Internet Investigation: How does stream flow change over time?

1. Describe three factors that control how much water is flowing in a river.
Dams, natural levees, and gradience

2. List the factors that produced the different flow conditions.
Temperature and weather.

3. What do the spikes in the graph indicate?
The higher discharge.

4. List the date and amount of discharge for the two highest peaks on the graph.
August 11th: 3 cfs
August 16th: 1 cfs

5. What do the spikes in the graph indicate?
Higher precipitation

6. List the date and amount of precipitation for the two highest peaks on the graph.
August 10th: 35 mm
August 15th: 28 mm

7. Record the amount and dates of the five discharge spikes and amount and dates of the seven precipitation spikes. What do you notice about the timing of the peaks of discharge and rainfall?
Discharge Spikes: August 2nd, 11th, 16th, 28th, and 30th.
Precipitation Spikes: August 1st, 7th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 27th, and 29th.
There is a precipitation spike right before every discharge spike.

8. What do you notice about the timing of the peaks of discharge and temperature variation starting in March? What do you conclude from this relationship? What other data might you need to confirm your hypothesis?
The graphs have similar shapes. This means that the higher the temperature, the more discharge there is.

9. What do you notice about the timing of the peaks of discharge and rainfall? What do you conclude from this relationship?
The peak of rainfall is just before the peak of discharge.

10. What relationship exists between temperature and discharge? What do you conclude from this relationship?
They peak at about the same time. This means that the higher the temperature, the more discharge there is.

11. What do you think is responsible for the regular shape of the discharge peaks? Speculate on the cause of the major discharge peak at the end of March.
Standard temperatures and precipitation.