desert river
Dry land stream
A desert river is a watercourse that flows through arid terrain, often fed by distant mountains or underground sources.
Some flow year-round despite the surrounding aridity; others run only seasonally or after storms.
The Nile, Colorado, and Rio Grande are desert rivers that have sustained civilizations in otherwise inhospitable landscapes.
- ephemeral streamChannel wet only seasonally
- wadiIntermittent desert watercourse
- tamariskDrought-resistant flowering shrub
- arroyoSeasonal desert watercourse
- runoffExcess water drainage
nomadic tribes · aqueduct · water rights · mesquite · erosion · ancient civilizations · alluvial fan · infiltration · oasis · sand dune · flash flood · flash flood warning · agriculture · canyon · sedimentation · cottonwood · floodplain · evaporation rate
- Colorado RiverHoover Dam, Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, North Rim
- Rio GrandeRio Grande, Rio Grande Valley, headwaters, Brownsville, Laredo
- Temporary Watersephemeral stream, wadi, arroyo, dry wash, wash