If capacity is less than load, the stream cannot carry its load, so it deposits part of it. C. Streams switch back and forth from depositional to erosional agents, depending on load vs. capacity. Streams can be thought of as a sediment transport system that attempts to maintain an equilibrium, a balance between load and capacity. A. A longitudinal profile is a plot of stream gradient from headwaters to mouth. Small channels size and inefficient channel shape.
Most load is transported as bed load, rather than suspended load.
Water runs clear in mountains, but stream bed is full of gravel and boulders along channel. Where bed load is much greater than suspended load, the channel form is often braided , with lots of small channels running down the coarse stream bed. Capacity is maintained by steep gradient, which helps move the bed load, especially during floods. Flat, or shallow gradient, channel flows over old flood deposits in a floodplain. Large channels size and efficient channel shape.