ephemeral stream
Rain-dependent creek
An ephemeral stream flows only briefly after rainfall or snowmelt, remaining dry most of the year.
Unlike perennial streams fed by groundwater, ephemeral streams exist entirely above the water table and depend on precipitation: The desert wash becomes an ephemeral stream during monsoon season.
Important in hydrology and environmental regulation, where they're distinguished from intermittent streams that flow seasonally.
- runoffExcess water drainage
- dry washRiverbed lacking water
- erosionGradual wearing away
- arid regionsAreas lacking precipitation
- arroyoSeasonal desert watercourse
aquatic habitat · drought conditions · flash floods · flash flood warning · infiltration · vanishing · wadi · fleeting · precipitation · water diversion · streambed · creek bed · watershed · alluvial fan · discharge · rain · monsoon · rainy season
- streamscreek, brook, rivers, tributary, creeks
- Temporary Waterswadi, arroyo, dry riverbed, dry wash, wash
- Outback Australiabillabong, billabongs, waterhole, waterholes, artesian water
- biomesdesert, forest, grassland, jungle, tundra
- desert featuresmirage, sandstorm, sand dunes, oasis, dust devil
- desertsSahara, Gobi, Mojave, Namib, Kalahari