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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]
There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems: Lentic (slow moving water, including pools, ponds, and lakes), lotic (faster moving water, for example streams and rivers) and wetlands (areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least part of the time). Limnology (and its branch freshwater biology) is a study about freshwater ...
a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea: Firth: Various coastal waters, such as large sea bays, estuaries, inlets, and straits. Scottish Fjord (fiord) a narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes. [27] Scandinavian Gill or Ghyll
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
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 ...
This article lists rivers by their average discharge measured in descending order of their water flow rate. Here, only those rivers whose discharge is more than 2,000 m 3 /s (71,000 cu ft/s) are shown. It can be thought of as a list of the biggest rivers on Earth, measured by a specific metric.
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.
For example, they recycle nutrients, purify water, attenuate floods, recharge ground water and provide habitats for wildlife. [16] The biota of an aquatic ecosystem contribute to its self-purification, most notably microorganisms, phytoplankton, higher plants, invertebrates, fish, bacteria, protists, aquatic fungi, and more.