Sure! The discharge determined for the hypothetical stream on the prior page is a little less than 0.9 cubic meters per second. This calculation was pretty easy: it's just the product of the rectangular cross sectional area and the average velocity from bank to bank which is a constant value.

Real streams are not as simple. Cross sections are irregular because the water depth varies from side to side. Also a stream's velocity varies from spot to spot because of the frictional effects of the sides and bottom of the channel.

Furthermore, a complex stream commonly flows in sinuous paths called meanders. Meanders are a product of the stability of stream banks, which are controlled by the bank's vegetation, the size of the sediment within the banks, and the power of the water in the stream (which increases as discharge increases).