MODULE 5 – RUNNING WATER
[Link] OUTCOMES:
1.) Trace the pathway of the hydrologic cycle and explain how it affects the supply of water
in a particular place
2.) Explain the importance of freshwater in agriculture, domestic consumption and
industrial processes
3.) Explain how floods affect our country in term of farming, human settlements in low-
lying areas and urbanization
4.) Integrate hazard maps for specified areas prone to flooding to mitigate loss of life and
property
II. CONCEPTS
A. WATER
Water is everywhere on Earth – in oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes, the air, soil and even
in living tissues. All of these constitute the Earth’s [Link] vast bulk of it, about 97.2
% is stored in global oceans. Ice sheets and glaciers account for another 2.15 %, leaving only
0.65 % to be divided among lakes, streams, subsurface water and the atmosphere.
Water can readily change from one state of matter (solid, liquid and gas) to another
at the temperatures and pressures that occur at Earth’s surface. The unending circulation of
Earth’s water supply is called hydrologic (water) cycle that shows many critical
interrelationships among different parts of the Earth system.
This cycle is a gigantic worldwide system powered by energy from the sun in which
the atmosphere provides the vital link between the oceans and continents. Water evaporates
(evaporation) into the atmosphere from the ocean and continents. Winds transport the
moisture-laden air until conditions cause the moisture to condense (condensation) into clouds
and precipitation (rain) to fall.
The precipitation completed the cycle and may begin again. A portion of the
precipitation may soak into the ground (infiltration), moving downward then seeping into lakes,
streams or directly into the ocean. When the rate of rainfall exceeds Earth’s ability to absorb it,
the surplus water flows over the surface into lakes and streams in a process called run off.
The 36,000 cubic kilometres of water that runs off from the land from the ocean
causes enormous erosion. This volume of moving water is the single most important agent
sculpturing the Earth’s surface. Of all geological processes, running water may have the
greatest impact on people. We depend on rivers for energy, food, travel and irrigation
especially during the summer season in our country which is classified as agricultural.
As the dominant agent of landscape alteration, streams have shaped much of our
environment which is very mountainous and badly denuded. In Geology, stream is used to
denote channelized flow of any size, from the smallest trickle to the mightiest river. The ability
of a stream to erode and transport materials depends on its velocity.
B. FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE VELOCITY OF A STREAM
GRADIENT
The slope of a stream channel expressed as the vertical drop of a stream
over a specified distance. The steeper the gradient, the more energy available
for stream flow.
CHANNEL CHARACTERISTICS
The shape, size and roughness of the channel affect the amount of friction.
Larger channels have more efficient flow, a smooth channel promotes a more
uniform flow and an irregular channel filled with boulders creates enough
turbulence to slow down stream flow.
DISCHARGE
It is the volume of water flowing past a certain point in a given unit of time
and usually measured in cubic meters per second.
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WORLD’S LONGEST RIVERS
Rank River Continent Length
1 Nile Africa 6,600 kms.
2 Amazon South America 6,200 kms.
3 Missouri-Mississippi North America 6,000 kms.
4 Yangtze Asia 5,450 kms.
5 Ob-Irtysh Asia 5,450 kms.
WORLD’S LARGEST RIVERS
Rank River Drainage Area ([Link].)
1 Amazon (South America) 5,800 [Link].
2 Zaire (Africa) 4,000 [Link].
3 Mississippi (North America) 3,200 [Link].
4 Yenisey (Asia) 2,600 sq. kms.
5 Lena (Asia) 2,510 sq. kms
TOP FIVE BIGGEST/LONGEST RIVERS IN THE PHILIPPINES
RANK RIVER LOCATION AREA DRAINAGE
1 CAGAYAN River LUZON 505 km. 27,300 sq.
long km.
2 RIO GRANDE de MINDANAO MINDANAO 373 km. 23,169 sq.
long km.
3 MAGAT River LUZON 353 km. 5, 110 sq.
long km.
4 AGUSAN River MINDANAO 350 km. 10, 921
long [Link].
5 PAMPANGA River LUZON 260 km. 10,540 sq.
long km.
C. WORKS OF A STREAM
EROSION
This refers to the removal of rocks and soil. If a channel is composed of
bedrock, erosion is accomplished by the abrasive action of water armed with
sediment. If a channel is composed of loose material, considerable lifting and
removal can be accomplished by the impact of water alone.
TRANSPORTATION
Streams transport their load in three ways:
in solution (dissolved load) – most is brought to the stream by ground
water or acquired by dissolving rock along the stream’s course.
in suspension(suspended load) – usually sand, silt and clay but during
floods, larger particles are also transported.
scooting or rolling along the bottom (bed load) – coarser particles that
move along the bottom of the stream by rolling, sliding and by saltation
or appears to jump or skip along the stream bed.
DEPOSITION
Whenever a stream slows down, its velocity decreases and its competence
reduced and sediments begin to drop out, largest particles first and then begin
to settle out. Particles of the same size are deposited together.
D. FLOODS
When the discharge of a stream becomes so great that it exceeds the capacity of its
channel, it overflows its banks as a flood - the most common and most destructive of all
geologic hazards.
E. CAUSES OF FLOODS AND FLOOD CONTROL
In tropical countries near the Pacific Ocean, storms bring heavy rains. In heavily
denuded areas or where mining or quarrying are located, the occurrence of floods with
landslides are very high. In mountainous regions like the Philippines, the danger of landslides
during heavy rains are very eminent. There are many people also that are occupying areas
along hillsides and urbanization has caused land conversion activities that may increase the
risks of flooding. Floods cannot be prevented but it can be controlled effectively in a number of
ways:
increasing the flow capacity of a river by cleaning the channel of debris or by
dredging
construction of dikes and levees
sandbagging during floods
F. DAMAGING EFFECTS OF FLOODS
Loss of lives and property
Damage to infrastructure
Loss of crops
Communication and transportation cut offs
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southern-philippines-idUSBREA0K09920140121
III. REFERENCES
A. BOOKS
Thompson and Turk, Introduction to Earth Science, 2012
Braganza, C. S., Earth Science, 2005
Tarbuck and Lutgens, Earth Science, 2002
Timothy Kusky, Ph.D. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Earth and Space Science, 2010
Thompson and Sammonds, Advances in Earth Science From Earthquakes to Global
Warming, 2007
B. INTERNET SOURCES
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southern-philippines-idUSBREA0K09920140121