A stream, brook, beck, burn, creek, crick, kill, lick, rill, syke, bayou, rivulet, or run is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream-banks. In Scotland, Northern England and some parts of Ireland, burn is a name for watercourses from large Streams to small Rivers The A small watercourse or Ephemeral stream It ranks hydrologically between a Rill, shown left and a Stream, shown right A rill is a narrow and shallow incision into soil resulting from Erosion by Overland flow that has been focused into a thin thread by soil surface Roughness A bayou (pronounced oʊ or uː is a small slow-moving Stream or creek or a lake or pool ( bayou lake) that lies in an abandoned channel of a stream A current, in a River or Stream, is the Flow of Water influenced by Gravity as the water moves Downhill to reduce its A stream bed is the channel bottom of a Stream or River or creek the physical confine of the normal water flow Streams are important as conduits in the water cycle, instruments in groundwater recharge, and corridors for fish and wildlife migration. The Earth 's Water is always in movement and the water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on above Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic Process where Water moves downward from Surface water Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants animals and other organisms The biological habitat in the immediate vicinity of a stream is called a riparian zone. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. "Riparian" redirects here For the legal doctrine see " Riparian water rights. Given the status of the ongoing Holocene extinction event, streams play an important corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity. The Holocene extinction event is the widespread ongoing Mass extinction of Species during the modern Holocene epoch. Habitat fragmentation is a process of environmental change important in Evolution and Conservation biology. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Stream is also an umbrella term used in the scientific community for all flowing natural waters, regardless of size. The study of streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology and is a core element of environmental geography. Hydrology (from Greek Yδωρ hudōr, "water" and λόγος logos, "study" is the study of the movement distribution and quality of Environmental geography is the branch of Geography that describes the spatial aspects of interactions between humans and the natural world
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Types of stream
- River
- A large natural stream, which may be a waterway. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there A waterway is any navigable Body of water. These include Rivers Lakes Seas Oceans and Canals In order for a waterway
- Creek (North America and Australia)
- A small to medium sized natural stream. Sometimes navigable by motor craft and may be intermittent. In some dialects it is pronounced: "crick". A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of
- Creek (UK and India)
- A tidal inlet, typically in a saltmarsh or mangrove swamp. A tidal creek is the portion of a Stream that is affected by ebb and flow of ocean Tides in the case that the subject stream discharges to an ocean sea or strait Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water often leading to an enclosed body of water such as a sound, bay, A salt marsh is a type of Marsh that is a transitional intertidal between land and salty or Brackish water (e Mangroves (generally are Trees and Shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the Tropics and Subtropics. Alternatively, between enclosed and drained, former saltmarshes or swamps. In these cases, the stream is the tidal stream, the course of the seawater through the creek channel at low and high tide. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood Seawater is Water from a Sea or Ocean. On average seawater in the world's oceans has a Salinity of about 3 Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood
- Tributary
- A contributory stream, or a stream which does not reach the sea but joins another river (a parent river). A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river Sometimes also called a branch or fork.
- Brook
- A stream smaller than a creek, especially one that is fed by a spring or seep. A spring is a point where Groundwater flows out of the ground and is thus where the Aquifer surface meets the ground surface It is usually small and easily forded. A ford is a place in a Watercourse (most commonly a stream or River) that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading on Horseback or in a wheeled A brook is characterized by its shallowness and its bed being composed solely of rocks. A stream bed is the channel bottom of a Stream or River or creek the physical confine of the normal water flow
Other names for streams
In the United Kingdom, there are several regional names for a stream:
- Beck is used in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy
- Bourne is used in the chalk downland of southern England
- Brook is used in the Midlands. A downland is an area of open Chalk Hills This term is especially used to describe the Chalk countryside in southern England. This article is mainly about the English Midlands For other uses see Midlands (disambiguation.
- Burn is used in Scotland and North East England. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. North-East England is one of the nine official Regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear
- Stream is limited to Southern England. Southern England is an imprecise term used to refer to the southern Counties of England.
- Syke is used in lowland Scotland and Cumbria. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy
In North America:
- Bourn in Cascadia refers mostly to wide but relatively short, stilly streams with broad, rocky and gravelly beaches/banks, uneven bottoms very deep in some places but dappled with small, rocky aights, with uncommonly clear water except for adjascent pools filled with debris and plantlife in which fishes and amphibians spawn. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and Often a distributary of a river and a tributary of a coastal or lakeside marsh, or, somewhat less frequently, an "independent" (not especially near a lake or ocean) swamp or other wetland. A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a Stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel
- Kill in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey comes from a Dutch language word, as in Peekskill (NY), Fishkill (NY), Broadkill (DE), Schuylkill (PA) and Fresh Kills. As a Body of water, a kill is a creek. The word comes from the Middle Dutch kille, meaning "riverbed" or "water channel New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Peekskill is a city in Westchester County New York. It is situated on a Bay along the east side of the Hudson River. The Broadkill River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in southern Delaware in the United States. The Schuylkill, Dutch for hidden river is a river in Pennsylvania in the United States Fresh Kills (from the Middle Dutch word kille, meaning "riverbed" or "water channel" is a stream and freshwater Estuary
- Run in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Virginia can be the name of a stream, as in Bull Run or Difficult Run. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Difficult Run, despite its name is a Stream located in Northern Virginia a Tributary of the Potomac River, in the United States.
- Branch, fork, or prong can refer to tributaries or distributaries that share the same name as the main stream, generally with the addition of a cardinal direction (i. e. , "Bone River, North Fork").
Parts of a stream
- Spring
- The point at which a stream emerges from an underground course through unconsolidated sediments or through caves. A spring is a point where Groundwater flows out of the ground and is thus where the Aquifer surface meets the ground surface Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of A stream can, especially with caves, flow aboveground for part of its course, and underground for part of its course. A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter
- Source
- The spring from which the stream originates, or other point of origin of a stream. A spring is a point where Groundwater flows out of the ground and is thus where the Aquifer surface meets the ground surface
- Headwaters
- The part of a stream or river proximate to its source. The word is most commonly used in the plural where there is no single point source. A point source is a single identifiable localized source of something
- Confluence
- The point at which the two streams merge. Confluence, in Geography, describes the meeting of two or more Bodies of water. If the two tributaries are of approximately equal size, the confluence may be called a fork.
- Run
- A somewhat smoothly flowing segment of the stream.
- Pool
- A segment where the water is deeper and slower moving. A stream pool, in Hydrology, is a stretch of a River or creek in which the water depth is above average and the stream velocity is quite low
- Riffle
- A segment where the flow is shallower and more turbulent. A riffle (also known as a swift) is a shallow stretch of a River or stream where the current is above the average stream velocity and where the water forms small In Fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a fluid regime characterized by chaotic Stochastic property changes
- Channel
- A depression created by constant erosion, that carries the stream's flow. Physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a River, slough or ocean Strait consisting of a bed and banks Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind
- Floodplain
- Lands adjacent to the stream that are subject to flooding when a stream overflows its banks. ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge
- Stream bed
- The bottom of a stream. A stream bed is the channel bottom of a Stream or River or creek the physical confine of the normal water flow
- Gauging station
- A point of demarkation along the route of a stream or river, used for reference marking or water monitoring. A Gauging station is a location used by Hydrologists or Environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water.
- Thalweg
- The river's longitudinal section, or the line joining the deepest point in the channel at each stage from source to mouth. Thalweg (ˈtɑːlvɛg an English word compounded from the German elements Thal (since Duden 's orthography reform of 1901 written Tal
- Wetted perimeter
- The line on which the stream's surface meets the channel walls. The wetted perimeter is the perimeter of the cross sectional area that is "wet
- Nickpoint
- The point on a stream's profile where a sudden change in stream gradient occurs. Nickpoint, in surface Hydrology, is the location along the profile of a Stream at which a sudden gradient change occurs Stream gradient is the ratio of drop in a Stream per unit distance usually expressed as feet per Mile or Meters per Kilometer
- Waterfall or cascade
- The fall of water where the stream goes over a sudden drop called a nickpoint; some nickpoints are formed by erosion when water flows over an especially resistant stratum, followed by one less so. A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water often in the form of a Stream, flowing over an Erosion -resistant rock Nickpoint, in surface Hydrology, is the location along the profile of a Stream at which a sudden gradient change occurs In Geology and related fields a stratum (plural strata) is a layer of rock or Soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes The stream expends kinetic energy in "trying" to eliminate the nickpoint. The kinetic energy of an object is the extra Energy which it possesses due to its motion
- Mouth
- The point at which the stream discharges, possibly via an estuary or delta, into a static body of water such as a lake or ocean. A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river An estuary is 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 A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere.
Sources of stream water
Streams typically derive most of their water from precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Most of this water re-enters the atmosphere by evaporation from soil and water bodies, or by the evapotranspiration of plants. Evaporation is the process by which Molecules in a Liquid state (e Evapotranspiration (ET is a term used to describe the sum of Evaporation and Plant Transpiration from the earth's land surface to Atmosphere Some of the water proceeds to sink into the earth by infiltration and becomes groundwater, much of which eventually enters streams. Groundwater is Water located beneath the Ground surface in Soil pore spaces and in the Fractures of lithologic formations Some precipitated water is temporarily locked up in snow fields and glaciers, to be released later by evaporation or melting. The rest of the water flows off the land as runoff, the proportion of which varies according to many factors, such as wind, humidity, vegetation, rock types, and relief. RUNOFF was the first Computer Text formatting program to see significant use This runoff starts as a thin film called sheet wash, combined with a network of tiny rills, together constituting sheet runoff; when this water is concentrated in a channel, a stream has its birth.
Characteristics of streams
- Ranking
- Streams in geographic terms are awarded order designations. A stream of the first order is a blue-line stream which does not have any other blue-line stream feeding into it. Strahler Stream Order is a simple Hydrology Algorithm used to define stream size based on a hierarchy of tributaries. A stream of the second order is one which is formed by the joining of two or more blue-line streams. A third-order stream is one below the confluence of two or more second-order streams; a fourth-order stream is formed by the confluence of at least two third-order streams, and so forth.
- Gradient
- The gradient of a stream is a critical factor in determining its character, and is entirely determined by its base level of erosion. The base level of a River or Stream is the lowest point to which it can flow often referred to as the 'mouth' of the river Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind The base level of erosion is the point at which the stream either enters the ocean, a lake or pond, or enters a stretch in which it has a much lower gradient, and may be specifically applied to any particular stretch of a stream.
- In geologic terms, the stream will erode down through its bed to achieve the base level of erosion throughout its course. If this base level is low, then the stream will rapidly cut through underlying strata and have a steep gradient, and if the base level is relatively high, then the stream will form a flood plain and meanders.
- Meander
- Meanders are looping changes of direction of a stream caused by the erosion and deposition of bank materials. North Bay ( time zone EST) is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada (2006 population 53966 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse also known as an oxbow loop or simply an Oxbow. These may be somewhat sine-wave in form. Typically, over time, the meanders don't disappear but gradually migrate downstream.
- If some resistant material slows or stops the downstream movement of a meander, a stream may erode through the neck between two legs of a meander to become temporarily straighter, leaving behind an arc-shaped body of water termed an oxbow lake or bayou. An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake water body formed when a wide Meander from the mainstem of a River is cut off to create a lake A flood may also result in a meander being cut through in this way. A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge
- Profile
- Typically, streams are said to have a particular profile, beginning with steep gradients, no flood plain, and little shifting of channels, eventually evolving into streams with low gradients, wide flood plains, and extensive meanders. In Vector calculus, the gradient of a Scalar field is a Vector field which points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic Physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a River, slough or ocean Strait consisting of a bed and banks A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse also known as an oxbow loop or simply an Oxbow. The initial stage is sometimes termed a "young" or "immature" stream, and the later state a "mature" or "old" stream. However, a stream may meander for some distance before falling into a "young" stream condition.
Intermittent and ephemeral streams
In the United States, an intermittent stream is one that only flows for part of the year and is marked on topographic maps with a line of blue dashes and dots. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A topographic map is a type of Map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using Contour lines in modern A wash or desert wash is normally a dry streambed in the deserts of the American Southwest which flows only after significant rainfall. A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. The Southwestern area of the United States could be defined as the states west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37 Rain is Liquid precipitation. On Earth it is the condensation of atmospheric Water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall often making it to Washes can fill up quickly during rains, and there may be a sudden torrent of water after a thunderstorm begins upstream, such as during monsoonal conditions. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months These flash floods often catch travellers by surprise. A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic lowlying areas - washes rivers and streams An intermittent stream can also be called an arroyo in Latin America, a winterbourne in Britain, or a wadi in the Arabic-speaking world. An arroyo (literally brook in Spanish) also called a wash or draw, is a usually dry creek bed or Gulch that temporarily A winterbourne is a Stream or River that is dry through the Summer months Wadi (وادي) (also Vadi) is traditionally a valley In some cases it can refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language
In Italy an intermittent stream is termed a torrent (Italian torrente). Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. In full flood the stream may or may not be "torrential" in the dramatic sense of the word, but there will be one or more seasons in which the flow is reduced to a trickle or less. Typically torrents have Appenine rather than Alpine sources, and in the summer are fed by little precipitation and no melting snow. the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries many Western anthropologists classified humans into a variety of races and subraces In this case the maximum discharge will be during the spring and autumn. However there are also glacial torrents with a different seasonal regime.
A blue-line stream is one which flows for most or all of the year and is marked on topographic maps with a solid blue line. In Australia, an intermittent stream is usually called a creek, and marked on topographic maps with a solid blue line. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.
Generally, streams that flow only during and immediately after precipitation are termed ephemeral. There is no clear demarkation between surface runoff and ephemeral stream. Surface runoff is a term used to describe when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess Water, from Rain, Snowmelt, or other sources flows
Drainage basins
The extent of land basin drained by a stream is termed its drainage basin (also known in North America as the watershed[1] and, in British English, as a catchment). Sugar Land is a city located in Fort Bend County along the Gulf Coast region in the U A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, A basin may also be composed of smaller basins. For instance, the Continental Divide in North America divides the mainly easterly-draining Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean basins from the largely westerly-flowing Pacific Ocean basin. A continental divide is a line of elevated Terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that Water falling on one side of the line eventually The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Atlantic Ocean basin, however, may be further subdivided into the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico drainages. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world (This delineation is termed the Eastern Continental Divide. The Eastern Divide or Eastern Continental Divide (ECD is a Continental divide in the United States that separates the Gulf of Mexico and ) Similarly, the Gulf of Mexico basin may be divided into the Mississippi River basin and a number of smaller basins, such as the Tombigbee River basin. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 400 mi (644 km long in the U Continuing in this vein, a component of the Mississippi River basin is the Ohio River basin, which in turn includes the Kentucky River basin, and so forth. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 259 mi (417 km long in the U
See also
- Arroyo
- Bayou
- Body of water
- Burn
- Chalk stream
- Lake
- Lotic system ecology
- Marsh
- Ocean
- Perennial stream
- River
- Rock-cut basin
- Swamp
- Wadi
- Waterway
References
- ^ In British English, however, a watershed is the dividing line between drainage basins, in other words a water divide
Dictionary
stream
-noun
- A small river; a large creek; a body of moving water confined by banks
- A thin connected passing of a liquid through a lighter gas (e.g. air)
- Any steady flow or succession of material, such as water, air, radio signal or words
- (sciences) An umbrella term for all moving waters.
- (computing) A source or repository of data that can be read or written only sequentially.
-verb
- (intransitive) To flow in a continuous or steady manner, like a liquid.
- (Internet) To push continuous data (e.g. music) from a server to a client computer while it is being used (played) on the client.
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