The global hydrological cycle – role of atmosphere, oceans,biosphere in a closed system. Relationship to drainage basin (open system) and links to coastal system.
The hydrological cycle – key processes, and factors affecting their variability.
Global and drainage basin systems - knowledge of inputs, stores, flows and outputs. Contrast
closed/open systems.
Processes (eg infiltration, interception, saturated overland flow, evapotranspiration).
FLUVIAL SYSTEMS
Impact of the hydrological cycle on fluvial systems
Soil moisture budgets, storm hydrographs and river regime
Processes (eg weathering and mass movement) & how they interact to create variations in cross and long profiles.
Cross-sectional changes to show how valley forms develop. Avoid concept of simple sequence and look at role of localised actors such as geology eg Colorado. The effect of waterfalls on
long profiles.
Hydraulic geometry of river channels. Changes downstream of river channel variables such as width, depth, velocity, discharge and river channel efficiency. Refer to May Beck Fieldwork
Relationship to a model eg Bradshaw
River channel load. Competence and capacity. Factors influencing sediment budgets. Linkage to river processes of erosion, transport and deposition.
Theory of river channel load – Hjülstrom curve; examples of two contrasting sediment budgets eg Hwang He, Nile to illustrate the factors involved.
Features associated with changing river channels, both meandering and braiding, to include within the channel and on the valley floor.
PROCESS AND CHANGE IN RIVERINE ENVIRONMENTS,
LANDFORMS AND ECOSYSTEMS
physical factors and processes influencing channel characteristics and valley landforms
Ecosystems in a river environment-The basic structure and functioning of hydroseres, to include energy flows and nutrient cycling & the importance of wetlands in a river environment.
Changes in river landforms and river environments & their impact on people’s daily lives
Impacts of
• changing river channels
• changing sedimentation levels
• changing discharge – flooding and low flow conditions:
• Recurrence level and risk.
The influence of human activities on rivers (inc. conflicting activities) & the consequences of such activities
An overview of activities within a river channel and its catchment.
Potential conflicts between activities.
Need two of the following :
Include a variety of impacts:
− channelisation (re sectioning and realignment)
− dams and reservoir construction
− urbanisation
− water quality issues
− over extraction for domestic, agricultural and industrial
Challenge of managing rivers- These include:
Human pressures on drainage basins create the need for management schemes.
Successful management requires an understanding of landforms systems and processes and can be evaluated in terms of costs and benefits.
Bad management can lead to disastrous consequences. Practice has evolved over time, with increasing moves towards holistic management of the catchment and sustainable strategies.
The 'case studies' are the examples of the above! Select one of the areas we have studied and develop it further as an example of the 'physical' processes -eg Wharefdale.
The Ouse Basin & York -Flooding & Drainage Basin management
The July 2007 Floods (Yorkshire or Gloucestershire/ Oxfordshire)
The Mississippi -floods, channel management & change
The Colorado -Channel & flow management, Dams, Water extraction
Hueng Ho -Sedimentation, Flooding, Dams
Example of River Restoration.
Flooding in Bangaldesh
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2 comments:
Hi Mrs Jackson
For a low flow case study could I do the summer of '76 and if so would I need to talk about the levels of a specific river or could I just say that there was general low flow due to lack of precipitation and lots of evapotranspiration?
This would be fine -the emphasis is on how it affected people & how the issue was managed. If you could chuck in the odd statistic it would impress ...the river ??? was ??? below its usual summer level???? This is in the style of the case studies highlighted earlier.
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