An introduction to the fluvial geomorphology of Britain

Abstract

Scenery in Britain is closely associated with rivers. Because no area is very far from the sea there are no very large rivers, but since the country includes areas with more than 1000 mm of precipitation annually (Figure 1.1), there are large numbers of rivers and streams. The Thames has the largest drainage basin with an area of 9950 km², but this is only 0.14% of the area of the world’s largest river basin, the Amazon. Although the Thames is the largest British river, according to drainage basin size and also according to length of the main river (239 km), it is not the largest British river according to mean annual flow. The Tay in Scotland has a mean flow 2.26 times greater than that of the Thames, and the flows of the Trent, the Ness, the Tweed and the Wye are also greater than that of the Thames.