The capacity of a stream or

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

is the total amount of

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

a stream is able to

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

. This measurement usually corresponds to the

stream power Stream power, originally derived by Ralph Bagnold, R. A. Bagnold in the 1960s, is the amount of energy the water in a river or stream is exerting on the sides and bottom of the river. Stream power is the result of multiplying the density of the wa ...

and the width-integrated bed shear stress across section along a stream profile. Note that capacity is greater than the load, which is the amount of sediment carried by the stream. Load is generally limited by the sediment available upstream. Stream capacity is often mistaken for the

stream competency In hydrology stream competency, also known as stream competence, is a measure of the maximum size of particles a stream can Sediment transport, transport. The particles are made up of grain sizes ranging from large to small and include boulders, ...

, which is a measure of the maximum size of the particles that the stream can transport, or for the total load, which is the load that a stream carries. The sediment transported by the stream depends upon the intensity of rainfall and land characteristics.

See also