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What Is Water Flow Morphology?

The term "morphology" refers to the shape of something. For instance, the shape and characteristics of a clam are considered its body morphology. Water flow morphology denotes the shape that the land takes when affected by water flow, whether in the form of rivers and streams, groundwater, or runoff and flooding. This is referred to as "geomorphology."

Processes
- River valleys are shaped by the action of water in motion.
  
  Many processes work to form the shape of the land. Some are straightforward and obvious, while others are not immediately apparent. Igneous processes can shape the land through mountain-building events and volcanoes. Glaciers change the landscape as they migrate or recede. Even biological processes can affect the characteristics of the land. Water flow geomorphology is accomplished through the action of moving water.
Water Flow Processes
- Sandy sediments build deposits at the mouth of a river like this delta.
  
  The water flow process is made up of three components: erosion, transport and deposition. No matter how much or how fast, moving water has the capability of eroding the sediments of the channels that it travels through. The faster the flow, the more extreme the erosion as larger particles can be picked up and moved with the water's velocity.
  
  Sediments are then transported downstream. They may only travel a short distance or hundreds of miles. Some of the sediments will fall out of the water flow to be deposited along the way while others will be deposited at the mouth of the river where it empties. The deposits and buildup of sediments will become the landforms, or morphology, of the surrounding environment.
Landforms
- This meandering river carves great curves into the land.
  
  A river or stream channel eroded into the rocks is one of the most basic water flow landforms. The Grand Canyon is a classic example of a deep river gorge where sediments have been eroding for millions of years. These channels can take many shapes. Meandering streams curve severe S-shapes into the landscape and can eventually turn into crescent-shaped ox bow lakes, while braided streams stretch across the land like fingers.
  
  The depositional environment at the mouth of a river is called a delta. Sediments settle into a fan shape according to preferential sizes. Lager particles are lost early on while fine-grained sediments may be carried out into the larger body of water in which the river empties.
  
  Other common landforms include waterfalls, floodplains and karst topography. This latter type of landform refers to caves and areas where groundwater has changed the shape of the land beneath the surface.
Human Intervention
- This dam prevents water from continuing the processes that shaped the rocks around it.
  
  Humans have the capability of changing water flow patterns. Individuals and societies need water to sustain life and man has tried to control water since the beginning of time. With the advent of major technological breakthroughs, humans have forever changed landscapes created by water. Major dams, like the Hoover Dam, and even smaller structures like levees, jetties and groins, are used to stop or change water flow, significantly changing how the landscape looks.

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