Do rivers have currents? If so how does it work?

Answer 1

Yes. Rivers have currents, usually stronger than other bodies of water (such as lakes or oceans).

A river current is usually affected by two issues:

1) Gravity: Rivers tend to be sloped away from the mountains and toward a lower body of water. Since everything on the planet is affected by gravity, the water is pulled down the hill much like a marble would roll down a skateboard ramp. The more steep the ramp, the faster that marble will roll off the ramp.

2) Water pressure: The amount of water that is entering a waterway, compared to the amount that is exiting that area. Imagine you are pouring water into a funnel. If you pour the water very slowly, the water never rises. But if you pour the water in faster, you may see the funnel fill up faster than it can let the water out the bottom. This same principle is true for rivers. If there is a lot of water entering the waterway, the flow will increase and the current may become faster as the river tries to expel the water from that area. This explains why you may be able to walk across a river basin when the water is low, but that same basin may become a raging river in a flash flood situation.

Oceans and lakes also have currents, which explains why a boat or swimmer can be dragged off course and either away from shore, or up and down the coast. However, ocean currents are most often the result of different temperatures, lunar tides, and water flowing in from nearby rivers instead of gravity.

Answer 2

A current is the movement of the water caused in a river by gravity. Gravity makes all the water want to go downhill. All rivers go downhill until they reach the sea. . If they didn't the water wouldn't flow - and there'd be no current.

In some parts of the world, the water evaporates or soaks into the ground without reaching the sea, but even there the current always flows downhill.

Answer 3

Currents occur in tidal reaches, the last bit of the river before it flows into the sea. For the last few miles the river level will be below that of the high sea tide level. So when the tide goes up the water starts flowing the other way, inland from the sea.

The Thames in London is in the tidal reach and the current flows both ways twice a day as the tide in the North Sea rises and falls.

Answer 4

Yeah, rivers are full of moving water. That's what a current is. The topology of the riverbed determines the current at any particular area. For instance, if there's a flat, shallow area on one side of the river and a deep area on the other side, water will flow faster in the flat, shallow area (venturi effect).

Answer 5

Yes rivers have currents. They flow in what is called a channel and are effected by landslides and other obstacles as well as rainfall and such. They run from higher elevations to lower which determines how fast the current flows.

Answer 6

all bodies of water have currents.
rivers cause the currents as they are constantly moving.
if a river appears to be still then there are under currents which are flows of water beneth the surface.
lakes, lochs and reserviors have rivers flowing in and out of them the result of water moving in and out of a still body of water automatically results in currents flowing between them.
the sea and ocean currents are caused by the tidal movements, geological disturbances i.e. hot springs,earthquakes... oh and weather formations plus a few others i can't remember off the top of my head.

Answer 7

The flows of water, created by gravity, from mountains and hills, are called currents. Flow of anything can be called currents, including electricity, gas and even people.

Answer 8

Rivers have raisins, streams have sultanas, and I have no other current thoughts!