Ephemeral streams - Hydraulic factors and their relation to the drainage net

Abstract

The hydraulic factors of width, depth, velocity, and suspendedsediment load of ephemeral streams near Santa Fe, N. Mex., were measured during flood flow. Later, channel slope was measured. These flood-flow data, in conjunction with an analysis of drainage-basin configuration by the methods proposed by Horton, are used to determine the generalized interrelation of stream order and hydraulic variables. The method developed for determining this interrelation allows an integration of the geographic and physiographic characteristics of a drainage basin with the channel characteristics; specifically, the interrelation of the length, number, and drainage area of streams of various sizes with their respective discharge, width, depth, velocity, slope, channel roughness, and suspended-sediment load.