What is Fluvial System?

Describe the type of fluvial system and fluvial system variables with suitable
examples.

- A system is a collection of related objects and the processes that link those objects together.
Within fluvial systems, objects such as hillslopes, the channel network and floodplains are
linked together by the processes that move water and sediment between them. In common
with other systems, the fluvial system is hierarchical, in that there are integrated sub-systems
operating within it.
- The basic unit of the fluvial system is the drainage basin. Fluvial systems are open systems,
which means that energy and materials are exchanged with the surrounding environment.
- The main inputs to the system are water and sediment derived from the breakdown of the
underlying rocks. Additional inputs include biological material and solutes derived from
atmospheric inputs, rock weathering and the breakdown of organic material.
- Water and sediment move through the system to the drainage basin outlet, where material
is discharged to the ocean. Not all rivers reach the ocean; some flow into inland lakes and
seas while others, dry up before reaching the ocean. This reflects another important output
from fluvial systems: the loss of water by evaporation to the atmosphere.
- A certain amount of material is stored along the way. Sediment is stored when it is deposited
in channels, lake basins, deltas, alluvial fans and on floodplain.
- Three types of system can be identified in fluvial geomorphology. These are morphological
systems, cascading systems and process–response systems.

- Morphological systems or form systems: Landforms such as channels, hillslopes and

floodplains form a morphological system, also referred to as a form system. The form of each
component of a morphological system is related to the form of the other components in the
system. Example: if the streams in the headwaters of a drainage basin are closely spaced, the
hillslopes dividing them are steeper than they would be if the streams were further apart
from each other.
- Cascading systems or process systems or flow systems: The components of the
morphological system are linked by a cascading system, which refers to the flow of water and
sediment through the morphological system. Cascading systems are also called process
systems or flow systems. These flows follow interconnected pathways from hillslopes to
channels and through the channel network.
- Process-response systems: The two systems interact as a process–response system. This
describes the adjustments between the processes of the cascading system and the forms of
the morphological system. Processes shape forms and forms influence the way in which
processes operate (rates and intensity). Example: e a steep section of channel causes high
flow velocities and increased rates of erosion. Over time erosion is focused at this steep
section and the channel slope is reduced. Velocity decreases as a result, reducing rates of
erosion.
- In order to examine the components of the fluvial system in more detail, it can be divided
into sub-systems, each operating as a system within the integrated whole.
-

- Fluvial Variables: Variables are quantities whose values change through time. They include
such things as drainage density, hillslope angle, soil type, flow discharge, sediment yield,
channel pattern and channel depth. There are two types of variables depending on area of
operation or impact: Internal and External Variables.

- Internal variables are those which operate within the fluvial system. Internal variables are
influenced by other internal variables, and also by variables that originate from outside the
system. These external variables, such as climate, control or regulate the way in which the
system operates. Unlike the internal variables, external variables operate independently, in
that they are not influenced by what is going on inside the fluvial system. At the basin scale
the external variables are climate, base level, tectonics and human activity.