Rivers and Streams

Rivers

A large, fast flowing body of freshwater that starts from high elevations and travels distances to a lake or ocean. They carve valleys, shape landscapes and power ecosystems

Source

Where the river starts

Tributaries

Smaller rivers or streams that add to a bigger river

Distributary

a branch of a river that does not return to the main stream after leaving it

Confluence

Where two rivers or bodies of water meet

Floodplain

Flat land across from a river that is prone to flooding

Oxbow Lake

Crescent shaped lake along the river

River Mouth

The end of the river, where it meets the sea

Streams

Small flowing body of freshwater, starts from snowmelt, rain, or underground springs. It carries clean water, nutrients and oxygen for fish and bugs

Watershed

Area where all water that falls, such as rain or snow drains into an outlet. Alberta has seven major watersheds

Aquifer

Layer of underground rock or sediment that holds and transmits groundwater. It acts like a natural storage system

Delta

Landform that forms at the mouth of a river, where the river deposits sediment as it flows to a slower moving body of water. Fan shaped/triangular area of fertile land

Estuary

Coastal area of freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean

Floodplain

A flat land adjacent to a river/stream that is naturally prone to periodic flooding. During heavy rain/snow, rivers may overflow their banks & spread water across the floodplain

Runoff

Water that flows over the surface of land rather than soaking into the ground. Occurs when the land can no longer absorb water, or the the ground is impermeable

Erosion

Rivers pick up speed on the outside of the curves, this extra speed erodes the banks

Deposition

The process where a river drops/lays down sediment that is was carrying. Happens when a river loses energy due to a decrease in speed/volume of water