Factors influencing the energy of the river
Volume of river.
Permeability of rocks
Resultinf in high volume of water in the river.
Low permeability decreases the infiltration and increases runoff.
Hence volume of water in river is low.
High permeability increases infiltration and decrease runoff.
Presence of vegetation
Resulting in high volume of water in the river.
Sparse vegetation leads to high surface runoff.
Leading to low amount of water in the river.
Thus reduces the flow of surface runoff.
Abundant vegetationn aloows more rainwater to infiltrate the ground.
vegetation intercepts and allows more water to infiltrate the ground.
Size of drainage basin
Smaller drainage basin results in a smaller volume of water in the river.
Lareger drainage basin results in large volume of water in the river.
The bigger the drainage area, the greater the volume of water will be.
Rain flows over the land as surface runoff or seeps into the ground before reaching the river.
REASON: When the drainage area is large, there is more surface area for the rain to fall.
Climate
Rivers found in hot and equalatorial areas have a high volume of water in their channels.
Areas which are generally dry, the volume of water remains low throughout the year.
Areas with distinct wet and dry seasons, amount of water in the channel fluctuates according to the amount of rainfall recieved during each season.
Speed of river.
Gradient of channel
If the gradient is gentle the river will flow slowly.
If the gradient is steep the river will flow quickly.
Depends on the steepness or the gradient of the channel.
Rivers flow from a high altitude due to gravity.
Roughness of channel
Smoother channels will will have higher speed than the river with a rougher channel.
Reduces the speed of the river.
This friction will slow down the river flow.
These obstacles cause friction between water and the channel.
As water flows it encounters obstacles.
Obstacles are like rocks, boulders, underwater vegetations or an uneven river bed
Wetted perimeter
Subtopic
The larger the wetted perimeter, the slower the flow of river.
Shape of a river channel affects the wetted perimeter.
