drainage basin
River's collection zone
A drainage basin is the area of land where all precipitation and runoff flows into a single river, lake, or other body of water.
Every stream and tributary within the basin feeds the same outlet.
The Mississippi River drainage basin, for example, covers roughly 40 percent of the continental United States.
Also called a watershed or catchment area.
Relating to rivers
- topographyPhysical feature mapping
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- alluviumWater-deposited loose sediment
- erosionGradual wearing away
deposition · meander · oxbow lake · delta · floodplain · gully · channel · braided river
Drainage area boundary
- catchmentArea collecting water runoff
- tributaryStream entering larger river
- confluenceMeeting point of streams
- headwatersRiver's starting point
streamflow · runoff · precipitation · groundwater · aquifer · water table · percolation · infiltration
Relating to riverbanks
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- floraPlants of a region
fauna · estuary · ecotone · endemic species · conservation · food web · keystone species · aquatic
How terrain is allocated
- soil erosionLoss of topsoil
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- flood controlPreventing destructive overflow
dam · reservoir · urbanization · agricultural runoff · pollution · monitoring · gauge · sustainable
fluvial
Relating to rivers
- topographyPhysical feature mapping
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- alluviumWater-deposited loose sediment
erosion · deposition · meander · oxbow lake · delta · floodplain · gully · channel · braided river · levee
watershed
Drainage area boundary
- catchmentArea collecting water runoff
- tributaryStream entering larger river
- confluenceMeeting point of streams
headwaters · streamflow · runoff · precipitation · groundwater · aquifer · water table · percolation · infiltration · discharge
riparian
Relating to riverbanks
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- biodiversityRange of life forms
flora · fauna · estuary · ecotone · endemic species · conservation · food web · keystone species · aquatic · migratory fish
land use
How terrain is allocated
- soil erosionLoss of topsoil
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
flood control · dam · reservoir · urbanization · agricultural runoff · pollution · monitoring · gauge · sustainable · stormwater
- branchingbranching, dendrite, dendrites, dendritic, tree root
- hydrologyrivers, streamflow, aquifers, aquifer, lakes
- basinswashbasin, bowl, graben, sink, kitchen sink
- water cyclewater cycle, precipitation, evaporation, condensation, rain
- watershedsriver basins, catchment, catchment area, catchments, watersheds
- DividesGreat Divide, triple point
drainage basinaquifer
Groundwater-bearing geological formation
drainage basindrainage divide
Boundary separating river basins
continental divide · ridge line · delta · river delta · alluvial fan
basin, drained, draining, drainage, drains, drainer, river basin, undrained