A morphometric study of a river basin reveals a total drainage area of 150\text{ km}^2. Qu… — JAMB UTME

A morphometric study of a river basin reveals a total drainage area of $150\text{ km}^2$ . Quantitative stream analysis using Strahler's method identifies $18$ first-order streams, $7$ second-order streams, $4$ third-order streams, and $1$ fourth-order stream. What is the stream frequency ( $F_s$ ) of this river basin in streams per $\text{km}^2$ ?

Answer: 0.2 streams/km²

Answer

The stream frequency of the river basin is

0.2\text{ streams/km}^2

Stream frequency (

F_s

) is defined as the total number of stream segments of all orders (

N

) per unit area (

A

) of a drainage basin, expressed as

F_s = \frac{N}{A}

. Summing all orders yields

N = 18 + 7 + 4 + 1 = 30\text{ streams}

. Dividing

30

streams by the basin area of

150\text{ km}^2

gives exactly

0.2\text{ streams/km}^2

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate total number of stream segments (

N

) in the basin

N = 18 + 7 + 4 + 1 = 30

Stream frequency considers the total count of all stream channels of all orders within the basin.

Apply the stream frequency formula

F_s = \frac{N}{A}

using the total basin area

A = 150\text{ km}^2

F_s = \frac{30}{150} = 0.2\text{ streams/km}^2

Stream frequency measures the number of stream segments per unit basin area.

Key Concept

Stream Frequency (

F_s

)

Question

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