Consider the annual hydrographs for the Mackenzie, Columbia, and Nelson Rivers..
ID: 287550 • Letter: C
Question
Consider the annual hydrographs for the Mackenzie, Columbia, and Nelson Rivers..a) describe when the highest and lowest flows occur. How do the three rivers differ?
b) explain/ speculate why there are such marked differences in the hydrographs, especially for the Nelson. Also note the St.Lawrence River, in eastern Canada, has a hydrograph shape roughly similar to the Nelson. What climate and landscape factors might contribute to this flat hydrograph shape?
c) what effects do you think these differences in hydrographs may have on hydroelectric power generation potential, especially timing of peak generation? Consider the annual hydrographs for the Mackenzie, Columbia, and Nelson Rivers..
a) describe when the highest and lowest flows occur. How do the three rivers differ?
b) explain/ speculate why there are such marked differences in the hydrographs, especially for the Nelson. Also note the St.Lawrence River, in eastern Canada, has a hydrograph shape roughly similar to the Nelson. What climate and landscape factors might contribute to this flat hydrograph shape?
c) what effects do you think these differences in hydrographs may have on hydroelectric power generation potential, especially timing of peak generation?
a) describe when the highest and lowest flows occur. How do the three rivers differ?
b) explain/ speculate why there are such marked differences in the hydrographs, especially for the Nelson. Also note the St.Lawrence River, in eastern Canada, has a hydrograph shape roughly similar to the Nelson. What climate and landscape factors might contribute to this flat hydrograph shape?
c) what effects do you think these differences in hydrographs may have on hydroelectric power generation potential, especially timing of peak generation?
Explanation / Answer
a). According to hydrographs for the Mackenzie (1973-1990) Highest flw of water in May & lowest flow in December- Janauary.
Mackenzie: - It is the second largest river of canada therfore it has the maximu water flow to columbia & Neson river.
b). Hydrograph: A hydrograph is the graphical representation of the instantaneous discharge of a stream plotted with time. It includes the integrated contributions from surface runoff, groundwater seepage, drainage and channel precipitation. The shape of a hydrograph of a single storm occurring over the drainage area follows a general pattern.
Neson River :At the beginning of the rainfall, the river discharge is low and a period of time elapses before the river begins to rise. During this period the rainfall is intercepted by vegetation or soaks into the ground to make up the soil moisture deficit. The length of the delay before the river rises depends on the wetness of the catchment before the storm and on the intensity of the rainfall itself.
When the rainfall has made up the catchment deficits and when surfaces and soils are saturated, the rains begin to contribute to the stream flow. The proportion of rainfall that finds its way to the river is known as effective rainfall, the rest being "lost" in evaporation, detention on the surface or retention in the soil. As the storm proceeds, the proportion of effective rainfall increases and that of lost rainfall decreases, resulting in a strongly rising limb in Nelson river.
Climate & lanscape factor have the important role in the shape of hydrographs of any river sytem. If the climate is not humid means poor rainfall occurs and landscape is not flate that means amoount of precipitated water is runoff means no chane in hydrographs.
c). According to the study of hydrographs of above rivers it is suggested that hydoelectric genration potential may occue in higest rainfall & lowest evaporation & runoff means if you have huge amount of water you have high potential to generate of hydroelectric power.