Load
The
rock particles and dissolved ions carried by the stream
are the called the stream's load. Stream load is divided
into three parts. Suspended Load - particles that are
carried along with the water in the main part of the
streams. The size of these particles depends on their
density and the velocity of the stream. Higher velocity
currents in the stream can carry larger and denser particles.
Bed Load
Coarser and denser particles that remain on the bed of the stream most of the time but move by a process of saltation (jumping) as a result of collisions between particles, and turbulent eddies. Note that sediment can move between bed load and suspended load as the velocity of the stream changes.
Dissolved Load
Ions that have been introduced into the water by chemical weathering of rocks. This load is invisible because the ions are dissolved in the water. The dissolved load consists mainly of HCO3- (bicarbonate ions), Ca+2, SO4-2, Cl-, Na+2, Mg+2, and K+. These ions are eventually carried to the oceans and give the oceans their salty character. Streams that have a deep underground source generally have higher dissolved load than those whose source is on the Earth's surface.
Changes Downstream
As one moves along a stream in the downstream direction:
Discharge increases, as noted above, because water is
added to the stream from tributary streams and groundwater.
As discharge increases, the width, depth, and average
velocity of the stream increase.
The gradient of the stream, however, will decrease. It
may seem to be counter to your observations that velocity
increases in the downstream direction, since when one
observes a mountain stream near the headwaters where
the gradient is high, it appears to have a higher velocity
than a stream flowing along a gentle gradient. But, the
water in the mountain stream is likely flowing in a turbulent
manner, due to the large boulders and cobbles which make
up the streambed. If the flow is turbulent, then it takes
longer for the water to travel the same linear distance,
and thus the average velocity is lower. Also as one moves
in the downstream direction, The size of particles that
make up the bed load of the stream tends to decrease.
Even though the velocity of the stream increases downstream,
the bed load particle size decreases mainly because the
larger particles are left in the bed load at higher elevations
and abrasion of particles tends to reduce their size.
The composition of the particles in the bed load tends to change along the stream as different bedrock is eroded and added to the stream's load. Floods Floods occur when the discharge of the stream becomes too high to be accommodated in the normal stream channel. When the discharge becomes too high, the stream widens its channel by overtopping its banks and flooding the low-lying areas surrounding the stream. The areas that become flooded are called floodplains.
