Physical Geography

RIVERS
~SLIPPERY WHEN WET!~

Important concepts you should know:

  • recognize some major landforms associated with rivers.
  • understand the role of energy in creating these landforms.
  • realize the impacts of human activity on rivers and flooding.
  • understand the importance of considering drainage basins as unified regions.

Click here to go to the Work Book section

A.    Here's the Info!

  1. Click here to view an introductory slide show on rivers.  (stages of a river, and significant features)
  2. Click here to see a slide show on the dynamics of moving water.
  3. Click here to see a slide show on stream transport.
  4. Click here for questions on the above two slideshows.
  5. Click here for a slide show that further explains the contributing factors to infiltration and overland flow. This is complicated!

Media Corner!

QuickTime Movies
- Hydrologic Cycle
- Stream Balance
- Streams
- Waterfalls

Flash
- Earth's Water distribution and the Hydrologic Cycle
- Meandering Streams
- More on meandering Streams
- Oxbow Lake
- Another example of how Oxbow Lakes are created
- River Transport
- More on River Transport
- River erosion
- Rivers and Sedimentary Rock
- Stream Sediment Movement
- Stream Terrace Formation
- Floods and Natural Levee Formation
- River Valleys
- How a Gorge is created
- How wells can affect groundwater
- More on Groundwater
- One more on the Water Cycle
- Levees
- The Water Table
 - Waterfalls

 B.    Hydrographs and River Regime Lab

  1. Click here for a lab that introduces human impact on rivers in the form of changes to the watershed, and the impact of rivers on humans in the form of floods and changing runoff patterns.
    Click here to see some examples of Hydrographs
  2. Click here to see a fabulous image on how rivers flood! 
  3. Click here to see a map on the flooding that occurred in Europe (summer 2002)
  4. Click here to see a very interesting slide show on the damage the big rain storm (Aug. 2005) had on the Don River (Wilket Creek)  in Edwards Garden's -Toronto.  (Thanks Ms. Beukeboom)



C.    ArcView Lab - Watershed Mapping

  1. The human element is extended as you map a Canadian watershed and examine its human activity.  
    You can click here to see the instructions using your browser.  Alternatively, you can click here to download a Microsoft Word version.)

  2. Click here to see a very detailed map of Toronto's watershed.

D.    "Silenced Rivers" - The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams

  1. Click here to see a super picture of a dam, unfortunately we don't have a location. 
  2. Click here to see a short Power Point on the Aswan dam, Egypt.
  3. Click here to see a map of the world's dams.
  4. Here you will read some views about the issue of making dams, and write a position paper on the subject.
  5. Between 30 and 60 million people have been displaced to build dams, the majority of them in China and India. Research a major dam and consider the affects on the people (particularly the indigenous people) who are displaced by the construction and subsequent flooding. Examples: Three Gorges Dam (China), Aswan (Egypt), James Bay Project (Canada), Narmada (India). Click here for instructions.
  6. River fragmentation. Click here to see a map showing the degree that rivers are fragmented by dams.
  7. Some of the largest dam are for mine tailings. Syncrude Tailings Dam in Alberta, Canada is the largest dam (by volume) in the world. The more they mine and add tailings, the larger the structure.

E.    Crisis of Fresh Water

  1. Water Crisis - as population and demand for water increases, the threat of running out of water increases to. Click here to see a map of water hotspots.

Book Work - Chapter 10 "Water: The Ultimate Shape Shifter" pages 154-167

  1. Do the Case Study "The Three Gorges Dam" pages 164-165
    Answer #1,2,3,4 - This Dam became operational in 2006

  2. Do #1,2,3,4,5,6,7 on pages 167-168

Book Work - Chapter 12 "Water in Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands" pages 185-200

  1. Do the Case Study "Groundwater in York Region" pages 198-199
    Answer#1,2

  2. Do #1,2,3,4,12,16,20,21 on page 200-203

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End of Unit Activity - Rivers

Click here to see the Rivers of the World Activity.

Click here to see the review page.

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