Assignment: Lab 10: Flooding and Its Impacts: 1. Stream Behavior and Hydrographs

Spring 2020 - Geologic Hazards (GEOL-3400-01, GEOL-3400-10, GEOL-3400-11, GEOG-3400-12)
2019-12-20T18:11:49Z

Due: May 4, 2020 by 11:59pm

Introduction

Floods are a natural part of a stream's development cycle. Small floods occur on almost a yearly basis, whereas large floods may happen on once a decade or perhaps once a century. For thousands of years, humankind adjusted their activities to the natural flooding cycles of the rivers and coasts they lived beside. Still, humans have tried to modify the behavior of streams to satisfy their own goals. In modern, times the scale of these modifications have become truly astounding. Yet, while the human costs of floods have decreased in developed nations, the cost in terms of property loss continues to climb. Indeed, it is now apparent that many of the modifications humans make to streams have increased the frequency and magnitude of flooding. Clearly, a better approach to flooding requires a sound understanding of the geologic processes of streams.

An example of urban flooding

This lab will:

investigate the concept of drainage basins

examine stream gradient and determine the factors necessary to calculate it;

explore the importance of flood crest in determining the extent of flood damage; and

look at how the frequency of flooding is determined.

Information source: surfaceWater.pdf

Activities:

act 1 - velocity-gradient.docx

act 2 - gradient-divides.docx

act 3 - gradient baseline.docx

act 4 - hydrographs.docx

act 5 - stream profile.docx

Introduction

Floods are a natural part of a stream's development cycle. Small floods occur on almost a yearly basis, whereas large floods may happen on once a decade or perhaps once a century. For thousands of years, humankind adjusted their activities to the natural flooding cycles of the rivers and coasts they lived beside. Still, humans have tried to modify the behavior of streams to satisfy their own goals. In modern, times the scale of these modifications have become truly astounding. Yet, while the human costs of floods have decreased in developed nations, the cost in terms of property loss continues to climb. Indeed, it is now apparent that many of the modifications humans make to streams have increased the frequency and magnitude of flooding. Clearly, a better approach to flooding requires a sound understanding of the geologic processes of streams.

An example of urban flooding

This lab will:

investigate the concept of drainage basins

examine stream gradient and determine the factors necessary to calculate it;

explore the importance of flood crest in determining the extent of flood damage; and

look at how the frequency of flooding is determined.

Information source: surfaceWater.pdf

Activities:

act 1 - velocity-gradient.docx

act 2 - gradient-divides.docx

act 3 - gradient baseline.docx

act 4 - hydrographs.docx

act 5 - stream profile.docx