river systems
Connected flowing waterways
A river system is a river together with all its tributaries—the smaller streams and waterways that feed into it.
The term encompasses the entire network of flowing water that drains a particular land area, from headwaters to mouth.
The Mississippi river system drains most of the central United States.
River systems are natural units for studying hydrology, ecosystems, and watershed management.
- tributaryStream entering larger river
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- channelPassage for transmission
- mountain rangesExtended series of peaks
watershed · oxbow lake · wetland · meander · headwaters · downstream flow · alluvial fan · freshwater fish · biodiversity · confluence · catchment area · water cycle · spring melt · irrigation · erosion · drainage basin · banks · flood plain
- European geographyAustria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia
- geography topicsGIS, GPS, mapping, cartography, digital maps
- habitatsforest, ocean, lake, pond, desert
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river systemscrater lakes
Lakes formed in volcanic hollows
standing water · ponds · reservoirs · inland seas · oxbow lakes
river systemsstagnant water
Unmoving pooled liquid
still water · standing water · swamps · bogs · marshes