River morphology: Difference between revisions

The terms '''river morphology''' and its synonym [[stream]] [[morphology]] are used to describe the shapes of [[river]] [[channel (geography)|channels]] and how they change in shape and direction over time. The morphology of a river channel is a function of a number of processes and environmental conditions, including the composition and [[erodibility]] of the [[stream bed|bed]] and [[stream bank|banks]] (e.g., sand, clay, bedrock); [[erosion]] comes from the power and consistency of the current, and can effect the formation of the river's path. Also, [[vegetation]] and the rate of plant growth; the availability of [[sediment]]; the size and composition of the sediment moving through the channel; the rate of [[sediment transport]] through the channel and the rate of deposition on the [[floodplain]], banks, [[bar (river morphology)|bars]], and bed; and regional [[aggradation]] or [[Degradation (geology)|degradation]] due to [[subsidence]] or [[Tectonic uplift|uplift]]. River morphology can also be effected by human interaction, which is a way the river responds to a new factor in how the river can change its course. An example of human induced change in river morphology is dam construction, which alters the ebb flow of fluvial water and sediment, therefore creating or shrinking estuarine channels.<ref>Bo-yuan Zhu,Yi-tian Li,Yao Yue,Yun-ping Yang. Aggravation of north channels' shrinkage and south channels' development in the Yangtze Estuary under dam-induced runoff discharge flattening. Journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 5 March 2017</ref> A [[river regime]] is a dynamic equilibrium system, which is a way of classifying rivers into different categories. The four categories of river regimes are Sinuous canali- form rivers, Sinuous point bar rivers, Sinuous braided rivers, and Non-sinuous braided rivers.