ephemeral streams
Rainfall-dependent creek beds
Ephemeral streams flow only briefly after rainfall or snowmelt, remaining dry most of the year.
Unlike perennial streams fed by groundwater, ephemeral streams depend entirely on precipitation and surface runoff.
They're common in arid regions and appear on maps as dotted blue lines: The canyon's ephemeral streams become dangerous flash floods during monsoon season.
- arroyoSeasonal desert watercourse
- wadiIntermittent desert watercourse
- dry creek bedStreambed without water
- runoffExcess water drainage
- erosionGradual wearing away
arid regions · flash floods · flash flood warning · wash · dry riverbed · bone dry · alluvial fan · gullies · watershed · water table · infiltration · aquatic habitats · aquifer · streamflow · water harvesting · monsoon rains · drainage basin · desertification
- desert hydrologywadis, oases, arroyos, playas, wells
- dry channelswashes, arroyos, wadis, gullies, dry washes
- watershedsdrainage basin, drainage basins, river basin, river basins, catchment
- dryland sciencedesertification, arid zones, water scarcity, desert climate, evaporation
- desertsSahara, Gobi, Mojave, Namib, Kalahari
- drylands