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A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. [2] In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a riparian zone. The word riparian is derived from Latin ripa, meaning "river bank". [3]
The term riparian comes from the Latin word ripa, 'river bank'; technically it refers only to areas adjacent to flowing bodies of water such as rivers, streams, sloughs and estuaries. However, the terms riparian forest and riparian zone have come to include areas adjacent to non-flowing bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, playas and reservoirs.
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth; the habitats of plant and animal communities along the margins and river banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by aquatic plants and
A riparian buffer or stream buffer is a vegetated area (a "buffer strip") near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality in associated streams, rivers , and lakes , thus providing environmental benefits.
The ecosystem of a river includes the life that lives in its water, on its banks, and in the surrounding land. [19] The width of the channel of a river, its velocity, and how shaded it is by nearby trees. Creatures in a river ecosystem may be divided into many roles based on the River Continuum Concept. "Shredders" are organisms that consume ...
Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and human communities within the watershed boundary. [1]
A riparian forest of cottonwood and willow trees spreads out along the river at the National Audubon Society's Kern River Preserve. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the riparian zone, friction and shallow water depth contributes to decreases in flow velocity and to the deposition of suspended sediments. [34] Meanwhile, a net loss of water from the flooded riparian environment to the atmosphere can occur through evaporation or by transpiration of vegetation. [35]