Factors Affecting Volume and Speed of River

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Factors Affecting Volume and Speed of River

Volume

Climate

The climate could be a wet season or a dry season

Rivers found in hot and wet equitorial areas have a high volume of water in their channels

Higher Rainfall leads to higher water volume for the river

Permeability of Rocks

River flowing in an area with less permeable rocks,will have a larger volume of water in its channel

The lower the permeability, the higher the surface runoff

The higher the permeability, the lower the surface runoff

Precence of Vegetation

lesser surface runoff leads to smaller river volume

More vegetation leads to lesser surface runoff

Vegetation intercepts rain and allows more water to seep into the ground

Size of Drainage Basin

The rain flows over the land as a surface runoff or seeps into the ground before reaching the river

Larger drainage results to more surface area for the rain to fall on

The bigger the drainage area, the greater will be the amount of water in the river

Speed

The Gradient of the Channel

Gradient Information

Water will flow slowly if the Gradient is low

The speed depends on how steep the Channel is

Water flows down due from a high altitude due to gravity

Wetted Perimeter

Around the perimeter of the river, at the sides and along the river bed friction is created as water flows against the edges. Water flowing through a wide, deep river channel encounters less resistance than water flowing in a narrow, shallow channel.

River Channels have various shapes and sizes

The shape of a river channel affects the wetted perimeter

If the wetted perimeter is large, more water comes in contact with the Channel. it created friction and slows down water flow.

Wetted perimeter is the length and breadh of the channel in contact with the rivers water

Roughness of the Channel

A river with a smooth Channel will have a faster water flow

The obstacles create friction,thus having a slower water flow

There are obstacles in the Channel such as rocks,boulders, underwater vegetation.