River basin

A river basin is the land area drained by a river and its tributaries toward a common outlet. Its boundaries follow drainage divides that separate neighboring flows.

Drainage divide: A ridge or elevated boundary separating land that drains into different river systems. It marks the basin’s outer edge by directing runoff toward one river system rather than another.
River: A natural flowing body of water that moves through a channel toward a sea, lake, or another river. A river and its tributaries form the channel network that drains the basin.
River basin management: The coordinated planning and management of land, water, and related resources across a river basin. It treats connected upstream and downstream areas as one planning system.
Deforestation: The removal or long-term loss of forest cover from an area. Forest loss can change infiltration, erosion, and runoff across a basin.
Watershed: Land that drains to a particular water body or point, especially a river or stream. It names the contributing land area at scales ranging from a small stream to a large basin.
Tributary: A stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river. Tributaries gather water from smaller areas and enlarge the basin’s main river.
Integrated water resources management: A coordinated approach to managing water, land, and related resources across sectors and scales. Basin boundaries often provide a practical scale for coordinating water decisions.
Urbanization: The growth of cities and the expansion of built environments and infrastructure. Impervious surfaces can accelerate runoff and increase flood peaks in urbanizing basins.
Stream order: A numerical system for classifying stream size by the arrangement of tributaries. It describes how small channels combine into an increasingly connected river network.
River channel: The bed and banks that confine the flow of a stream or river. Channels provide the pathways through which basin water moves downstream.

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