How does a river continue to flow?
Water evaporates from the world’s oceans (and to a lesser extent, lakes and streams) and via transpiration of plants. It falls from the atmosphere as rain or snow. Why do rivers continue to flow, even when little or no rain has fallen? Much of the water feeding a stream runs slowly underground through shallow aquifers.
What causes water flows?
Water poured from a bucket will naturally flow towards the ground. Water always flows downhill because of gravity. As water moves from a wider space to a narrower space the water pressure gets higher. Rain travelling over the surface of a window will move more quickly than rain running down the wall.
How are river systems affected by different factors?
Rivers can adapt to these obstacles and carve out more dramatic curves to compensate. They just go with the flow. River systems are influenced by a variety of factors. The climate can determine how much rain and groundwater contributes to a river, giving it either a perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral flow.
How does the shape of a river affect erosion?
The flow velocity, or speed of flow, can influence the shape and rate of erosion of a river system. The cross-sectional shape of a river dictates how much friction will impact the flow of water within a river.
How are rivers formed and how are they formed?
How a River Flows. Rivers always flow downhill, of course! A stream, or a river, is formed whenever watermoves downhill from one place to another. This means that most rivers begin high up in the mountains, where snow from the winter, or ancient glaciers, is melting.
What causes the flow of water to slow down?
First is gravity. A river that is fairly flat is likely to have a slower flow velocity than one which is on a steep hill. The second factor is friction. Water moves most quickly when it has less resistance, so the friction of water against rocks slows it down.