SedimentIn Earth and planetary sciences, sediment is a solid material made of loose particles that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles.
RiffleA riffle is a shallow landform in a flowing channel. Colloquially, it is a shallow place in a river where water flows quickly past rocks. However, in geology a riffle has specific characteristics. Topographic, sedimentary and hydraulic indicatorsRiffles almost always have a discharge much lower than that of the flow that fills the channel (approximately 10–20%), and as a result the water moving over a riffle appears shallow and fast, with a wavy, disturbed water surface.
Stream poolIn hydrology, a stream pool is a stretch of a river or stream in which the water depth is above average and the water velocity is below average. FormationA stream pool may be bedded with sediment or armoured with gravel, and in some cases the pool formations may have been formed as basins in exposed bedrock formations. Plunge pools, or plunge basins, are stream pools formed by the action of waterfalls. Pools are often formed on the outside of a bend in a meandering river.
RiverA river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it runs out of water, or only flow during certain seasons. Rivers are regulated by the water cycle, the processes by which water moves around the Earth.
Channel (geography)In physical geography and hydrology, a channel is a landform on which a relatively narrow body of water is situated, such as a river, river delta or strait. While channel typically refers to a natural formation, the cognate term canal denotes a similar artificial structure. Channels are important for the functionality of ports and other bodies of water used for navigability for shipping.
StreamA stream is a continuous body of surface waterflowing within the bed and banks of a channel. The channel is a watercourse, although the watercourse may be seasonally or periodically dry. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. A long, large stream is usually called a river, while a smaller, less voluminous, and more intermittent stream is known as a creek or tributary, among other names.
Bank (geography)In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as "banks" in different fields of geography. In limnology, a "stream bank" or "river bank" is the terrain alongside the bed of a river, creek, or stream. The bank consists of the sides of the channel, backwater between which the flow is confined.
Grain sizeGrain size (or particle size) is the diameter of individual grains of sediment, or the lithified particles in clastic rocks. The term may also be applied to other granular materials. This is different from the crystallite size, which refers to the size of a single crystal inside a particle or grain. A single grain can be composed of several crystals. Granular material can range from very small colloidal particles, through clay, silt, sand, gravel, and cobbles, to boulders.
Aquatic plantAquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians and aquatic insects, create substrate for benthic invertebrates, produce oxygen via photosynthesis, and serve as food for some herbivorous wildlife.
MeanderA meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a stream. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank or river cliff) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank which is typically a point bar. The result of this coupled erosion and sedimentation is the formation of a sinuous course as the channel migrates back and forth across the axis of a floodplain.
VegetationVegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader than the term flora which refers to species composition.
PrecipitationCondensed water vapor that falls from clouds30-year (1991–2020) mean annual total precipitation based on ERA5 reanalysis data.In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwealth usage), snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.