About common water features

Before diving into definitions and examples of some common water features, let us ask: “What is a water feature?” Water features are any water body or waterway found on the Earth’s surface!

Water features come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes! For example, some water features are lotic (flowing, like a stream), while others are lentic (stagnant, non-flowing, like a pond). Additionally, water features can have freshwater, saltwater, or a combination of the two (such as brackish water found in coastal wetlands and estuaries). Furthermore, many water features are natural, but also sometimes human-made, like reservoirs and canals.

A Special Note For Teachers: if you are an educator planning a water features unit, you’ll find more information about these different types of water features within my water features unit. You can check it out in my shop, where I offer learning materials for a variety of environmental science units.

Water moves between different water features (and into the air, ground, and ice) through the water cycle. The water cycle is an ongoing process moving water from the oceans to the land and back. To start, the sun powers the water cycle, providing energy for water to evaporate. This creates freshwater and makes it possible for water to move from oceans and low areas to higher places. Then, water flows downhill and makes its way back to the ocean. You can also learn about how humans impact the water cycle in my post from last year.

Bays & Gulfs

A bay is a body of salt water along a coast that is partially enclosed by land. The mouth of a bay is the side that is open to a larger body of water like a sea or ocean. Sometimes, a bay may be called a cove. Gulfs are similar to bays but larger.

Examples of Bays

• Hanauma Bay, Hawai’i, USA
• Bay of Islands, New Zealand
• Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Examples of Gulfs

• Gulf of Mexico
• Gulf of Alaska
• Gulf of Finland

Deltas

A delta is a landform of deposited sediments where a river or stream meets the ocean. Sediments settle out of the river water as it flows into the slower-moving ocean or sea. The movement of water through a delta is controlled by the flow of the river.

Examples of Deltas

• Yukon River Delta, Alaska, USA
• Amazon River Delta, Brazil
• Mitchell River Delta, Queensland, Australia
• Atchafalaya Delta, Louisiana, USA

Estuaries

An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where a slow-moving river or stream meets the ocean. Notably, estuaries contain mixed freshwater and salt water. The movement of water through estuaries is controlled by waves and tides as well as by the flow of the river.

Examples of Estuaries

• Looe Estuary, England
• St. Lucie River and Estuary, Florida, USA

Lakes

A lake is a stagnant or non-flowing body of surface water. However, many lakes are fed by small inlet streams. Similarly, ponds are also non-flowing bodies of surface water. However, ponds are shallower and usually smaller than lakes.

Examples of Lakes

• Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin, USA
• Lake Victoria, Tanzania (also borders Kenya and Uganda)
• Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

Oceans & Seas

Oceans are vast bodies of salt water. Earth’s ocean is a continuous body of water, but geographically we divide it into 4 oceans: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. Similarly, seas are smaller areas of salt water, also connected to the ocean. All together, oceans and seas cover about 70% of earth.

Examples of Oceans

• The Atlantic Ocean
• Underwater view in the Indian Ocean!
• View of the Arctic Ocean, off the side of a ship

Examples of Seas

• The Mediterranean Sea
• Underwater view in the Red Sea!
• View of the Sea of Japan from shore

Ponds

A pond is a stagnant or non-flowing body of surface water. However, many ponds are fed by small inlet streams. Ponds are shallower and typically smaller than lakes.

Examples of Ponds

• Spy Pond, Massachusetts, USA – frozen in winter time!
• Tiedman Pond, Wisconsin, USA
• Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park, USA

Springs

A spring is where groundwater naturally flows onto the earth’s surface. Specifically, a spring forms when the water table is at the same or a higher level than the land’s surface. Springs are often found on steep hillsides or in valley bottoms. Springs may form the beginnings of streams and rivers.

Examples of Springs

• Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, USA
• Maramec Spring, Missouri, USA
• Landbrotalaug hot springs, Iceland

Streams

A stream is a flowing channel of surface water. Streams may also be called creeks and brooks. Large streams are called rivers. However, the size at which a “creek” or “brook” becomes a “river” varies dramatically between regions. Perennial streams flow year-round. Seasonal and intermittent streams will dry up at certain times of year or when the weather is hotter and drier.

Examples of Streams, Brooks, Creeks, and Rivers

• Ganges River, India
• Rhine River, Germany
• Glacier Creek, Rocky Mountain National Park
• Thunder Creek, North Cascades National Park
• Harvard Brook, Vermont

Waterfalls

A waterfall is where a stream becomes vertical or nearly vertical. Waterfalls are found in places that streams flow over steep mountainsides and cliffs. Often, deep plunge pools are found at the bottom of waterfalls.

Examples of Waterfalls

• Niagara Falls, NY, USA (viewed from a boat)! And from above
• Angel Falls, Bolívar, Venezuela
• Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Wetlands

Wetlands are areas of land flooded or saturated with water. Additionally, wetlands are filled with plants that are adapted for life in flooded environments. Furthermore, wetlands may either last year-round or dry up seasonally. Other names for wetlands include bogs, marshes, and swamps.

Examples of Wetlands, Bogs, Marshes, and Swamps

• Kemeri Bog, Latvia
• Kopački Rit, Croatia
• Mesopotamia Marshes, Iraq

Ditches & Canals

A ditch is a human-made stream, created to transport flowing water from one area to another. Ditches can move floodwater away from an area where it is not wanted or bring water to an area where it is needed. Similarly, Canals are also human-made streams. However, canals are large enough to allow for boats to pass through them.

Examples of Ditches

• The Grand Ditch, Colorado, USA – used to divert water from one side of the continental divide to the other!
• Dammgraben, Germany
• Fulton Ditch, Henderson, CO, USA

Examples of Canals

• Grand Union Canal, Uxbridge, UK
• Panama Canal, Panama – view from boat!

Reservoirs

A reservoir is a man-made lake or pond, created to store water for later use. Reservoirs are built by  damming a river or stream which forces water to pool upstream. Reservoirs supply year-round water in regions where most of the annual precipitation falls during a short period.

Examples of Reservoirs

• Lake Mead & the Hoover Dam, USA – very large reservoir & dam
• Horsetooth Reservoir, Colorado, USA – medium sized reservoir & dam
• Bear Creek Reservoir, Alberta, Canada – a smaller reservoir & dam

What about landforms?

Continue reading about common landforms in this separate post on common landforms!

Teach Water Bodies and Landforms with Wild Earth Lab:

Are you planning to teach landforms and water features? You may enjoy the learning materials I’ve created on these topics! All my learning materials feature my artwork! Find them in my shop or click on the links below:

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