Body of surface water flowing down a channel

Stream

Stream

A stream is a continuous <a href="/en/Body_of_water" title="Body of water" class="wl">body</a> of <a href="/en/Surface_water" title="Surface water" class="wl">surface water</a><a href="#cite_note-definitions-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> <a href="/en/Current_(stream)" title="Current (stream)" class="mw-redirect wl">flowing</a> within the <a href="/en/Stream_bed" title="Stream bed" class="wl">bed</a> and <a href="/en/Bank_(geography)" title="Bank (geography)" class="wl">banks</a> of a <a href="/en/Channel_(geography)" title="Channel (geography)" class="wl">channel</a>. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams are usually called <a href="/en/River" title="River" class="wl">rivers</a>, while smaller, less voluminous and more <a href="/en/Intermittent_river" title="Intermittent river" class="wl">intermittent</a> streams are known as streamlets, brooks or creeks.

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Body of surface water flowing down a channel</div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1033289096" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}</style>



<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Aubach_(Wiehl)_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerhütte.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Aubach_(Wiehl)_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerhütte.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg/220px-Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="4032" data-file-height="3024" data-file-type="bitmap" height="165" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg/330px-Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg/440px-Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg 2x" alt="Aubach_%28Wiehl%29_nahe_dem_Weiherdamm_in_Wildbergerh%C3%BCtte.jpg"></a><figcaption><a href="/en/Aubach_(Wiehl)" title="Aubach (Wiehl)" class="wl">Aubach (Wiehl)</a> in <a href="/en/North_Rhine-Westphalia" title="North Rhine-Westphalia" class="wl">North Rhine-Westphalia</a>, Germany</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg/170px-Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2592" data-file-height="3872" data-file-type="bitmap" height="254" width="170" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg/255px-Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg/340px-Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg 2x" alt="Potok_pod_jezerom_1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Rocky stream in Italy</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Frozen_stream_Enäjärvi,_Pori.JPG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Frozen_stream_Enäjärvi,_Pori.JPG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG/170px-Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG" decoding="async" data-file-width="1800" data-file-height="2817" data-file-type="bitmap" height="266" width="170" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG/255px-Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG/340px-Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG 2x" alt="Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi%2C_Pori.JPG"></a><figcaption>Frozen stream in Enäjärvi, <a href="/en/Pori" title="Pori" class="wl">Pori</a>, Finland</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg/220px-Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="4349" data-file-height="3454" data-file-type="bitmap" height="175" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg/330px-Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg/440px-Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg 2x" alt="Dranse_de_Montriond_09.jpg"></a><figcaption>Stream near <a href="/en/Montriond" title="Montriond" class="wl">Montriond</a> in south-eastern France</figcaption></figure>

The flow of a stream is controlled by three inputs – <a href="/en/Surface_runoff" title="Surface runoff" class="wl">surface runoff</a> (from <a href="/en/Precipitation" title="Precipitation" class="wl">precipitation</a> or <a href="/en/Meltwater" title="Meltwater" class="wl">meltwater</a>), <a href="/en/Daylighting_(streams)" title="Daylighting (streams)" class="wl">daylighted</a> <a href="/en/Subterranean_river" title="Subterranean river" class="wl">subterranean water</a>, and surfaced <a href="/en/Groundwater" title="Groundwater" class="wl">groundwater</a> (<a href="/en/Spring_(hydrology)" title="Spring (hydrology)" class="wl">spring water</a>). The surface and subterranean water are highly variable between periods of rainfall. Groundwater, on the other hand, has a relatively constant input and is controlled more by long-term patterns of precipitation.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> The stream encompasses surface, subsurface and groundwater fluxes that respond to geological, geomorphological, hydrological and biotic controls.<a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a>

Streams are important as conduits in the <a href="/en/Water_cycle" title="Water cycle" class="wl">water cycle</a>, instruments in <a href="/en/Groundwater_recharge" title="Groundwater recharge" class="wl">groundwater recharge</a>, and corridors for fish and wildlife migration. The biological <a href="/en/Habitat" title="Habitat" class="wl">habitat</a> in the immediate vicinity of a stream is called a <a href="/en/Riparian_zone" title="Riparian zone" class="wl">riparian zone</a>. Given the status of the ongoing <a href="/en/Holocene_extinction" title="Holocene extinction" class="wl">Holocene extinction</a>, streams play an important <a href="/en/Wildlife_corridor" title="Wildlife corridor" class="wl">corridor</a> role in connecting <a href="/en/Habitat_fragmentation" title="Habitat fragmentation" class="wl">fragmented habitats</a> and thus in conserving <a href="/en/Biodiversity" title="Biodiversity" class="wl">biodiversity</a>. The study of streams and <a href="/en/Waterway" title="Waterway" class="wl">waterways</a> in general is known as surface <a href="/en/Hydrology" title="Hydrology" class="wl">hydrology</a> and is a core element of <a href="/en/Integrated_geography" title="Integrated geography" class="wl">environmental geography</a>.<a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;">[4]</a>

A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams are usually called rivers, while smaller, less voluminous and more intermittent streams are known as streamlets, brooks or creeks. The flow of a stream is controlled by three inputs – surface runoff , daylighted subterranean water, and surfaced groundwater . The surface and subterranean water are highly variable between periods of rainfall. Groundwater, on the other hand, has a relatively constant input and is controlled more by long-term patterns of precipitation. Streams are important as conduits in the water cycle, instruments in groundwater recharge, and corridors for fish and wildlife migration. The biological habitat in the immediate vicinity of a stream is called a riparian zone. Given the status of the ongoing Holocene extinction, streams play an important corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity. The study of streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology and is a core element of environmental geography. 