The Effect of a Meander on a Stream Beds Erosion and Deposition

Introduction:
A meander is made up of lots of curves and bends. The curves are made of two parts; one side of the
meander (a curve) is a point bar, deposited sediment. On the other side of the meander, there is a cut bank,
the edge of the river that has been eroded and cut away. When river water reaches the outside of a bend,
its velocity (speed) increases. When the river reaches the inside of a bend, its velocity decreases.
The purpose of this experiment is to determine how the meander of a river affects the erosion and
deposition of a stream bed.
If the stream meanders, then the river bed will be uneven because there is erosion on one side (the cut
bank) and deposition on the other (the point bar).
Methods:
Set up the river model by placing the slide on top of the wedge and the catch basin. Flatten a uniform
layer of sand on the slide and carve 2 meanders (curves) through it. Place the rainmaker at the top of the
river model.
To begin the investigation first pour 50mL of water into the rainmaker. Observe the erosion in the river
model and the deposition in the catch basin. Repeat pouring and observing three more times. Draw and
label your observations on a river model diagram.
Results:

Illustration profile of the meander:

Description of Data/Observations:

(cross section AB)

First Trial: No change
Second Trial: More exaggerated point bars, no apparent
erosion
Third Trial: LOTS of erosion, some deposition
Fourth Trial: One cut bank completely worn away, more
deposition at point bars

Discussion:
The hypothesis for the experiment was; If the stream meanders then there will be an uneven river bed
because there will be erosion on one side and deposition on the other. Based on the data the hypothesis
was correct. The data shows that the cut bank of one meander was completely eroded and there was a lot
of deposition at the point bar. This created an uneven river bed.
Based on the research this occurred because when a stream has a meander, the water moves faster on
the outside of the meander and slower on the inside of the meander. As a result, the faster moving stream
water will erode the outside of the river. The slow moving stream water will allow sediment to deposit on
the inside of the river. This creates an uneven river bed.
One constraint for this experiment would be different amounts of water poured into the rainmaker or
different ways of pouring water into the rainmaker. If the water is poured into the rainmaker too forcefully
or too lightly, or if not all 50 mL of the water goes through the rainmaker, the erosion and deposition of
the stream bed for each trial will not be consistent or accurate.