Hydrographs

River Discharge - The volume of water flowing through a river channel at any given point. Is measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs).

River Regime - Variations of river discharge throughout a year / period of time.

Physical and human factors can affect both a river’s regime and discharge.

Hydrographs are used to show annual river discharge.

Storm hydrographs are used to show river discharge over a short time period and can be used to show variations.

Storm hydrographs allow us to investigate the difference between a rainfall event and discharge.

Hydrograph for the Ganges river in Bangladesh