250 Chapter 7 • Drainage Basins

DIGGING DEEPER When Erosion Happens, Where Does the Sediment Go? (continued)

Understanding the roles of legacy sediment and the Jacobson, R. B., and D. J. Coleman. Stratigraphy and
present-day response of channels to drainage-basin distur- recent evolution of Maryland Piedmont flood plains.
bance over the past centuries has substantial—and usually American Journal of Science 286 (1986): 617–637.
underappreciated—implications for channel restoration
Renwick, W. H., and M. T. Rakovan. Sediment supply
and river-corridor management (Renwick and Rakovan,
limitation and stream restoration. Journal of Soil and
2010). In particular, local stream-restoration and rehabili-
Water Conservation 65 (2010): 67a.
tation projects that do not consider historical changes in
the drainage-basin hydrology, sediment supply, and sedi- Trimble, S. W. Man-induced Soil Erosion on the Southern
ment delivery are likely to fail rapidly because the chan- Piedmont, 1700–1970. Ankeny, Iowa: Soil Conserva-
nels they create are not appropriate for contemporary tion Society of America, 1974.
drainage basin conditions.
Trimble, S. W. The fallacy of stream equilibrium in con-
Costa, J. E. Effects of agriculture on erosion and sedimen- temporary denudation studies. American Journal of
tation in the Piedmont province, Maryland. Geological Science 277 (1977): 876–887.
Society of America Bulletin 86 (1975): 1281–1286. Trimble, S. W. Changes in sediment storage in the Coon
Dietrich, W. E., and T. Dunne. Sediment budget for a small Creek Basin, Driftless Area, Wisconsin, 1853 to 1975.
catchment in mountainous terrain. Zeitschrift für Geo- Science 214 (1981): 181–183.
morphologie Supplementbände 29 (1978): 191–206. Trimble, S. W. Decreased rates of alluvial sediment storage
Dole, R. B., and H. Stabler. Denudation. United States in the Coon Creek Basin, Wisconsin, 1975–93. Science
Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 234 (1909): 78–93. 285 (1999): 1244–1246.

Haggett, P. Land use and sediment yield in an old planta- Walter, R. C., and D. J. Merritts. Natural streams and
tion tract of the Serra Do Mar, Brazil. The Geographical the legacy of water-powered mills. Science 319 (2008):
Journal 127 (1961): 50–59. 299–304.

WORKED PROBLEM
Question: Describe a conceptual sediment budget (using stored in colluvial deposits at the base of hillslopes,
a flow diagram like that shown in Figure DD7.2) to some is stored in fans, and other sediment is stored
begin the process of quantification for (1) a nonglaciated along river and stream valleys as terraces and in
100 km2 drainage basin in a humid-temperate region, floodplains. Sediment is exported from the basin by
and (2) the same basin in an arid region. First, consider streams primarily as suspended load during large flow
sediment sources and the processes by which sediment is events, such as storms and snowmelt floods. Over
created and delivered to the river network. Then consider thousands of years, the rate at which sediment is supplied
areas in the basin where sediment is stored. Finally, from hillslopes is similar to the rate at which it is
consider the rate at which sediment is exported and the exported from the watershed. At decadal timescales,
processes by which sediment is removed from the basin. these rates are often quite different, with sediment being
Ensure that your sediment budget considers both long retained at the base of slopes or along channels and
and short timescales (thousands of years and decades). exported by rare but high-magnitude floods.
In arid regions, weathering and sediment production
Answer: Sediment budgets for arid and humid regions occur more slowly and most slopes are weathering
are distinct because the active geomorphic processes in limited and have little if any soil cover. Streams are
these regions differ. ephemeral and usually dry. Rare flows can move large
In humid regions, weathering converts rock to amounts of sediment in short times. Source terms in
regolith that is readily eroded to become sediment. Most arid regions include advective transport of material off
slopes in humid regions are transport-limited and rock slopes by overland flow from gentle slopes, rock
covered with a mantle of soil. The source terms in a fall from steep slopes, and movement of sediment from
humid-region sediment budget include rock weathering other parts of the basin (and from other basins) by
rates and the diffusive transport rates of sediment wind.
downslope and advective rates of sediment transport in In areas where the rocks are weak and there is
gullies, rills, and in mass movements. Some sediment is tectonic activity raising ranges above the valley floors—
 Knowledge Assessment 251

for example, around Death Valley, California—large rather, the sediment may accumulate in closed basins
amounts of sediment are stored in fans at the base of slowly filling them, or some material may be carried out
steep slopes. In contrast, tectonically stable areas of the basin by wind. Because arid-region processes are
underlain by hard rocks produce little sediment and fans so episodic, rates of surface processes over short
are mostly absent. Depending on the tectonic setting, timescales may bear little if any resemblance to rates
little if any sediment may leave arid-region watersheds; over longer timescales.

KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT Chapter 7

1. Define a drainage basin. 20. List the four valley segment types and describe
2. Where in drainage basins does sediment tend to the dominant processes in each.
be deposited? 21. Sketch a river longitudinal profile and explain
3. Where in drainage basins does sediment most (giving three reasons) why the slope of the longitu-
likely originate? dinal profile changes in the downstream direction.
4. Describe the difference between open and closed 22. List three different base levels and describe what
drainage basins. processes might lead them to change over time.
5. In what climate and tectonic setting are you most 23. Define both a knickpoint and a knickzone;
likely to find closed drainage basins? explain how they are different and what can cause
them to occur.
6. Describe three specific challenges geomorpholo-
gists face in creating a sediment budget. 24. Explain how and why floodplain morphology
changes downstream.
7. Define a sediment rating curve and describe how
sediment rating curves are created. 25. Predict how and explain why the grain size of
sediment carried by a river changes downstream.
8. Explain why data in sediment rating curves are
so variable. 26. Explain the difference between depositional and
strath terraces.
9. Sketch four common types of drainage patterns and
suggest a location where each type might be found. 27. List three reasons why rivers leave behind
terraces.
10. Explain the factors leading to each of the four
common drainage patterns. 28. Predict where alluvial and debris fans are most
likely to be found.
11. Draw a series of sketches to illustrate the differ-
ence between superposed and antecedent drainages. 29. List several characteristics that would help you
differentiate between alluvial and debris fans.
12. Describe the issues related to defining a “first-
order” channel. 30. Explain the feedback mechanism that encour-
ages gorge formation and deepening.
13. Compare and contrast the Shreve and the
Strahler stream ordering classifications. 31. At what timescales do tectonic, climatic, and
human forcings affect drainage basins?
14. Predict how channel width, depth, and cross-
sectional area change downstream in a humid- 32. Define pater noster lakes and explain how they
temperate river network. form.
15. Why and how does discharge change down- 33. Give two examples of climate changes that can
stream in an arid-region river network? affect drainage basins.
16. Describe how both average basin slope and 34. Draw a diagram showing how sediment yield
channel slope change as a function of basin area. might change over time as forests are cleared and
land is developed.
17. Where is stream velocity greater—in a mountain
cascade or a large lowland river? Explain your answer. 35. Define “legacy sediment.”
18. Discuss the residence time of sediment in a 36. Explain the effects of forestry practices on
drainage basin. drainage basins.
19. Explain why fine-grained and coarse-grained 37. Define a reference condition and argue whether
sediment have different average residence times in or not it is a valid concept.
humid-temperate drainage basins.