Why is a waterfall important

Given the health benefits I talked about earlier, it only seems natural to want to spread the love by sharing the waterfalling experiences with loved ones. They accomplish this by showing themselves to human observers in whatever state they happen to be in. If the stream going over the waterfall is in consistently healthy flow, then it quickly becomes apparent the amount of life that surrounds the immediate area.

Indeed, with nature unimpeded, you could have organisms that manage to adapt over the millions or even billions of years given the set of conditions that Nature had set for them. With enough time, the successful life forms that have adapted well would thrive and make their presence known. And with the lushness would come other wildlife like birds, insects, and some mammals like rodents as well as reptiles like lizards.

If the stream going over the waterfall was inconsistently flowing i. The scenery would be more brown often times the banks would be eroded from flash flooding , and the place would just feel more lifeless and dysfunctional. The latter scenario more often than not would be the result of man-made activities. As a result, it would indicate clear signs of a lifeless, dysfunctional ecosystem.

A healthy river system which once again I have to reiterate that waterfalls can indicate this tends to have lots of plant and tree life tapping into the freshwater resources on its banks. And this, in turn, has the consequence of reduced erosion as the plant life would tend to stabilize the soil.

When wildfires would occur, the lack of tree and plant cover would certainly mean further stream erosion sometimes manifested as mudflows or landslides. As a result, only flash floods racing through the drainages would be the only time enough appreciable water would flow on the windward sides of the medium- and smaller-sized creeks.

Indeed, waterfalls that were once more abundant and reliable are now relegated to ephemeral waterfalls that barely last a day or two. In other words, along the famed Hana Highway, you could see hundreds of waterfalls during rain, or you could only see a bunch of bare walls barely a day or two after rain. Around the world, there are plenty of other examples of dysfunctioning ecosystems due to human interference of river systems announced by unhealthy or non-existent waterfalls.

And that list seems to be growing day by day e. So why mess with it? Well, modern life requires the use of energy and industrial scale production of food. And in order to feed into this demand for both, some manipulation of Nature must occur. Just realize that you hear lots about irrigation ditches around farms and cultivation fields ever since the advent of human civilization.

Indeed, this is a practice that has been there for thousands of years and some compromises with Nature must be made in order to feed more people. Of course, all this has the net effect of robbing water from a natural watercourse, which means some other life dependent on the watercourse would suffer from our need to thrive and cater to more people.

The rest of this article will focus on this very aspect of waterfall utilization for industrial purposes. The basic principle behind energy generated from water is the action of water moving under the influence of gravity which then turns mechanical devices which can convert that energy into electricity. In physics terms, water coming from higher elevations has more potential energy stored gravitational energy than water sitting at lower elevations i.

Roller coaster rides are another easy example to visualize. After all, why is it that they always have to pull you up a very large hill on chains before the roller coaster is left to its own devices?

Illustration of potential energy being converted into kinectic energy using water. Here, the kinetic energy is in the form of gravity accelerating water , which could be rapids, cascades, or even a waterfall!

Illustration of potential energy being converted into kinetic energy using a roller coaster. Here, the kinetic energy is in the form of a zooming roller coaster moving fast enough under the influence of gravity to make it through the degree loop. So why have dams to get hydroelectricity when all you need is the motion of water, which is supplied by gravity?

Since energy companies require supplying electricity to their customers consistently , such erratic behavior by nature is unacceptable. In other words, if you let a ball drop over an overhanging cliff, you can bet it will move faster than a ball rolling on a steep slope and way faster than a ball hardly rolling on a flatter surface.

Applying this principle to water, you get the fastest conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy when water drops vertically as opposed to when water drops at an angle. The greater the elevation change, the greater the potential energy that can be released as kinetic energy, which in turn can be used to spin turbines, waterwheels, water mills, hydraulics, you name it!

In other words, with its dramatic elevation change, waterfalls provide the best case scenario to exploit the power of moving water influenced by gravity! Not only that. The water runs down the mountains in a demonstration of potential energy becoming kinetic energy. But when the water is caught behind dams, you can control and manipulate this energy conversion. Eventually, the water will return to the stream further downstream and go back to the oceans.

But not so fast! Before you claim that hydroelectricity is clean energy, you have to consider its consequences. The River Tees tumbles over the Whin Sill, a layer of a hard rock called dolerite, which is known locally as whinstone. This resistant rock lies on top of softer sandstone, shale and limestone. The retreating waterfall has created a gorge m long. Low Force Waterfall by Internetgeog on Sketchfab. If you have found this site useful please support us keeping A Level Geography free by making a small, secure donation via Paypal towards to the running costs of the site.

Waterfalls Waterfalls commonly form where water rushes down steep hillsides in upland areas. Waterfall cross section. The formation of a waterfall. Search for:. Drainage Basin Hydrological System. Coastal Landforms of Deposition. Storm Desmond Case Study. Coastal System. Landforms of Erosion. While you are here, please consider supporting A Level Geography.

For the price of a hot tub, a beautiful water garden and waterfalls can be installed, and less maintenance is required thereby providing more time to relax and enjoy friends and family. Contact the pond stars at Garden Ponds Unlimited today. Click here to request a home consultation to add a water garden or water feature to your yard.

Benefits of a Waterfall. Below are some ways that you can benefit from a waterfall. They play host to a total interrelationship of all organisms in the environment, including: Add Curb Appeal Enhanced landscaping improves property value, and water features make your property stand out from the rest. Quality Family Time Backyard water gardens and ponds create a gathering spot for family and friends.

Enjoy meals outside near the pond and spend the evening unwinding with your loved ones.