Discharge (hydrology)

Discharge is like when you turn on a faucet and water comes out. In the same way, discharge is when water comes out of a river or a stream into a larger body of water like an ocean or a lake.

Imagine you have a cup and you pour water into it. This is like rain falling on the ground and getting into rivers and streams. The water collects in the rivers and streams and eventually flows into a larger body of water like an ocean or a lake. The total amount of water that flows out in a given time is called discharge.

Discharge is measured using something called a flow meter. Flow meters work like a measuring cup that can measure how much water is flowing through it. Scientists use flow meters to measure how much water is flowing in rivers and streams. They can use this information to predict how much water will flow in the future, which is important for things like preventing floods and managing water resources.

So discharge is just a fancy word that means how much water is flowing out of a river or stream into a larger body of water.