View source for Earth:Body of water

{{short description|Any significant accumulation of water, generally on a planet's surface}}
[[File:Aubach (Wiehl) nahe dem Weiherdamm in Wildbergerhütte.jpg|thumb|The Aubach, a watercourse in Germany]]
[[Image:Lysefjorden fjord.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A [[Earth:Fjord|fjord]] (Lysefjord) in {{wipe|Norway}}]]

A '''body of water''' or '''waterbody'''<ref>"'''waterbody''' noun (pl. -'''ies''') a body of water forming a physiographical feature, for example a sea or a reservoir." ''New Oxford Dictionary of English''</ref> (often '''water body''') is any significant accumulation of [[Chemistry:Water|water]] on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to [[Earth:Ocean|ocean]]s, [[Earth:Sea|sea]]s, and [[Earth:Lake|lake]]s, but it includes smaller pools of water such as [[Earth:Pond|pond]]s, [[Earth:Wetland|wetland]]s, or more rarely, [[Earth:Puddle|puddle]]s. A body of water does not have to be still or contained; [[Earth:River|river]]s, [[Earth:Stream|stream]]s, [[Earth:Canal|canal]]s, and other [[Earth:Landform|geographical features]] where water moves from one place to another are also considered bodies of water.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Hydrologic Definitions: Stream |title= Manual of Hydrology: Part 1. General Surface-Water Techniques |type=Water Supply Paper 1541-A |last1=Langbein |first1=W.B. |last2=Iseri |first2=Kathleen T. |year=1995 |publisher=USGS |location=Reston, VA |chapter-url=http://water.usgs.gov/wsc/glossary.html#Stream }}.</ref>

Most are naturally occurring geographical features, but some are artificial. There are types that can be either. For example, most [[Earth:Reservoir|reservoir]]s are created by engineering dams, but some natural lakes are used as reservoirs. Similarly, most [[Earth:Harbor|harbor]]s are naturally occurring [[Earth:Bay|bay]]s, but some harbors have been created through construction.

Bodies of water that are navigable are known as [[Earth:Waterway|waterway]]s. 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 [[Astronomy:Tide|tidal]] effects.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/tide-cause.htm|title=What causes high tide and low tide? Why are there two tides each day?|date=21 May 2009|work=HowStuffWorks|access-date=10 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> Moreso, the impact of [[Earth:Climate change|climate change]] on water is likely to intensify as observed through the [[Earth:Sea level rise|rising sea levels]], water [[Biology:Ocean acidification|acidification]] and [[Earth:Flood|flood]]ing. This means that climate change has pressure on water bodies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Environment Agency's home page — European Environment Agency |url=https://www.eea.europa.eu/ |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=www.eea.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

== Types ==
{{anchor|Waterbody types}}

Bodies of water can be categorized into:

# Rain water
# [[Earth:Surface water|Surface water]]
# [[Earth:Groundwater|Underground water]]

{{Multiple image
| image1 = PortJackson 2004 SeanMcClean.jpg
| width1 = 210
| caption1 = Port Jackson, [[Place:Sydney|Sydney]], New South Wales
| image2 = Canal Grande Chiesa della Salute e Dogana dal ponte dell Accademia.jpg
| width2 = 210
| caption2 = The Canal Grande in Venice, one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. View from the Accademia bridge. 
| image3 = Tide pools in santa cruz.jpg
| width3 = 210
| caption3 = A [[Earth:Tide pool|tide pool]] in Santa Cruz, {{wipe|California}} with [[Biology:Sea anemone|sea anemone]]s and [[Biology:Starfish|sea stars]]
| image4 = Tagus River Panorama - Toledo, Spain - Dec 2006.jpg
| width4 = 210
| caption4 = A [[Earth:Weir|weir]] in [[Place:Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], {{wipe|Spain}}. Weirs are frequently used to change the height of a riverlevel, prevent floodings, and measure water discharge.
}}

There are some geographical features involving water that are not bodies of water, for example, [[Earth:Waterfall|waterfall]]s, [[Earth:Geyser|geyser]]s and [[Earth:Rapids|rapids]].

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Table of bodies of water
! Name !! Description !! Regions/dialects !! Running/Stationary/Wetland !! Running: Ephemeral/Perennial <br> Stationary: Coastal/non-coastal
|-
| Allt || Stream || [[Place:Scottish Highlands|Scottish Highlands]]{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} || Running
|-
| Arm of the sea || also [[Earth:Arm (geography)|sea-arm]], used to describe a [[Earth:Loch|sea loch]]. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Arroyo (creek)|Arroyo]] || A usually-dry bed of a steep-sided stream, [[Earth:Gully|gully]], or narrow [[Earth:Channel (geography)|channel]] that temporarily fills with water after heavy rain. See also [[Earth:Wadi|wadi]]. || Southwest US || Running || Ephemeral (seasonal)
|-
| Artificial lake or artificial pond || see [[Earth:Reservoir|reservoir]] (impoundment). || || Stationary 
|-
| [[Earth:Barachois|Barachois]] || A lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand bar. || Canada || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| Basin || || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Bay|Bay]] || An area of water bordered by land on three sides, similar to, but smaller than a [[Earth:Gulf|gulf]]. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Bayou|Bayou]] || A slow-moving stream or a marshy lake. || Southern US || Wetland
|-
| [[Earth:Stream|Beck]] (stream) or [[Earth:Gill (ravine)|Beck]] (gill) || A small stream (esp. with a rocky bottom); creek.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/beck
 |title=beck
 |website=collinsdictionary.com
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> || Lincolnshire to Cumbria in areas which were once occupied by the Danes and Norwegians.<ref>{{cite web|title=  OED Online – Beck|date= June 2017|publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/16756?result=1&rskey=KrqII1&result=1 |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Bight (geography)|Bight]] || A large and often only slightly receding bay, or a bend in any geographical feature. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Billabong|Billabong]] || an [[Earth:Oxbow lake|oxbow lake]]; a pond or still body of water created when a river changes course and some water becomes trapped.  || Located in Australia || Stationary
|-
| Boil || see seep || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Bog|Bog]] || a type of wetland that accumulates peat due to incomplete decomposition of plant matter. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Bourne (stream)|Bourne]] or [[Earth:Winterbourne (stream)|Winterbourne]] || a brook; stream; small, seasonal stream.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/bourn
 |title=bourn
 |website=collinsdictionary.com
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url= https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bourn
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160930094854/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bourn
 |url-status= dead
 |archive-date= September 30, 2016
 |title=bourn
 |website=oxforddictionaries.com
 |publisher=[[Organization:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]]
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> || Chalk [[Earth:Downland|downland]] of southern England || Running || Ephemeral<ref>{{cite web|title= OED Online – Bourne|date= June 2017|publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/22119?rskey=bKBrC8&result=1 |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> When permanent, they are ''[[Earth:Chalk stream|chalk stream]]s''.
|-
| Broad || A stationary inland body of fresh water || Norfolk and Suffolk area; cf. The Broads || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Stream|Brook]] || A small stream; a creek.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brook
 |title=brook
 |website=merriam-webster.com
 |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= OED Online – Brook|date= June 2017|publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/23752?isAdvanced=false&result=1&rskey=RmSVun& |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || || Running
|-
| Brooklet || A small brook. || || Running
|-
| Burn || A small stream; a brook.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/burn
 |title=burn
 |website=collinsdictionary.com
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/burn
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105182115/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/burn
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=November 5, 2018
 |title=burn
 |website=oxforddictionaries.com
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> || Scotland and North East England.<ref>{{cite web|title= OED Online – Burn|date= June 2017|publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/22119?rskey=bKBrC8&result=1 |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Canal|Canal]] || an artificial waterway, usually connected to (and sometimes connecting) existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.
|-
| [[Earth:Channel (geography)|Channel]] || the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks. See also [[Earth:Stream bed|stream bed]] and strait.
|-
| [[Earth:Cove|Cove]] || a coastal [[Earth:Landform|landform]]. Earth scientists generally use the term to describe a circular or round inlet with a narrow entrance, though colloquially the term is sometimes used to describe any sheltered bay. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Stream|Creek]] || a (narrow) stream that is smaller than a river; a minor tributary of a river; brook.{{refn|<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/creek
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924200715/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/creek
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=September 24, 2016
 |title=creek
 |website=oxforddictionaries.com
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=British...especially an inlet...(whereas) NZ, North American, Australian...stream or minor tributary.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/creek
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924215553/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/creek
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=September 24, 2016
 |title=(US) creek
 |website=English Oxford Living Dictionaries
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=North American, Australian, NZ...A stream, brook, or minor tributary of a river.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/creek
 |title=creek
 |website=Dictionary.com
 |publisher=Dictionary.com, LLC
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=U.S., Canada , and Australia…a stream smaller than a river.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/creek
 |title=creek
 |website=Collins
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote= US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand a small stream or tributary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/creek
 |title=creek
 |website=Macmillan Dictionary
 |publisher=Springer Nature Limited
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=a narrow stream}}</ref>}} || {{wipe|Australia}}, {{wipe|Canada}}, [[Earth:New Zealand|New Zealand]], {{wipe|United States}} || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Creek (tidal)|Creek (tidal)]] || an inlet of the sea, narrower than a cove.{{refn|<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/creek
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924200715/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/creek
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=September 24, 2016
 |title=creek
 |website=oxforddictionaries.com
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=British...especially an inlet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/creek
 |title=creek
 |website=Dictionary.com
 |publisher=Dictionary.com, LLC
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=Chiefly Atlantic States and British...a recess or inlet in the shore of the sea.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/creek
 |title=creek
 |website=Macmillan Dictionary
 |publisher=Springer Nature Limited
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=BRITISH a long narrow area of ocean stretching into the land}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/creek
 |title=creek
 |website=Collins
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=18 May 2019
|quote=Chiefly British a narrow inlet or bay}}</ref>}} || Mainly British
|-
| Dam || A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams, or water reservoir resulting from placing such a structure.  || || Stationary
|-
| Delta || the location where a river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir. || || || Coastal
|-
| Distributary or distributary channel || a stream that branches off and flows away from the main stream channel. || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Drainage basin|Drainage basin]] || a region of land where water from rain or [[Earth:Snowmelt|snowmelt]] drains downhill into another body of water, such as a river, lake, or reservoir.
|-
| [[Earth:Draw (terrain)|Draw]] || a usually dry creek bed or gulch that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain, or seasonally. See also [[Earth:Wadi|wadi]]. || || Running || Ephemeral
|-
| Dyke (UK) || Either a narrow artificial channel off a river or broad for access or mooring, or a ditch (a water-filled drainage trench); not to be confused with Dyke (embankment) || Used in The Broads || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Estuary|Estuary]] || a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea ||  ||  || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Firth|Firth]] || Various coastal waters, such as large sea bays, estuaries, inlets, and straits.  || Scottish || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Fjord|Fjord]] (''fiord'') || a narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fjord|title=Definition of FJORD|website=Merriam-Webster |language=en|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref> || Scandinavian || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Gill (ravine)|Gill]] or Ghyll || a narrow stream or rivulet; brook; narrow mountain stream.{{refn|<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gill
 |title=gill
 |website=merriam-webster.com
 |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/gill
 |title=gill
 |website=collinsdictionary.com
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gill
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927145529/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gill
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=September 27, 2016
 |title=gill
 |website=oxforddictionaries.com
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref>}} || The north of England and Kent and Surrey influenced by [[Social:Old Norse|Old Norse]]; The variant "ghyll" is used in the Lake District and appears to have been an invention of [[Biography:William Wordsworth|William Wordsworth]].<ref>{{cite web|title= OED Online – Gill|date= June 2017|publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/78284?isAdvanced=false&result=2&rskey=zoo08P& |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Glacier|Glacier]] || a large collection of ice or a frozen river that moves slowly down a mountain. || || Technically running
|-
| Glacial pothole || a [[Earth:Giant's kettle|giant's kettle]]. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Gulf|Gulf]] || a part of a lake or ocean that extends so that it is surrounded by land on three sides, similar to, but larger than a bay. ||  || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Harbor|Harbor]] || an artificial or naturally occurring body of water where ships are stored or may shelter from the ocean's weather and currents. ||  || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Hot spring|Hot spring]] || a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater. || || Running
|-
| [[Engineering:Anchor|Impoundment]] || an artificially-created body of water, by damming a source. Often used for flood control, as a drinking water supply (reservoir), recreation, ornamentation (artificial pond), or other purpose or combination of purposes. The process of creating an "impoundment" of water is itself called "impoundment." || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Ice cap|Ice cap]] || A body of frozen water less than 50,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> not constrained by topographical features (i.e., they will lie over the top of mountains)
|-
| [[Earth:Ice field|Ice field]] || A body of frozen water constrained by topographical features || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Ice sheet|Ice sheet]] || A body of frozen water more than 50,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Earth:Inlet|Inlet]] || a body of water, usually [[Earth:Seawater|seawater]], which has characteristics of one or more of the following: bay, cove, estuary, firth, fjord, geo, sea loch, or sound. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Kettle (landform)|Kettle]] (or kettle lake) || a shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Kill (body of water)|Kill]] || a strait, river, or arm of the sea.  || used in areas of Dutch influence in New York, New Jersey and other areas of the former New Netherland colony of Dutch America
|-
| [[Earth:Lagoon|Lagoon]] || a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed [[Earth:Sandbank|sandbank]], [[Earth:Coral reef|coral reef]], or similar feature. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Lake|Lake]] || a body of water, usually freshwater, of relatively large size contained on a body of land. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Lick (stream)|Lick]] || a small watercourse or an ephemeral stream || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Loch|Loch]] || a body of water such as a lake, sea inlet, firth, fjord, estuary or bay. || Scottish || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Mangrove|Mangrove swamp]] || a [[Chemistry:Saline water|saline]] coastal habitat of [[Earth:Mangrove|mangrove]] trees and shrubs. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Marsh|Marsh]] || a wetland featuring grasses, [[Biology:Juncaceae|rushes]], reeds, [[Biology:Typha|typha]]s, [[Biology:Cyperaceae|sedges]], and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing [[Biology:Woody plant|woody plant]]s) in a context of shallow water. See also [[Earth:Salt marsh|salt marsh]]. || || Wetland
|-
| [[Earth:Mediterranean sea (oceanography)|Mediterranean sea (oceanography)]] || a mostly enclosed sea that has a limited exchange of deep water with outer oceans and where the water circulation is dominated by [[Earth:Salinity|salinity]] and temperature differences rather than winds || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Mere (lake)|Mere]] || a lake or body of water that is broad in relation to its depth. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Mill pond|Mill pond]] || a [[Earth:Reservoir|reservoir]] built to provide flowing water to a [[Engineering:Watermill|watermill]]. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Chemistry:Moat|Moat]] || a deep, broad trench, either dry or filled with water, surrounding and protecting a structure, installation, or town. || || Stationary
|-
| Mud puddle || || || Stationary
|-
| ''Nant'' || Stream || Wales.<ref>{{cite web|title= OED Online – Nant|date= June 2017|publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/124979?redirectedFrom=Nant& |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Ocean|Ocean]] || a major body of salty water that, in totality, covers about 71% of the Earth's surface. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Oxbow lake|Oxbow lake]] || a U-shaped lake formed when a wide meander from the mainstem of a river is cut off to create a lake. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Phytotelma|Phytotelma]] || a small, discrete body of water held by some plants.
|-
| [[Earth:Plunge pool|Plunge pool]] || a depression at the base of a waterfall. || || Stationary
|-
| Pool || various small bodies of water such as a [[Earth:Swimming pool|swimming pool]], [[Earth:Reflecting pool|reflecting pool]], pond, or puddle. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Pond|Pond]] || a body of water smaller than a lake, especially those of artificial origin. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Engineering:Port|Port]] || a maritime facility where ships may dock to load and discharge passengers and cargo. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Pothole (landform)|Pothole]] || see kettle || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Puddle|Puddle]] || a small accumulation of water on a surface, usually the ground. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Reflecting pool|Reflecting pool]] || a [[Chemistry:Water feature|water feature]] usually consisting of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a reflective surface. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Reservoir|Reservoir]] || a place to store water for various uses, especially drinking water, which can be a natural or artificial (see lake and impoundment). || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Rill|Rill]] || a shallow channel of running water. These can be either natural or human-made. Also: a very small brook; rivulet; small stream.<ref>{{cite web
 |url= https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/rill
 |title=rill
 |website=collinsdictionary.com
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url= https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rill
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190517025239/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rill
 |url-status= dead
 |archive-date= May 17, 2019
 |title=rill
 |website=oxforddictionaries.com
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:River|River]] || a natural waterway usually formed by water derived from either precipitation or glacial meltwater, and flows from higher ground to lower ground. || || Running
|-
| Rivulet || (UK, US literary) a small or very small stream.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/rivulet
 |title=rivulet
 |website=dictionary.cambridge.org
 |publisher=Cambridge University Press
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> || [[History:Victorian era|Victorian era]] publications.<ref>{{cite web |title= OED Online – Rivulet |date= June 2017 |publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/166480?redirectedFrom=Rivulet& |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Roadstead|Roadstead]] || a place outside a harbor where a ship can lie at anchor; it is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea, narrower than a bay or gulf (often called a "roads").  || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Stream|Run]] || a small stream or part thereof, especially a smoothly flowing part of a stream. || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Salt marsh|Salt marsh]] || a type of [[Earth:Marsh|marsh]] that is a transitional zone between land and an area, such as a slough, bay, or estuary, with salty or brackish water. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Sea|Sea]] || a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, or a large, usually saline, lake that lacks a natural outlet such as the Caspian Sea and the [[Earth:Dead Sea|Dead Sea]]. In common usage, often synonymous with the ocean. || || Stationary
|-
| Sea loch || a sea inlet loch. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| Sea lough || a fjord, estuary, bay or sea inlet. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| [[Earth:Seep (hydrology)|Seep]] || a body of water formed by a spring. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Slough (hydrology)|Slough]] || several different meanings related to wetland or aquatic features. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:River source|Source]] || the original point from which the river or stream flows. A river's source is sometimes a spring. || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Shoal|Shoal]] || a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface.
|-
| [[Earth:Sound (geography)|Sound]] || a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, wider than a fjord, or it may identify a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land. || || Stationary || Coastal
|-
| Spring || a point where [[Earth:Groundwater|groundwater]] flows out of the ground, and is thus where the [[Earth:Aquifer|aquifer]] surface meets the ground surface || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Strait|Strait]] || a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Stream|Stream]] || a body of water with a detectable current, confined within a bed and banks. || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Stream pool|Stream pool]] || a stretch of a river or stream in which the water is relatively deep and slow moving. || || Stationary
|-
| Streamlet || a small stream; rivulet.<ref>{{cite web
 |url= https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/streamlet
 |title=streamlet
 |website=collinsdictionary.com
 |publisher=Collins
 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> || || Running
|-
| 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. They often occur under glaciers or ice caps. [[Earth:Lake Vostok|Lake Vostok]] in [[Earth:Antarctica|Antarctica]] is an example. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Swamp|Swamp]] || a wetland that features permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water, generally with a substantial number of [[Earth:Hummock|hummock]]s, or dry-land protrusions. || || Wetland
|-
| [[Earth:Gill (ravine)|Syke]]<ref>{{cite web |title= OED Online – Sike |date= June 2017 |publisher= Oxford University Press. |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/179615?rskey=kax69D&result=1 |access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> || Stream || [[Place:Scottish Lowlands|Scottish Lowlands]] and Cumbria || Running || Seasonal
|-
| [[Earth:Swimming pool|Swimming pool]] || an artificial container filled with water intended for swimming. || || Stationary
|-
| Tank || (or stock tank, Texas) an artificial pond, usually for watering cattle or other livestock.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1986-05-01|title=Texas Primer: The Stock Tank|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/texas-primer-the-stock-tank/|access-date=2021-08-03|website=Texas Monthly|language=en}}</ref> || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Tarn (lake)|Tarn]] || a mountain lake or pool formed in a [[Earth:Cirque|cirque]] excavated by a glacier. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Tide pool|Tide pool]] || a rocky pool adjacent to an ocean and filled with seawater. || || Stationary
|-
| [[Earth:Tributary|Tributary]] or affluent || a stream or river that flows into the main stem (or parent) river or a lake. || || Running
|-
| [[Earth:Vernal pool|Vernal pool]] || a shallow, natural depression in level ground, with no permanent above-ground outlet, that holds water seasonally. || || Wetland
|-
| [[Earth:Wadi|Wadi]] || a usually-dry creek bed or [[Earth:Gulch|gulch]] that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain, or seasonally || Located in North Africa and Western Asia. See also [[Earth:Arroyo (creek)|arroyo (creek)]]. || Running || Ephemeral
|-
| [[Earth:Arroyo (creek)|Wash]] || a usually dry creek bed or gulch that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain, or seasonally. See also [[Earth:Wadi|wadi]]. || || Running || Ephemeral
|-
| [[Earth:Wetland|Wetland]] || an environment "at the interface between truly terrestrial ecosystems and truly aquatic systems making them different from each yet highly dependent on both".<ref>Mitsch & Gosselink, 1986</ref> || || Wetland
|}

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Earth:Bank (geography)}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Bog}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Fluvial processes}}

* [[Earth:Glossary of landforms|Glossary of landforms]]

* {{annotated link|Earth:Lists of bodies of water}}
* {{annotated link|Engineering:Port}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Water mass}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Water pollution}}

== References ==
=== Sources ===
* Mitsch, W.J. and J.G. Gosselink. 2007. ''Wetlands, 4th ed.'', {{wipe|John Wiley & Sons}}, Inc., New York, 582 pp.<ref>The first edition of Wetlands by Mitsch and Gosselink was published in 1986 by Van Nostrand Reinhold. Second, third, and fourth (current) editions were published in 1993, 2000, and 2007 respectively by John Wiley & Sons. {{cite web |url = http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471699675.html |title = Wiley: Wetlands, 4th Edition |access-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120703110942/http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471699675.html |archive-date=3 July 2012 }}</ref>

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111112093426/http://www.lakescientist.com/learn-about-lakes/how-lakes-differ/types-of-water-bodies.html Types of Water Bodies] (archived 12 November 2011)

{{Rivers, streams and springs}}

[[Category:Bodies of water| ]]

{{Sourceattribution|Body of water}}