Chapter 3Par 4: A cruise on the Rhine

Rivers are a part of the water cycle:The ongoing proces in which water changes from one form to another.

The phases of water

Two types of rivers:1. rainwater riversTransport rainwater (Maas, Schelde)

2. glacier river / mixed riversTransport rainwater as well as meltwater from glaciers (Rhine, IJssel)

Drainage basinThe area drained by a river and all its tributaries

Watershed: The line between two river basins

Discharge (debiet): is the volume of water that flows through the river at a certain point, expressed in cubic meters per second (m³)

Regime: changes in the waterflow.When a river dries up in summer, it's called a wadi

Maas Rhine

Drop (verhang): the fall (verval) of a river per kilometre

Length 1 238,8 kmHeight (source) 1 602 mFall 1 602 m (from source to sea level)Drop 1,214 m/km

Altitude 12mAltitude 0 m

Fall in the Netherlands 12 mDrop in the Netherlands

Length 150 m

A river starts in the mountains or hills, here you can find the uppercourse.

The lowercourse is, most of the times, in lowland and ends in the sea.

v-shaped valley