The discharge for a single stream should not change much from the headwater to the mouth. The exceptions to the mouth would be if another stream joined the main stream, which would increase the discharge or if you loose a significant amount of water to infilitration, which would decrease the discharge. The gradient should be high at the headwaters and gradually decrease downstream where it should be low at the mouth. Of course differences in lithologies or secondary streams can change the gradient for a short distance, thought the overall profile should fit the expected model.
At the headwaters (in the mountains) the gradient is steep, then as the stream moves into the foothills and onto the plains on its way to the sea where it has its mouth, the gradient gets less and less steep.
In a typical stream where the gradient is steep the discharge is small.
In a typical stream where the gradient is steep the discharge is small.
In a typical stream where the gradient is steep the discharge is small.
Q-Tips
A steep gradient will force the water to flow downhill faster.
it is gradient, discharge and load.
13 kilometers
headwaters
headwaters
Stream velocity is dependent of four things. They are, the flow type, the gradient, the channel shape, and the discharge of the stream. Streams will flow faster in narrow channels on steeper grades.
An increase in gradient will generally increase stream velocity.