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Article: Stream Capacity and Competence
- Article from:
- World of Earth Science
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Stream capacity and competence
Streams channel
water
downhill under the influence of
gravity
. Stream capacity is a measure of the total sediment (material other than water) a stream can carry. Stream competence reflects the ability of a stream to transport a particular size of particle (e.g., boulder, pebble, etc). With regard to calculation of stream capacity and competence, streams broadly include all channelized movement of water, including large movements of water in
rivers
.
Under normal circumstances, the major factor affecting stream capacity and stream competence is channel slope. Channel slope (also termed stream gradient) is measured as the difference in stream elevation ...