Fluvial Process and Landforms Notes 26th March

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Fluvial process and landforms:A river channel is part of a drainage basin the hydrological system.A river channel is an open system which interacts with other opensystem, particularly the hill slope system.Water in a river has potential energy created because it is above baselevel (sea level).Potential energy of a river get change into kinetic energy as it flowsdown a hill slope.In this conversion process about 95% of the energy is loss to overcomefriction; external friction between the water and banks, bed and air andinternal between eddies of water within the river.The remaining energy is available to transport and erode debris.Three main river processes:1.Erosion2.Transportation3.DepositionErosion:

wearing away of the banks and beds of the river.

Eroded material is transported as load before deposition can occur.Ability of a river to erode depend on it’s energy.Energy of a river depends on its velocity and how well it can overcomefriction.A river’s velocity is influenced:1.Channel shape in cross-section2.Roughness of the channel’s bed and banks3.Channel slope

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Channel shape in cross-sectionQ: Can you find the Hydraulic radius of Channel A, B and C.Formula:HYDRAULIC RADIUS = Area of cross sectionWetted perimeter.

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*Wetted perimeter : the total length of the bed and bank sides in contactwith the water in the channel. Hydraulic radius;Channel A: ______ Channel B:_____ Channel C: ________ Qn:Which river channel has the highest radius? _______________________________________________________ Hydraulic radius measures the efficiency of a river channel. The river with the highest Hydraulic radius is more efficient thus has more energyfor transport and erosion.During flood the hydraulic radius increases (peak at bankfull discharge)thus efficiency increases but as water overflow the efficiency decreases.Find the Hydraulic radius of the river channel below at time of normaldischarge and bankfull discharge

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2.Roughness of the channel’s bed and banksSmooth river channelIrregular/ Rough river channel

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Flowing water in a river channel encounters various forms of resistance, which reduces its energy.

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Which river has high velocity. Why?River in fig. A has high velocity since less energy is usedto overcome obstacles and there will be less frictionIf water flows in a smooth, straight channel at slow velocity its flow isdescribed as laminar.As river flow is usually in a rough, irregular channel, laminar seldomexists in reality; typical river flow is turbulent with chaotic water movement involving eddies.Types of flowIn a straight river channel river flows at a slow velocity by laminar flow.(i) Laminar flow: a horizontal movement of water rarely experienced by ariver. Such flow if existed will travel over sediment on the river bedwithout disturbing it.(ii) Turbulence flow, consists of a series of erratic eddies, both verticaland horizontal in a downstream direction.(iii) Helicoidal: a corkscrew movement usually in a meander wherematerial is eroded from outside of meander bend, transported and thendeposited on inside of next bend.

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