Earth:Body of water

From HandWiki
Short description: Any significant accumulation of water, generally on a planet's surface
The Aubach, a watercourse in Germany
A fjord (Lysefjord) in Norway.

A body of water or waterbody[1] is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of the earth. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more rarely, puddles. A body of water does not have to be still or contained; rivers, streams, canals, and other geographical features where water moves from one place to another are also considered bodies of water.[2]

Most are naturally occurring and massive geographical features, but some are artificial. There are types that can be either. For example, most reservoirs are created by engineering dams, but some natural lakes are used as reservoirs. Similarly, most harbors are naturally occurring bays, but some harbors have been created through construction.

Bodies of water that are navigable are known as waterways. Some bodies of water collect and move water, such as rivers and streams, and others primarily hold water, such as lakes and oceans.

Bodies of water are affected by gravity, which is what creates the tidal effects.[3] The impact of climate change on water is likely to intensify as observed through the rising sea levels, water acidification and flooding. This means that climate change has pressure on water bodies.[4]

Climate change significantly affects bodies of water through rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and sea-level rise. Warmer temperatures lead to the melting of glaciers and polar ice, contributing to rising sea levels and affecting coastal ecosystems. Freshwater bodies, such as rivers and lakes, are experiencing more frequent droughts, affecting water availability for communities and biodiversity. Moreover, ocean acidification, caused by increased carbon dioxide absorption, threatens marine ecosystems like coral reefs.[5] Collaborative global efforts are needed to mitigate these impacts through sustainable water management practices.[6]

Types

This is a list of some common types of bodies of water. Some common geographical features involving water are not bodies of water in their own right, such as geysers, rapids, and waterfalls, and are therefore not included on this list. Some terms, particularly relating to wetlands, refer in part to one or more bodies of water and in part to the land surrounding them, and these have been included on this list.

Common types of bodies of water
Name Description Categorization Regional association Examples
Running Inland Ephemeral Wetland
Anabranch A distributary that re-joins the branch it separated from further downstream.[7] Yes Yes No No the Great Darling Anabranch
Arm An inlet; a narrow extension of a larger body of water.[8] Varies Varies No No Indian Arm
Arroyo A bed of a steep-sided gully that temporarily fills with water after heavy rain.[9] Yes Yes Yes No the Southwestern United States[9]
Artificial lake An artificially created lake. No Yes No No Lake Burley Griffin[10]
Backwater A stagnant section of a river.[11] Varies Yes No Varies the Kerala backwaters
Barachois A lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand bar.[12] No No No No Atlantic Canada,[12] St. Pierre and Miquelon[13] Grand Barachois[13]
Bay A wide indentation of the coast of a larger body of water.[14] No No No No Bridgwater Bay
Bayou A slow-moving marshy body of water.[15] Yes Yes No Varies the Gulf South of the United States, especially Louisiana[15] Bayou Teche[16]
Bight A large and wide indentation in the shoreline of a sea or ocean; a large bay or gulf.[17] No No No No the Bight of Benin
Billabong An oxbow lake; a distributary leading to a dead-end or backwater; an ephemeral body of water formed after a dry creek bed floods.[18][19][20] No Yes Varies No Australia[18][19][20] Anbangbang Billabong
Bog A wetland that accumulates peat.[21] No Yes No Yes Chat Moss[22]
Bourne An ephemeral chalk stream.[23] Yes Yes Yes No Southern England[23]
Broad A river spreading out across lowlands; a shallow lake.[24] No Yes No No England, especially in the Broads region of Norfolk and Suffolk[25] Hickling Broad
Brook A watercourse that is bigger than a stream but smaller than a river.[26] Yes Yes No No Moston Brook
Burn A watercourse that is bigger than a stream but smaller than a river.[27] Yes Yes No No Scotland and North East England[27] the Usway Burn
Canal An artificial waterway; a channel.[28][29] Varies Varies No No Stamford Canal
Cenote A sinkhole with exposed groundwater at the bottom, formed as a result of the collapse of surface limestone.[30][31] No Yes No No Central America, especially the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico[30][31] Sacred Cenote
Chalk stream A watercourse fed by water emerging from an aquifer through bedrock made of chalk.[32] Yes Yes No No England[32] the River Pang[33]
Channel A navigable waterway between two bodies of water; a wide strait.[34] No No No No the Beagle Channel
Cove A small indentation of the shoreline of a larger body of water; a small bay.[35] No No No No ANZAC Cove
Creek A watercourse, usually smaller than or a distributary to a river.[36][37] Yes Yes No No Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States[36] Aliso Creek
Distributary A stream or river that branches off from a larger watercourse.[38] Yes Varies No No the Waal[39]
Ditch or dyke An artificially created narrow trench used for irrigation and/or drainage.[40] Varies Yes No No the Grand Ditch
Endorheic lake A lake that instead of having an outflow has its water level balanced entirely by evaporation and the inflow of water from its endorheic basin.[41] No Yes Varies No Lake Chad[41]
Estuary A partially enclosed area at the outflow of one or more rivers where river currents meet and mix with the tide.[42] No No No No Río de la Plata[43]
Fen A peat-forming wetland that relies on groundwater for inundation.[44] No Yes No Yes Wicken Fen
Firth A narrow inlet on the coast of a sea.[45] No No No No Scotland[45] the Firth of Forth
Fjard or fiard A broad and shallow inlet formed by withdrawing glaciers.[46][47][48] No No No No Sweden and Finland, mainly on the Baltic coast[46][49][lower-alpha 1] Vårbyfjärden
Fjord or fiord A narrow and deep inlet formed by withdrawing glaciers.[50] No No No No The Nordic countries, especially Norway[50] Lysefjorden
Flood meadow or floodplain meadow A seasonally flooded area of treeless grassland.[51] No Yes Yes No the Mottey Meadows[52]
Gulf A large extension of sea or ocean that stretches deep into the bordering landmass.[53] No No No No the Gulf of Persia
Harbour A coastal body of water that is partially enclosed, naturally or artificially, and where ships can be safely left.[54] No No No No Wellington Harbour
Hot spring A naturally heated spring.[55] No Yes No No Sembawang Hot Spring Park
Inlet A narrow indentation into the coastline of a larger body of water.[56] No No No No Bute Inlet
Kettle lake A lake inside of a large rounded hole formed by glacial melt, a so-called kettle or pothole.[57][58][59] No Yes No No Kettle Mucubají
Kill A stream, creek, river, or channel.[60][61] Varies Varies No No the United States, in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.[61][lower-alpha 2] the West Kill
Lagoon or laguna A shallow body of water that is partially or entirely separated from the sea by sandbanks, coral reef or similar features.[62][63][64][65] No No No No the Laguna Madre
Lake A large inland body of water.[66][67] No Yes No No Ganoga Lake
Liman A muddy lagoon.[68] No No No No the Black Sea Tylihul Estuary
Loch or lough A lake, inlet, arm of the sea or a bay that is almost enclosed by land.[69][70] No No No No Scotland,[69] Ireland[70] Loch Ness
Mangrove forest or mangrove swamp Saline or brackish coastal waters with mangroves growing in them.[71] No Varies No Yes the Tropics and the Subtropics[71] the Sundarbans[72][73]
Marsh A peat-forming wetland dominated by herbaceous plants.[74] No Yes No Yes Brandon Marsh
Mere A lake or pond.[75] No Yes No No Great Britain[75] Cop Mere
Mire or peatland A wetland where dead plant matter, known as peat, accumulates faster than it decays.[76][77] No Yes No Yes the Subarctic[78]
Moat A deep, wide channel, dug around a point of interest and filled with water in order to protect it from attack.[79] No Yes No No Matsumoto Castle[80]
Nullah A river or stream, often intermittent, in a ravine; an inlet; a drain.[81][82] Yes Yes Yes No India, Pakistan, Hong Kong[82] Buddha Nullah
Oasis An area in a desert where groundwater reaches the surface, creating a small fertile patch of land.[83] No Yes No No the Middle East and North Africa Kharga Oasis
Ocean One of the major bodies of salty water that together cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface or all of them as one single body of water.[84] No No No No the Atlantic Ocean
Oxbow lake A body of water formed by a bend in a river that is bypassed by a cutoff being wholly separated from the river as a result of sediment deposition.[85][86] No Yes Varies No the Kanwar Taal[87]
Pool A small body of water.[88] No Yes Varies No
Pond A body of water, often artificial, that is smaller than a lake.[89] No Yes No No Brittas Pond
Puddle A small, shallow pool of water.[90] No Yes Yes No
Reach An open stretch of water.[91] Varies Yes No No Hanford Reach
Reservoir A lake or pond, often artificially created by a dam or other impoundment, that is used as a water storage.[92] No Yes No No Abberton Reservoir
Ria An inlet formed by a rise in sea levels submerging a valley carved by a river.[93] No No No No China, Spain, especially in Galicia, Asturias, and the Basque Country China[93][94] Ria de Pontevedra
Rill or rivulet A very small watercourse.[95][96] Yes Yes Varies No
River A large, natural stream of freshwater.[97] Yes Yes No No the Colorado River
Roadstead or roads A sheltered area of water near a shore that is less enclosed by land than a harbour and where ships may anchor.[98][99] No No No No Hampton Roads
Run A small stream, especially a swift one.[100] Yes Yes No No Scotch Run
Salt marsh A wetland near the coast that gets flooded and drained by the tides of a nearby body of saltwater.[101][102] No Yes No Yes the Rann of Kutch[103]
Sea A large body of water, usually saline and connected to the oceans.[104] No No No No the Adriatic Sea
Seep A small spring.[105] No Yes No No
Slough A wetland, often near an inlet or backwater.[106] No Yes No Yes the Columbia Slough
Sound A long inlet; a channel connecting two large bodies of water or separating an island from the mainland.[107] No No No No Nootka Sound
Spring A place where water emerges from the ground.[108] No Yes No No Eye of Kuruman[109]
Strait A narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.[110] No No No No Foveaux Strait
Stream A watercourse that is usually smaller than a river; a running body of water.[111] Yes Yes No No the Waiwhetū Stream
Subglacial lake A lake that is permanently covered by ice and whose water remains liquid by the pressure of the ice sheet and geothermal heating.[112] No Yes No No Antarctica[112] Lake Vostok[113]
Subterranean river A river that runs underground. Yes Yes No No the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
Swamp A wetland with many trees and shrubs.[114] No Yes No Yes Zapata Swamp
Tarn A mountain lake formed in a cirque.[115][116] No Yes No No Malham Tarn
Tidal creek[lower-alpha 3] or tidal channel A long, narrow and shallow inlet or estuary whose water level is noticeably affected by the tides.[117] No No Varies[118] No Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek[119]
Tide pool A pool of seawater trapped in a rocky depression as the tide recedes from an area that is submerged at high tide.[120] No No No No the Flat Point Tide Pools
Tributary or affluent A watercourse that flows into a larger stream or river.[121] Yes Yes No No the Willamette River[122]
Vernal pool An ephemeral wetland that forms seasonally by precipitation filling natural depressions in level ground, that flood seasonally to form wetland environments.[123][124] No Yes Yes Yes the Phoenix Vernal Pools
Wadi A stream or river that only runs after heavy rain, usually only occurring during the rainy season.[125] Yes Yes Yes No North Africa and Arabia[125] Wadi Doan
Washland or washes A area that is periodically flooded by a nearby stream or river, especially one that is allowed to do so for flood management or water storage purposes.[126][127][128] No Yes No Varies Ouse Washes[128]
Watercourse A running body of water.[129] Yes Yes Varies No
Watering hole or waterhole A natural depression where animals can drink accumulated water.[130] No Yes Varies No
Well A hole, usually man-made, with exposed groundwater at the bottom.[131] No Yes Varies No the Etruscan Well
Wetland An area of land that is inundated by water.[132] No Yes No Yes the Bangweulu Wetlands
Winterbourne An ephemeral stream that mostly, or only, flows during winter.[133][134] Yes Yes Yes No Southern England[135] the River Lavant[136]
Port Jackson, Sydney, New South Wales
The Canal Grande in Venice, one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. View from the Accademia bridge.
A tide pool in Santa Cruz, California with sea anemones and sea stars
A weir in Toledo, Spain. Weirs are frequently used to change the height of a riverlevel, prevent floodings, and measure water discharge.

See also

Notes

  1. The English word fjard is derived from the Swedish word fjärd, but in Swedish the word fjärd has a much broader meaning than that of the English word, being used to also describe open areas of archipelagic waters (like Hårsfjärden) and lake-like sections of rivers (like Fjärnebofjärden).
  2. Primarily in areas that used to be part of the New Netherlands colony, as the origin of the term is Dutch.[60]
  3. Often simply referred to as a "creek" in the British Isles.[36]

References

  1. "waterbody noun (pl. -ies) a body of water forming a physiographical feature, for example a sea or a reservoir." New Oxford Dictionary of English
  2. Langbein, W.B.; Iseri, Kathleen T. (1995). "Hydrologic Definitions: Stream". Manual of Hydrology: Part 1. General Surface-Water Techniques (Water Supply Paper 1541-A). Reston, VA: United States Geological Survey. http://water.usgs.gov/wsc/glossary.html#Stream. .
  3. "What causes high tide and low tide? Why are there two tides each day?". HowStuffWorks. 21 May 2009. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/tide-cause.htm. 
  4. "European Environment Agency's home page – European Environment Agency". https://www.eea.europa.eu/. 
  5. "Ocean acidification | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-acidification. 
  6. Lee, Hoesung (2023). "Climate Change 2023 Synthesis Report". Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: 18–19. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf. 
  7. "Definition of 'anabranch'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/anabranch. 
  8. "arm". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arm. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Definition of 'arroyo'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/arroyo. 
  10. "Lake Burley Griffin". https://www.nca.gov.au/attractions/lake-burley-griffin. 
  11. "Definition of 'backwater'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/backwater. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Definition of 'barachois'". https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/baracois. 
  13. 13.0 13.1 "Characterisation of the infilling dynamics of the Grand Barachois lagoon – Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon". 2021-11-15. https://www.brgm.fr/en/reference-completed-project/characterisation-infilling-dynamics-grand-barachois-lagoon-saint-pierre. 
  14. "Definition of 'bay'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/bay. 
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Definition of 'bayou'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/bayou. 
  16. Bernard, Shane K. (2024-08-14). "Bayou Teche". https://64parishes.org/entry/bayou-teche. 
  17. "Definition of 'bight'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/bight. 
  18. 18.0 18.1 "Definition of 'billabong'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/billabong. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 "billabong". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billabong. 
  20. 20.0 20.1 Ludowyk, Frederick (October 2004). "Aussie Words: Of Billy, Bong, Bung, & 'Billybong'". Ozwords (Australian National Dictionary Centre) 11 (2): 7. https://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/andc/Ozwords%20Oct.%202004.pdf. Retrieved 12 February 2024.  Also here
  21. "Definition of 'bog'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/bog. 
  22. Osborne, Andrew W. et al. (Autumn 2025). "Building Peat: Landscape-scale Habitat Re-creation Within Chat Moss for Wildlife and Climate Benefits". Conservation Land Management (British Wildlife Publications) 23 (3): 10. https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/642310/1/Osborne_Building_Peat.pdf. Retrieved 2026-04-16. 
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  24. "Definition of 'broad'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/broad. 
  25. "Definition of 'broads'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/broads. 
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  27. 27.0 27.1 "Definition of 'burn'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/burn. 
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  31. 31.0 31.1 "cenote". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cenote. 
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  33. Jarvie, Helen P. et al. (19 June 2006). "Within-river nutrient processing in Chalk streams: The Pang and Lambourn, UK". Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier) 330 (1–2): 101–125. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.04.014. Bibcode2006JHyd..330..101J. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/50176517/j.jhydrol.2006.04.01420161107-26070-z55a1a-libre.pdf?1478576111=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DWithin_river_nutrient_processing_in_Chal.pdf&Expires=1774641330&Signature=B9NHzC4qPB4FsALMgR~asLoRB4Y3RGnn2lz0zQiH4dRtgg67C4Nub07Uq0vdV7Pz8mLxDg23lvQDP3I44AM67yi31BMkaC18N6qjnrrDc2US79NRR6mxRnjUCgRHUIS~TJQ042GTsrCcIdbm63WaHkN0Ye33lLll~v85b3odWqW5TUWpkTRJTKsx-Q5batsQS3YVIKLtK2rDK2GJi6QVbxIayaoGSDQQjFDdRtBx1dSXZT8poptQ21jQfsxNN3Y~mQllT4OoDsQnZ6YkTMNDPkxy74qz8ClSmYkbPiGBpFCOfMeOWmuqfYFxxm6TDUlBlM4YwiZLB4yVWotzk80pWw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA. Retrieved 2026-03-27. 
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  35. "Definition of 'cove'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/cove. 
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 "Definition of 'creek'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/creek. 
  37. "creek". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creek. 
  38. "distributary". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distributary. 
  39. Straatsma, Menno W. et al. (17 June 2019). "Towards multi-objective optimization of large-scale fluvial landscaping measures". Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (Copernicus Publications) 19 (6): 1168. doi:10.5194/nhess-19-1167-2019. Bibcode2019NHESS..19.1167S. https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/19/1167/2019/nhess-19-1167-2019.pdf. Retrieved 2026-03-28. "The Waal is the main distributary of the Rhine River and is affected by expected changes in peak discharge as well as sea level rise.". 
  40. "Definition of 'ditch'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/ditch. 
  41. 41.0 41.1 IPCC Working Group II (2001). "Hydrology and Water Resources". Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vunerability. Cambridge University Press. pp. 204–205. ISBN 9780521807685. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/03/WGII_TAR_full_report-2.pdf. Retrieved 2026-03-27. 
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  54. "Definition of 'harbour'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/harbour. 
  55. "Definition of 'hot spring'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/hot-spring. 
  56. "Definition of 'inlet'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/inlet. 
  57. "kettle". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kettle. 
  58. "pothole". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pothole. 
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  61. 61.0 61.1 "kill". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kill. 
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  63. "Definition of 'laguna'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/laguna. 
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  73. "The Sundarbans". https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/798/. 
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  75. 75.0 75.1 "Definition of 'mere'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/mere. 
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  79. "Definition of 'moat'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/moat. 
  80. "About Matsumoto Castle". https://www.matsumoto-castle.jp/eng/about. 
  81. "Definition of 'nullah'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/nullah. 
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  83. "Definition of 'oasis'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/oasis. 
  84. "Definition of 'ocean'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/ocean. 
  85. "Definition of 'oxbow lake'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/oxbow-lake. 
  86. "Oxbox Lakes". https://eros.usgs.gov/earthshots/oxbow-lakes. 
  87. Singh, A.K.; Jayakumar, S. (2016). "Water Quality Assessment of Kanwar Lake, Begusarai, Bihar, India". Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research 2 (4): 793. ISSN 2454-1362. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/54449923/Water_quality_paper-libre.pdf?1505585636=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DWater_Quality_Assessment_of_Kanwar.pdf&Expires=1774836992&Signature=Kd3HVMZAEb2Y7Ka4xVqzPO6MxkjLL5ZAeVK6EjLqXraAmp3brCZasyDi9Sv-qZNtlELFBTptl-GPJ2bCJxtceLVVapHewOfO0juxE0HTV9HsWK6D-lrF9vZB3IBERMt8RRm7Cf8TZRCfuNb1cqY0S7gFJ5X8PCO6HdKE5Ah2GaOp~x6OlFEAZSuelG1I0OIHuzdebuWciRFb5BEG2eZaWXHuKob8nlEF~FcUWUBaT4aTM2keZTa3NnszNpM01~rmBSA1dPv~8BLJHTbKNuoGLQ~ey4NmI-~z9AxlYTqEiEg4rj5pRh9TQvD4isaWemeAJzbkcfP~U3dsBCK-6vO1cQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA. Retrieved 2026-03-30. 
  88. "Definition of 'pool'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pool. 
  89. "Definition of 'pond'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pond. 
  90. "Definition of 'puddle'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/puddle. 
  91. "Definition of 'reach'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/reach. 
  92. "Definition of 'reservoir'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/reservoir. 
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  95. "Definition of 'rill'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/rill. 
  96. "rill". 31 March 2026. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rill. 
  97. "Definition of 'river'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/river. 
  98. "Definition of 'roadstead'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/roadstead. 
  99. "Definition of 'roads'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/roads. 
  100. "Definition of 'run'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/run. 
  101. "What is a salt marsh?". 2024-06-16. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/saltmarsh.html. 
  102. "Inland Salt Marsh". https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/communities/description/10664/inland-salt-marsh. 
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  104. "Definition of 'sea'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/sea. 
  105. "Definition of 'seep'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/seep. 
  106. "Definition of 'slough'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/slough. 
  107. "Definition of 'sound'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/sound. 
  108. "Definition of 'spring'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/spring. 
  109. Jacobs, Nancy (July 1996). "The Flowing Eye: Water Management in the Upper Kuruman Valley, South Africa, c. 1800–1962". The Journal of African History (Cambridge University Press) 37 (2): 237–260. doi:10.1017/S0021853700035210. 
  110. "Definition of 'strait'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/strait. 
  111. "Definition of 'stream'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/stream. 
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  114. "Definition of 'swamp'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/swamp. 
  115. "Definition of 'tarn'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tarn. 
  116. "Tarns". https://www.nps.gov/articles/tarns.htm. 
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  120. "What is a tide pool?". https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/tide-pool.html. 
  121. "Definition of 'tributary'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tributary. 
  122. "The Columbia River and Its Tributaries". https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo/Historical/LewisClark/Maps/map_columbia_river_and_tributaries.shtml. "The major tributaries of the Columbia are the Kootenai, Flathead/Pend Oreille/Clark's Fork, Snake, and Willamette." 
  123. "Vernal Pools". 2 February 2018. https://extension.unh.edu/resource/vernal-pools. 
  124. Zedler, Paul H. (September 2003). "Vernal pools and the concept of "isolated wetlands"". Wetlands (Springer) 23 (3): 597–607. doi:10.1672/0277-5212(2003)023[0597:VPATCO2.0.CO;2]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225681114. Retrieved 2026-04-02. 
  125. 125.0 125.1 "Definition of 'wadi'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/wadi. 
  126. "Definition of 'washland'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/washland. 
  127. "washland". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/washland. 
  128. 128.0 128.1 Thomas, G.J.; Allen, D.A.; Grose, M.P.B. (November 1981). "The demography and flora of the Ouse Washes, England". Biological Conservation (Elsevier) 21 (3): 197–229. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(81)90091-4. Bibcode1981BCons..21..197T. 
  129. "Definition of 'watercourse'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/watercourse. 
  130. "Definition of 'water hole'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/water-hole. 
  131. "Definition of 'well'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/well. 
  132. "Definition of 'wetland'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/wetland. 
  133. "Definition of 'winterbourne'". 13 February 2020. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/winterbourne. 
  134. "winterbourne". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/winterbourne. 
  135. White, James C. et al. (1 January 2018). "Macroinvertebrate community responses to hydrological controls and groundwater abstraction effects across intermittent and perennial headwater streams". Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier) 610–611: 1514–1526. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.081. PMID 28687118. Bibcode2018ScTEn.610.1514W. 
  136. Baker, Rowenna; Manning-Jones, Sandra (April–May 2024). "River Lavant Condition Assessment and Walkover Survey Report". The South Downs National Park Authority: 2. https://awscp.org.uk/files/river-lavant-rca-and-walkover-survey-spring-2024-compressed.pdf. Retrieved 2026-04-03. "The River Lavant is classified as a winterbourne that rises from chalk springs at East Dean and flows for approximately 13km before entering Chichester Harbour, an internationally designated site for conservation."