Grades 6, 7 and 8 - Geography - Middle School - What is a River? — Flashcards

Rivers are a key part of the water cycle. They drain the water from the land and carry it to the sea where it will be returned to the atmosphere by condensation to form rain clouds. They also form the key ecosystems for a variety of wildlife, both plants and animals. From their sources and the high oxygen environments of the rivers' upper stretches, including rapids and waterfalls, through to the slower environments of oxbow lakes, slow moving rivers and the brackish environment of the estuaries at the rivers' mouths.

Land is shaped by rivers, carving down into solid rock and transporting sediments to the sea where they may be deposited as levees, sandbars, beaches and other forms. Floodplains are deposited by the same rivers that wear down mountains.