Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
A river is a natural flow of freshwater that flows on or through land towards another body of water downhill. [1] This flow can be into a lake, an ocean, or another river. [1] A stream refers to water that flows in a natural channel, a geographic feature that can contain flowing water. [2] A stream may also be referred to as a watercourse. [2]
a reservoir built to provide flowing water to a watermill. Moat: a deep, broad trench, either dry or filled with water, surrounding and protecting a structure, installation, or town. Mud puddle: Nant: Stream: Wales. [33] Ocean: a major body of salty water that, in totality, covers about 71% of the Earth's surface. Oxbow lake
The "flow regime" of a river or stream includes the general patterns of discharge over annual or decadal time scales, and may capture seasonal changes in flow. [7] [8] While water flow is strongly determined by slope, flowing waters can alter the general shape or direction of the stream bed, a characteristic also known as geomorphology. The ...
The flow of a stream is controlled by three inputs – surface runoff (from precipitation or meltwater), daylighted subterranean water, and surfaced groundwater (spring water). The surface and subterranean water are highly variable between periods of rainfall.
The flow of liquid water and ice transports minerals across the globe. It also reshapes the geological features of the Earth, through processes including erosion and sedimentation. The water cycle is also essential for the maintenance of most life and ecosystems on the planet. Human actions are greatly affecting the water cycle.
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificially from other sources, such as from reclaimed water or desalinated water (). 97% of the water on Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh ...
Water is critical to the survival of all living organisms. Many organisms can thrive on salt water, but the great majority of vascular plants and most insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds need fresh water to survive. Fresh water is the water resource that is of the most and immediate use to
Cognates include Dutch laak ('lake, pond, ditch'), Middle Low German lāke ('water pooled in a riverbed, puddle') as in: de:Wolfslake, de:Butterlake, German Lache ('pool, puddle'), and Icelandic lækur ('slow flowing stream'). Also related are the English words leak and leach.