A

Aegir – A shallow river situated on a wide estuary with a narrow sea outlet, which causes the incoming water to surge very quickly upstream.

Alluvia – Deposited debris, in the form of mud or silt, left behind by the flow of river water.

Alluvial Plain – A landmass which has been formed from the build up of debris, in the form of mud or silt.

Alluvial River – A river which deposits large amounts of debris, in the form of silt or mud.

Aquatic Eco-system – The natural environment found along the course of a river or at it’s mouth, estuary or delta.

B

Bank – The side of a river, formed over many years by continuous water flow.

Bar – A linear land form within an extended body of water, usually formed by uplifted sand or mud.

Basin – The extent of land where surface water, such as rainfall, joins a river.

Bed – The bottom or base of a river.

Bifurcation – Where a river divides into two or more separate water courses.

Bore – A shallow river situated on a wide estuary with a narrow sea outlet, which causes the incoming water to surge very quickly upstream.

Brackish – Fresh water which has a slight salt content, but not as much salt as the sea.

Bradshaw Model – The geographical model by which the characteristics of a river’s upper course and lower course are defined.

C

Channel – Any water course contained within a bank.

Confluence – The point where two or more rivers converge, forming another water course or river.

Course – The natural path a river takes all the way from it’s source to it’s mouth.

Current – The flow of a river, which is ultimately defined by gravity.

D

Delta – Where the mouth of a river splits into many channels, causing triangular shaped, muddy land forms.

Discharge – The volume of water which passes through a given area during a certain time period.

Distributary – Where a river divides into two or more separate water courses.

Drainage Basin – Any land form where surface water, generally rainfall, joins a river.

E

Effluent – Waste water, either natural or man made.

Effluence – The product of man made waste water.

F

Flood Plain – A low lying area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from it’s bank to the base of it’s valley, giving high water caused by heavy rainfall or snow melt, an area of escape, generally causing flooding of the surrounding area.

Fork – Where a river divides into two or more separate water courses.

Fluvial – The process of sedimentation, erosion and deposition of river beds.

H

Headwaters – The waters which form the source of a river.

Hydroelectric – Using water as a means to generate electricity.

Hydrology – The study of the planet’s surface water or terrestrial water.

Hydrological Cycle – The continuous movement of water.

Hydropower – Using water as an energy source.

J

Juvenile River – A fast flowing river with steep gradients, few tributaries and deep channels.

L

Lake – A large body of fresh water found in a basin, which can be fed by either rainwater, a river or both.

M

Maelstrom – A large whirlpool generally found at the base of a waterfall.

Mature River – A slow flowing river with low gradients, wide channels and heavy discharge, which is fed by many tributaries.

Meander – Follows a winding path.

Melt Water – The water formed from thawing ice or snow.

Mouth – Where a river empties into the sea.

Mud Bank – Submerged areas of mud situated along a river estuary which become exposed at low tide.

Mud Flats – The coastal wetlands formed from mud deposits.

O

Old River – A river with low gradients and low erosive energy which is situated along vast flood plains.

Oxbow Lake – A lake formed from river water left behind after a river has naturally changed it’s course.

R

Rapids – Fast flowing water seen where the steep gradient of a river bed causes an increase in a river’s velocity and turbulence.

Rejuvenated River – A river with gradients which have been raised by tectonic uplift.

Riparian Zone – The interface between land and a river bank.

Riverine – Pertaining to a river.

River Regime – Describes the variability of a river’s discharge over the course of a certain time period.

Run Off – Water which discharges into a river from an uncontrolled source, such as snow melt.

S

Sandbar – A linear land form within an extended body of water, usually formed by sand.

Sediment – Small particles of mud and rock transported by the flowing waters of a river.

Shaol Bank – A linear land form which is formed when a river deposits large amounts of granular material such as pebbles.

Silt – Tiny particles of mud and granular rock which are left behind on land during the time of low tide.

Spit – A linear land form which is produced when a river deposits large amounts of pebbles or small rock.

Spring – A natural phenomena where underground water rises to the earth’s surface.

Source – The start of a river.

Stream – A body of water which is confined to a low lying bed or channel which consists of running water for most of the year. A stream is defined as having been formed as a distributary with no head water or tributaries. Other names for a stream are brook, beck, burn, creek or rivulet.

Surface Water – The collection point of rainwater or any body of water found on land, such as a lake, a pond, a river or a stream.

T

Terrestrial Water – A body of water found on land, generally in the form of a lake, a pond, a river or a stream

Tidal – A part of the river where it’s course is defined by the ebb and flow of the daily tides.

Tidal Flats – Coastal wetlands, generally formed by mud deposits, which is caused by the ebb and flow of the tide.

Tidal Surge – A shallow river situated on a wide estuary, which has a narrow sea outlet, which causes the incoming water to surge very quickly upstream.

Tributary – A river which flows into another river or lake.

Trunk – A river’s water course.The main body of a free flowing river.

W

Water Course – Any body of flowing water.

Waterfall – Caused when the flow of a river is disturbed by a sudden change in gradient from high to low or when the river suddenly flows over a softer type of land form, causing the underlying ground to break away and the main water course to suddenly drop or fall.

Watershed – The overall extent of land which drains water into a river or lake.

Whirlpool – Caused by the meeting of two bodies of water which have opposing currents, generally found at the base of waterfalls.Larger whirlpools are sometimes referred to as a vortex or a maelstrom.

White Water – Another name for a rapid, so named because of the white appearance of the water. This white colouration is due to air bubbles being formed in the water as it crashes over rocks at high speed.