A new gravel road is cut into the side of a mountain just north of Anchorage, Alaska. As the snow melts in June, the fine gravel and sand of the disturbed region quickly tumbles into the bottom of nearby streams. The addition of this fine gravel and sand changes the stream by

Question

Geography

Kaleb Hampton

20 March, 06:28

A new gravel road is cut into the side of a mountain just north of Anchorage, Alaska. As the snow melts in June, the fine gravel and sand of the disturbed region quickly tumbles into the bottom of nearby streams. The addition of this fine gravel and sand changes the stream by

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Brent Walls · Answer 1

It would change the streams content and erosion capacity.

Explanation:

The addition of a constant source of fine sand and gravel to the stream would affect it in several different ways. Firstly, the addition of more rocks and silt would make the water of the stream cloudier. This may have some effect on the ecosystem and hunters that rely on transparent waters catch prey.

Secondly, the new sediment added to the stream would also increase the ability of the stream to erode the bed through abrasion and attrition, and would also increase the sediment load in suspension.

Finally, the presence of more sediments in the stream would affect the plant life at the bottom of the stream and also affect the amount of sunlight that can penetrate to the stream bottom during the summer.