Term
| How many rivers are in the US? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A tributary is a river that feeds into another river, instead of ending in a lake, pond or ocean |
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Term
| If a river is large, where does most of its water come from? |
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Definition
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Term
| Where does downstream always point? |
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Definition
| to the end of a river, or the mouth |
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Term
| What is the mouth of the river? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Upstream always points to the river's source, or headwaters |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| As you look downstream, your right hand |
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Term
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Definition
| as you look downstream, it is on your left |
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Term
| What is the beginning of a river called? |
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Definition
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Term
| Give examples of headwaters. |
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Definition
| spring from underground; marshy areas fed by snow; thousands of small streams coming together; froma lake or pond |
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Term
| What three things shape a river channel? |
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Definition
| how much water has been flowing through it for how long; what types of soil or rock it flows over; what vegetation it flows through |
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Term
| How are the bends in a river called meanders formed? |
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Definition
| water taking away soil on the outside of a river bend and laying it in the inside of a river bend over time |
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Term
| What is the land next to the river called? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the riparian zone? |
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Definition
| streamside trees and other vegetation |
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Term
| Why is the riparian zone important? |
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Definition
| It is a nutrient-rich area for wildlife, replenished by the river when it floods |
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Term
| In the West, what does the riparian zone provide? |
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Definition
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Term
| What zone protects the river from erosion during floods, and filters polluted run-off from cities and farms? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| low, flat areas next to rivers, lakes and coastal waterways that sometimes flood if the water is high |
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Term
| What do animals and plants that live in floodplains often need to survive reproduce? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do floodplains benefit people? |
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Definition
| They absorb floodwaters that would otherwise rush downstream and flood communities and property |
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Term
| What is the end of a river called? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What happens at the delta? |
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Definition
| the land flattens and the water loses speed, spreading into a fanshape |
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Term
| Where are deltas usually found? |
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Definition
| where the river meets an ocean, lake or wetland |
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Term
| What happens as the river slows down? |
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Definition
| it cannot carry sediment or sand |
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Term
| How do deltas build fertile farmland? |
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Definition
| when the river slows, sand and sediment is dropped which contain nutrients that help the soil |
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Term
| Why are deltas called 'cradles of civilization'? |
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Definition
| they help build fertile farmland |
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Term
| Where is the breeding and nesting grounds of hundreds of species of fish and birds? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| lands soaked with water from nearby lakes, rivers, oceans, and underground springs |
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Term
| Are wetlands wet all year? |
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Definition
| some are, but somedry out |
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Term
| What do wetlands do with floodwaters? |
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Definition
| protect communities by storing and slowly releasing floodwaters |
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Term
| How do wetlands provide clean water? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| flow is the water running in a stream or river |
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Term
| What are two important aspects to flow? |
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Definition
| amount of water that flows in the river, and how water moves through the channel |
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Term
| Why can building a dam hurt the flow of a river? |
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Definition
| it blocks the water from flowing |
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Term
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Definition
| natural 'ups and downs' of a river; example: some parts flow faster than other parts; the river stops flowing completely |
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