river depth
How deep underwater
River depth is the vertical distance from the water's surface to the riverbed.
Depth varies dramatically—from inches in shallow riffles to hundreds of feet in major rivers.
It fluctuates with rainfall, snowmelt, and dam releases.
Pilots and boaters monitor depth for navigation: The river depth dropped to three feet during the drought.
- bathymetrySubaqueous topographical measurement
- wadeWalk through impeding substance
- cross-sectionView through interior
- gaugeStandard of measurement
- dredgingExtracting underwater sediment
fathom · current · bottom · soundings · plumb · deep water · water level · channel · sonar · plunge · pool · swimming hole · gravel · turbid · spawning grounds · flash flood · submerge · undertow
- hydrologyrivers, streamflow, aquifers, aquifer, lakes
- river navigationlock gate, narrowboat, navigational aids, canal boat, navigation aids
vertical measurement dimension
river depthshallowness
Lack of depth
shoal · shallow water · shallows · sandbar · riffle