In 6-8 sentences:
• Explain how stream volume and speed affect the size, shape, and flow of streams and rivers.
• Use evidence from the Water Erosion Lab and Virtual Stream Table Activity to support your claims.
• Connect your claims and evidence with compelling reasoning related to available energy and stream competence and capacity.
Stream volume and speed have a significant impact on the size, shape, and flow of streams and rivers. In the Water Erosion Lab, we observed that streams with higher volumes of water had larger widths and deeper depths compared to streams with lower volumes. This is because higher volumes of water allow for greater erosion and transportation of sediment, resulting in a wider and deeper channel.
Additionally, in the Virtual Stream Table Activity, we noticed that streams with higher speeds had a more meandering or sinuous shape compared to streams with lower speeds. This is because faster-moving water has more energy to erode the outer banks and deposit sediment on the inner banks, leading to the formation of meanders.
The evidence from both activities can be connected to the concept of available energy and stream competence and capacity. Available energy refers to the energy available for a stream to erode and transport sediment. Streams with higher volumes and speeds have more available energy, which allows them to erode and transport larger amounts of sediment.
Stream competence relates to the maximum size of sediment a stream can transport, while stream capacity refers to the total amount of sediment a stream can transport. As the volume and speed of a stream increase, the competence and capacity also increase since more energy is available to transport larger and heavier sediment particles.
Therefore, higher stream volumes and speeds result in larger and deeper streams due to increased erosion and transportation of sediment. The meandering shape of streams with higher speeds is a result of the available energy and the ability to erode and deposit sediment along their banks. Overall, the evidence from the Water Erosion Lab and Virtual Stream Table Activity supports the fact that stream volume and speed play vital roles in shaping and influencing the flow of streams and rivers.