Floodplain

A relatively flat area beside a river or stream, built largely from deposited sediment and periodically inundated when the watercourse overflows.

Overbank flow: Water that leaves a river channel and spreads across adjacent land during high flows. It is the direct process that inundates a floodplain.
Flood risk assessment: The evaluation of how likely flooding is and what harm it could cause. Floodplain extent and elevation help determine which places face inundation.
Floodplain wetlands: Wetland habitats on low-lying land periodically inundated by a river. Seasonal floodwater creates the saturated conditions that sustain these habitats.
Terrace (geology): A step-like remnant of an older floodplain positioned above a river's present floodplain. Terraces record former floodplain levels but usually lie beyond ordinary floods.
Alluvial deposition: The settling and accumulation of sediment transported by flowing water. Repeated deposition builds and renews floodplain surfaces.
Flood zoning: Land-use regulation that limits or guides development according to flood exposure. Zoning can reduce building and infrastructure exposure on floodplains.
Flood pulse concept: An ecological framework explaining how seasonal river flooding drives productivity and exchange across floodplains. It links recurring inundation to biological production and nutrient movement.
Delta: A sediment-built landform at a river mouth where flowing water enters a standing body of water. A delta forms at a river's outlet, unlike the floodplain bordering its course.
Natural levee: A raised bank formed as floodwater deposits sediment along a river channel. Coarser sediment settles near the channel during floods, creating these ridges.
Floodplain restoration: The rehabilitation of natural floodplain connections, habitats, and hydrologic processes. Restoration can recover water storage and sediment exchange lost through disconnection.

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