Posted: 7/29/2013 10:21:08 AM EDT
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Arfcom help me with my idle curiosity, I'm wondering if the flow of water in a river varies throughout the day? IE does evaporation lunar cycles, temperature shifts cause any significant change in the veleocity of water in any given part of a river throughout a 24 hour period? If so how much like 10%? 20%?
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Quoted:
Arfcom help me with my idle curiosity, I'm wondering if the flow of water in a river varies throughout the day? IE does evaporation lunar cycles, temperature shifts cause any significant change in the veleocity of water in any given part of a river throughout a 24 hour period? If so how much like 10%? 20%? all of that depends on the source. |
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Quoted:
Arfcom help me with my idle curiosity, I'm wondering if the flow of water in a river varies throughout the day? IE does evaporation lunar cycles, temperature shifts cause any significant change in the veleocity of water in any given part of a river throughout a 24 hour period? If so how much like 10%? 20%? Here in Colorado the water flow or CFS is mainly determined by precipitation / air temp / reservoir. Air temp melts the snow pack which in turn flows down into the rivers increasing the CFS... which can vary drastically in a single day. Ive been to waterfalls in the morning where the flow was almost non-existent... and then revisiting the same waterfall that same day later afternoon and finding massive fkn falls... |
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Quoted:there are so many variables to consider before answering that question BINGO! Is the river you are interested in influenced by tidal activity, is there a reservoir on the river that will impact flow rates based on generation or release schedules, is the river driven by snow melt, etc...? |
| You have to pay attention to what the weather has been upstream of your location. Heavy rain last week in locations upstream can be showing up at your location today if the river is long enough. On big rivers like the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri it can take a month or more for heavy rains in the headwaters to reach locations in the downstream . |
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North of Quanah, Texas the water in Red River will disappear from the surface when the temperature gets over 110°. Water will reappear in the overnite hours and morning.
But North of Vernon, Texas enough cities are dumping sewer outfall to keep it flowing all the time. I guess the flow rates depend on how much everyone is flushing. Remember everyone lives downstream. |
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Quoted:
there are so many variables to consider before answering that question This. Is it tidal? Any reservoirs that may release water? But, armed with my knowledge of hydrology, I will say that a non-tidal free flowing river, barring any weather events, will not exhibit any measurable change in flow over the course of a day. |
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Quoted:
You have to pay attention to what the weather has been upstream of your location. Heavy rain last week in locations upstream can be showing up at your location today if the river is long enough. On big rivers like the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri it can take a month or more for heavy rains in the headwaters to reach locations in the downstream . In 2010, heavy snowfall in North/South Dakota from November to January caused widespread flooding from SD to LA from July to August. |
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Correction. 2011 Missouri Floods. 2010 was a dry year.
Snowpack from the Rockies had a lot to do with it as well. |