River discharge is part of Earth Science.
In order to calculate the discharge of a river, you need a cross-sectional area of part of the river and you need the velocity of the river. To find the cross-section area of the river, you can simplify the equation by assuming the cross-section is a rectangle. This helps give a general estimate since finding the true area is complicated since the water is flowing and you cannot get an accurate description of the shape. Use the formula q = va to calculate the discharge of a river, where q is the discharge, v is the velocity and a is the cross-sectional area of the river.
Instructions
1. Measure the depth and the width of the river. For example, assume a river is 4 feet deep and 5 feet wide in one area.
2. Multiply the depth by the width to find the cross-sectional area. In the example, 4 feet x 5 feet equals 20 feet ^2, or 20 feet squared.
3. Find the velocity of the river. In the example, assume the velocity 3 feet / second.
4. Multiply the cross-sectional area by the velocity to find the river discharge. In the example (20 feet ^2) x ( 2 feet / second) equals 60 feet ^3 / second. The calculated discharge of the river is 60 feet cubed per second.
Tags: cross-sectional area, feet feet, feet second, area river, calculate discharge
