River regimes

• Yukon (Alaska) - high flow in summer and low flow in winter due to snow melt
• Yukon (Alaska) - HEP accounts for 74% of Yukon's electricity - affects flow pattern of water
• Yukon (Alaska) - goes from mountains to Tundra so relief factors.
• Yukon (Alaska) - soils frozen below depths of 16 - 18 inches.
• Amazon - goes through many climates. Fed by the Andes (tributaries in mountains) which goes into tropical rainforest.
• Amazon - high flow = wet season, low flow = dry(er) season
• Amazon - very high levels of evapotranspiration
• Amazon - HEP and irrigation is increasing (Brazil's increasing demand for it) but still low % of flow
• Amazon - soils are above flood level and are well drained. They are sandy and have low fertility.
• Murray Darling (Australia) - high flow during wet season. Vice versa
• Murray Darling (Australia) - Tributaries of Queensland have a monsoon climate.
• Murray Darling (Australia) - most of the basin undergoes long periods of droughts as it lies in a rain shadow
• Murray Darling (Australia) - large cities and irrigation of farms means reduced water flow volume
• Murray Darling (Australia) - origraphic rainfall caused by mountains on the East coast.
• Murray Darling (Australia) - affected by La Nina
• River regime = the changes in a river's discharge over the course of a year in response to a number of factors. Reponds directly to amount of percipitation.
• Simple regime = where rivers experience seasonally high levels of discharge followed by low levels of discharge.
• Complex regimes = where large rivers cross serveral different climate and relief zones. Therefore experience multiple differing seasonal events.