded system

What is a drainage divide?

A ridge or strip of high ground separating one drainage basin from another.

Oceans, lakes, or the bottoms of closed basins are all examples of ____ levels of rivers.

Base

The lowest level to which a river can erode is its ____ _____.

Base level

The area that a stream naturally drains is called a drainage what?

Basin

The process of meander formation begins when a difference in roughness on the ______ causes water to move faster on one side of the channel than on the other.

Bottom

A __________ is a broad strip of land on either side of a stream channel that is covered by water during a flood and replenished by sedimentation.

Floodplain

What is the word used to describe the change in elevation for a given stream or river over a horizontal distance?

Gradient

The profile of a river is steeper at its __________.

Headwaters

The area of the origin of a river is its __________, and the _____ __ the end of the river.

Headwaters, Mouth is

The ______ the velocity of a river, the ______ its capacity to carry sediment.

Higher Larger A river can have a larger capacity at faster flow velocities because it can transport larger particles, erode more material, and thus add to the total amount of sediment being transported (The stream's capacity).

A flash flood _____ _ ______ ____ and _____ _______ ____ _______ ________.

Lasts a short time Often results from intense rainfall

The discharge of a river is measured in cubic what per second?

Meters

A stream or river that flows all year is referred to as _________.

Perenial

Which of the following are primary factors that influence a stream's profile? Sea level Tectonics Iron concentration Rock type Climate

Sea level Tectonics Rock type Climate

The size of the drainage basin and the what of the drainage basin influence the flow response to rainfall.

Shape

The amount that a river or stream channel curves in a given length is called its _________.

Sinuosity

Which of these graphs about streams or flooding has a concave-up shape?

Stream elevation profile.

Rank the seasons from the lowest discharge of water to the highest for a river located in the Upper Midwest of the U.S. (Place the season with the lowest discharge on top).

Winter Fall Summer Spring