Streams - Objectives

Areas

Stream gauging and hydraulic gradient

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Measure the volumetric flow rate in a stream
• Characterize the change in flow with distance
• Use Manning's Law with stream gauging to characterize channel roughness

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  Using a pygmy meter to measure stream velocity

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  Measuring stream gradient

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  Using a manometer to determine stream velocity

Interaction between groundwater and surface water

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Characterize the interaction between groundwater and surface water
• Measure the groundwater discharge to a stream
• Measure the vertical hydraulic head gradient in a stream bed
• Estimate the hydraulic conductivity of a stream bed

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  Students installing seepage meters 

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  Student installing seepage meter

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  Student inspecting seepage meter

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  Student setting up seepage meter

Water balance and water quality

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Recognize a stream hydrograph
• Be aware of methods for analyzing hydrographs and recognizing some of the insights that can be gained from them 
• Be aware of factors affecting water quality and basic measurements of water quality
• Make water quality measurements and use them to make hydrogeologic inferences

Water and sediment sampling

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Use methods for sampling surface water and groundwater
• Use selected methods for sampling and characterizing water
• Take sediment cores and analyze the rain-size distribution
• Measure the bed-load transport rate across the width of the channel

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  TA explaining the use of stream sediment coring tool

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  Students preparing to use bedload sampler

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  Nice place to be on a hot summer day