Are rivers essential to the hydrosphere?

            Civilizations world over have developed on the banks of great rivers. Our nation derives its name from a river! Rivers have been not only the backbones of civilizations, but also home to many ecosystems.

          Rivers are large natural streams of water flowing into an ocean, a lake or any larger body of water. Unlike oceans, rivers, lakes and waterfalls are freshwater ecosystems. Water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snow-packs such as glaciers.

            There are several other names to denote smaller rivers, such as stream, creek and brook. Most small rivers and ponds appear only in monsoons, as rain is their main source of water. Therefore, they dry up in summers. Such rivers are called non-perennial rivers. On the other hand, big rivers that contain water throughout the year are called perennial rivers.  

            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.

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