• A floodplain or flood plain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge. Or in simple words we can say - an area of low-lying ground adjacent to a river, formed mainly of river sediments and subject to flooding.
• Flood plains are made by a meander eroding sideways as they travel downstream. When a river breaks its banks and floods, it leaves behind layers of alluvium (silt). These gradually build up to create the floor of the flood plain. Floodplains can support particularly rich ecosystems, both in quantity and diversity.
• Floodplains are where land and water meet. The two environments merge
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This reduces a river’s discharge and so makes it less likely to flood. Afforestation also prevents mass wasting which reduces the amount of soil entering the river and keeps the river’s capacity high. When combined with floodplain zoning, afforestation can be very effective at reducing the risk of flooding. It creates new habitats for animals and improving water quality by filtering pollutants out of rainwater. The issue with afforestation is that it requires quite a lot of space to be effective and could prove unpopular among famers on the floodplain as they won’t be too happy with trees sapping nutrients from the soil. This issue can be combated somewhat by creating riparian buffers, thin vegetated strips of land that run adjacent to a river’s channel.
- Wetland Restoration- involves creating conditions that are favorable for the development of wetlands (marshes or swamps). Wetlands are able to store large volumes of water which helps to reduce the discharge in a river. Wetlands don’t reduce flooding where they are located but rather downstream of the river. They have the added benefit of creating new habitats for animals and greatly increasing biodiversity. They reduce the area of land available for farming though which makes them unpopular among
There are six different types of water erosion: splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, gully erosion, valley or stream erosion, and bank erosion. Splash erosion is when raindrops hit soil and small soil particles are displaced. Sheet erosion is when raindrops remove soil in thin layers. During rill erosion, small concentrated flow paths are created. “These paths create a sediment source and delivery system for hillslope erosion. Areas where precipitation rates exceed soil infiltration rates are more prone to this type of erosion. During gully erosion, water flows in narrow channels during or after heavy rains or melting snow. The gullies can erode to considerable depths. Valley or stream erosion is created by water flowing alongside land. It extends downward, deepening a valley, and extending the valley into the hillside. This occurs more frequently
Any rainfall increases fluvial erosion. When rain does fall, this creates ephemeral streams causing water erosion due to fast forces of water. Flash floods are possible as well creating even more erosion.
1. The reasons why some buildings are in the floodplains is because of agricultural industry. Another reason is population growth and expansion into those areas where people felt safe because of improvements of levees. Even though people were told about the dangers most people relied on disaster insurance instead of flood insurance. There should be laws that prohibit further development of these areas because it is costing the taxpayers lots of money for people that want to live in these areas that know the risks. If there were laws in place they could use some of the land as soccer fields and football fields as overflow ponds if they do want to build in a floodplain they need to raise the ground up by hauling in soils that will let the water pass through into those overfill ponds.
Wetlands improve water quality by helping with nearby flood control. The bottomland hardwoods areas contain large amount of nutrient rich soil which is capable of soaking up excess water from floods or runoff. These types of wetlands also contain marshes or swamps where the water is gathered to create a new environment for other
The Ellicott City flood was destructive because it was on a high gradient stream. The high gradient stream made it flood faster, and had low stream discharge. Discharge is cross section of stream channel. It was also capable of moving large particles, which is an example of deposition and erosion. In the experiment, the ‘Main Street Ellicott City’ stream was more affected than the Meandering Stream. The Main Street Ellicott City stream was flooded faster, and more houses and cars were destroyed compared to the Meandering
For example. Waterfalls and potholes are commonly found in the upper course, and are exceedingly rare in the lower course. Meanders and Oxbow lakes are commonly found in the middle course, it is caused by erosion and deposition, these factors causes the river to have a bend during its course. Levees and flood plains are also frequently found in the lower course, there is a larger water volume, therefore floodplains are created to adapt to it’s new features, while features such as meanders will not be affective, as it has a higher chance of flood, and erosion would also change the feature very
A wetland is an area of land that retains it water on it surface as in swamps, marshes, and bogs. Although we would prefer to keep the wetlands they are being destroyed very rapidly. Louisiana loses about 25- 35 square miles of wetlands each year. By 2050 it’s estimated that the annual loss of fishing income due to coastal wetland erosion will be around $550 million dollars of revenue.
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the 21st Century Flood Reform Act and to provide a recommendation on whether the Senate should vote for or against it. In order to provide an informed recommendation, this paper will first present background information on the 21st Century Flood Reform Act and explain what it proposes. Following the background information, this paper will analyze arguments both in support and in opposition of the 21st Century Flood Reform Act. To conclude, this paper will make a recommendation, based on the analysis, on how the Senate should vote for the 21st Century Flood Reform Act.
A river valley is formed by a river. They are v-shaped and have taller areas of land on either side of the river. A glacial valley is formed by glaciers. They are u-shaped, wide, and deep. These valleys are created by huge sheets of ice that flow down a mountain and carve away at it. Flat-floored valleys are the most common type of valley. They’ve eroded the ground for so long they are flat on the bottom.
Flooding is most frequently caused from substantial precipitation when waterways are full and the additional water has nowhere to go. Though rainfall isn’t always the cause of floods; they can be the outcome of other occurrences, mostly in coastal areas where inundation can be triggered by a storm surge linked with a tropical cyclone, a tsunami or a high tide corresponding with above average river levels.
The density independent factor of the floodplain would be that flooding can occur. The reason it is density independent is because flooding is an abiotic factor that is unable to be controlled. After the flooding is complete and the willow brush grows in size and quantity, this also is an example of recruitment. As the species of willow grew, the carrying capacity also increased. This proves that the ecosystem based on the floodplain is resilient or unable to be affected by the flooding. As this location gained biomass from the increase in carrying capacity, the biodiversity of the riparian vegetation also
In general, floodplains is a major risk factor to many residents living in St. Augustine. In their undeveloped state, floodplains play an important role in flooding. Natural floodplains reduce wind and wave impacts and their vegetation stabilizes soils (“Flood hazard”, n.d.). Floodplains can be recharged in areas of groundwater and reduce the frequency and duration of low flows of surface water (“Flood hazard”, n.d.).
Flooding happens all the time in Iowa, which is where I live. A flood is an overflowing amount of water, beyond its normal level, and over dry land mostly. The Central China Floods included a lot of background information and details common to floods and caused damage and destruction to property and lives that effected the region.
The most effective restoration techniques are ones that will stabilize the flow regeim hopefully restoring it to historic conditions. Dams and diversions can have extreme effects on the flow regeim, so removal is reccomended
During heavy rainfall the Leith river becomes fast flowing, and flooding can occur quickly due to the upper catchments having a high gradient (Goldsmith et al. 2005). There have been several structures put in place to prevent overflow and damage from floods in the Leith river. Tall concrete walls have been constructed at sites (1-5, 7, 8, 9, 11). these are built tall, up to five metres high and they prevent excess overflow during times of an increase in river height. The concrete material is also beneficial during these times because the bank will not became muddy or erode away causing sediment to deposit into the river. However, it is a disadvantage because the concrete is not permeable so no absorption will occur lowering the river height when needed. At the upper end of Leith there are more natural surroundings with trees and plants. During periods of rainfall these plants would be able to take up some of the moisture from the ground preventing some rain water flowing into the river. However, many sites in the more urban areas have