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| Rivers |
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| Do you know the parts and characteristics of a river system? After you float with National Geographic you will! Start this animation where you can follow water from the headwaters of a river, through tributaries, and into the main river. Click on any of the river related words to get a definition. Printable pages are available with a river system illustration, words and labels, and definitions. See what people like you are doing for river conservation. Learn how people are using, changing, and saving our rivers. |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/rivers.html |
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| Rivers and Coasts: What is a River? |
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| Kids, you are going to enjoy learning about rivers when you progress through the activities on this Web site. You will be able to watch a Flash animated diagram on how rivers flow. Find out where river water comes from when you watch the animated diagram on the water cycle. Read through the section on how rivers change. There are several printable worksheet included for these sections, so you can follow along as you learn about rivers, people and rivers, and what happens when rivers meet the coast. |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/rivers/whatis_river/index.shtml |
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| Virtual River |
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| Virtual River contains two interactive exercises to help you understand river processes. As you work through the exercises, you will make observations and measurements, do calculations, and answer questions. As you answer questions, you will get responses so you will know if your answers are correct. The activity entitled "River Discharge" lets you explore the basic concepts about how rivers work. The second activity explains river flooding. There are many helpful photographs and diagrams throughout both activities, as well as important terms and their definitions. |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://www.sciencecourseware.com/VirtualRiver/index.html |
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| Themes: Rivers |
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| This web site is dedicated to the rivers of the world. These natural waterways hold significance in the world for many reasons. A magazine article is a great way to read about how rivers have had an importance in different societies around the world and about the benefits and issues associated with them. The site has a word game that introduces you to different river proverbs. You will also find entertaining stories, poems, trivia, and polls on the topic of rivers. |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-rivers.htm |
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| The River Wild: Running the Selway |
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| This site created by National Geographic provides an exciting narrative of a wild river trip, which takes place on the Selway River in Idaho. At this interactive site you can choose your boat, and photo and bird watching gear. Paddling instructions and a primer on river lingo are included. Find out about the anatomy of a river, wildlife, and how to plan your own white water adventure. Don't miss the information on how to save the rivers. There are links to national conservation organizations. |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0206/adventures/ |
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| Rivers of Life: Mississippi Adventure |
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| Here is an excellent river resource site with a virtual Mississippi River adventure. Meet the people on board, including the captain, and take a look at the riverboat. Then read the daily log about the student-led and student-directed interactive expedition. To increase interest in river ecology and help young people learn about rivers first hand, the Center for Global Environment Education sponsored this wonderful 10-week study trip on the Mississippi. There are profiles of distinguished guests with river expertise, a route map, great full size photos and media features (audio and video clips). You will also find a wealth of related sites, games, watershed maps, information about other projects, a teacher's guide, and much more. |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/MA/index.html |
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| River |
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| Bigger than a brook or creek, a river is a big stream of water. Runoff from rain and snow follows depressions in the earth and erodes the earth and rock beneath to carve a river. A river tends to form a smooth bed beneath but sometimes rapids or waterfalls occur where rocks are resistant. Sediment carried by the river can also form deposits like deltas, floodplains, and channel bars. Study factors that affect river velocity and volume. Discover differences between young and old river systems. Identify some of the world's important river systems. |
| Topic: River channels; Rivers |
| URL: http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0842001.html |
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| The All-Star River Explorers |
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| Learn all about rivers with the All-Star River Explorers at this University of Illinois web site designed especially for children. Flash-powered animation, sound, colorful graphics, and historical figures such as Hudson, Jolliet, Marquette, Sacagawea, Lewis, and Clark combine with accurate facts to provide an engaging, educational, and fun learning experience. There are vintage postcards to email, all-star explorer trading cards, videos to watch, links to other web sites, and other activities. Test your knowledge of rivers by playing "Got Your Game On". |
| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/rivers/ |
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| The River |
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| A river starts with a puddle, often formed by the drip of melting snow. It forms a trickle as it runs down a mountain and slowly grows as it leaves the headwaters or source. Soon, it becomes a creek or brook or stream. Streams combine to make a river and tributaries add water to the river. Find out how many rivers are in the United States. Investigate the mouth of a river or what happens when the river empties into an estuary. Learn about glaciers, waterfalls, flood plains, canyons, valleys, and the impact of erosion. |
| Topic: River channels; Rivers |
| URL: http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season11/rivers/facts.cfm |
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| What Is a River System? |
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| A river flows from its source to its mouth at a larger body of water like a lake or ocean. At the source, a river may get water from an underground spring or snowmelt. Smaller tributaries join the river. Sometimes the river meanders instead of flowing in a straight line. Learn about floodplains and wetlands and their relationship to the river. Discover the difference between upstream and downstream. Investigate the watershed that surrounds a river. A diagram shows many of these river features. |
| Topic: River channels; Rivers |
| URL: http://www.ccge.org/resources/learning_centre/classroom_activities/river_system.asp |
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| Rivers by Margaret and Elizabeth |
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| Join Margaret and Elizabeth as they explore meandering rivers and find out how rivers work. Discover how rivers carry sand and gravel and why structures are built in the water under a dam. Canoe down a meandering river and see cliffs, gravel deposits, and rapids. Investigate where the water flows faster or slower. See the layers of sediment carved by the river and think about why they have different textures. Visit a dam and see how eight million gallons of water changes the river level in a lock. |
| Topic: Dams; River channels; Rivers |
| URL: http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/rivers.html |
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| Rivers and Coasts |
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| Do you know the difference between a river and a coast? Although they both involve water, they have different qualities. Explore rivers and coasts with definitions and photos. See how rivers and coasts change and learn about the different types of changes. You can learn how people interact with rivers and coasts. The water cycle is explained with an animation. Learn what happens when rivers meet coasts. There is a great glossary on this site that defines water related terms. |
| Topic: Coasts; Rivers |
| URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/index.shtml |
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| Rivers and Streams |
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| A descriptive definition of rivers and streams introduces you to a list of the three types of streams, the order of streams and the characteristics of each, and a detailed report. This report provides you with information on large river systems, the lotic ecosystems of the streambed, and an explanation of what makes a healthy river or stream. There are also detailed descriptions of what happens over the lifetime of a river and stream that include information on how they take shape, the physical characteristics, and how streams originate. |
| Topic: River channels; Rivers; Stream ecology |
| URL: http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/aquatic/rivers_and_streams.html |
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| River Systems of the World |
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Find interesting statistics from the many river systems of the world. This page was designed due to the lack of natural history information available on the Internet. A convenient chart contains the name of the river systems, the continent, length, drainage area, discharge at mouth, distinction, and notable tributaries. Much of the data in the chart doubles as links to additional information. Following the chart are links to related web sites and reasons rivers are important to civilization. A link to individual rivers found at the top of the page reveals links to major rivers of the world.
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| Topic: Rivers; Waterways |
| URL: http://www.rev.net/~aloe/river/ |
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| Conservationist Takes Rivers on the Road |
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| A conservationist can specialize in many different areas. Mark Angelo is a river conservationist who has traveled rivers on six continents. This article about Angelo from National Geographic News describes Angelo's work as an advocate for rivers. The article includes an interview with Angelo. Read about a presentation about rivers called Riverworld that Angelo put together. It tells about his travels and about the importance of river conservation. He also discusses major threats to rivers around the world. |
| Topic: Conservationists; Rivers |
| URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0929_030929_riverworld.html |
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| The Yangtze River |
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| This web site from the Center for Global Environmental Education offers information about the Yangtze River in China. The longest river in Asia and third longest river in the world, the Yangtze River's waters are often used for rice and wheat irrigation. This profile on one of the world's greatest rivers gives you the facts about the Yangtze, as well as special features related to the river, such as river art, a detailed map, and a Yangtze resources page. |
| Topic: Rivers; Yangtze River (China); Yangtze River Gorges (China) |
| URL: http://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/Resources/river_profiles/Yangtze.html |
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| River Venture: The Three Rivers |
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| Over millions of years, the Sandhills of South Carolina have undergone many changes. Marine fossils have been found along its rivers, along with evidence of human civilizations from 12,000 years ago. Three rivers meet near the South Carolina city of Columbia. The Saluda, Broad, and Congaree Rivers provided natural resources and shaped the history of Columbia. In turn, population growth and industry impacted the river ecology. Granite boulders and alluvial clay provided building materials, while canals and dams harnessed the river's power and provided safe passage. Take a look at the history of hydropower, bridges, transportation, and industry in Columbia. |
| Topic: Columbia (S.C.); Rivers |
| URL: http://www.riverventure.org/columbia/ |
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| Rivers and Streams |
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| Although all rivers and streams are different, they still have some things in common like where they start or how they flow. You will learn about these similarities and how rivers and streams flow, how they look from space, and how they related to the three different types of watersheds. Information on how rivers and streams affect the land can also be found along with descriptions of erosion and river deltas. The importance of rivers is highlighted as well. |
| Topic: Rivers; Stream ecology; Watersheds |
| URL: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep7j.htm |
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| Yangtze River Gorges: Unforgettable Cruise |
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| This web site gives a brief description of a Yangtze River tour that travels through the Three Gorges, the Qutang, Wuxia, and Xiling. The third longest river in the world, the Yangtze begins on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and runs through seven provinces, an autonomous region, and a municipality before it enters the East China Sea. Learn about the major cities and sites in the Three Gorges area, including Wanzhou City, Baidi, and the gorges themselves. |
| Topic: Rivers; Yangtze River Gorges (China) |
| URL: http://www.china.org.cn/english/chuangye/42194.htm |
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| Rivers of the United States |
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| What river do you think is the longest in the United States? Many people would probably guess the mighty Mississippi. But, the Missouri River is longer. This geography article about United States Rivers gives you a list of rivers that are longer than 350 miles. The length and location of each river accompanies its name. Click onto the name of a river for a separate article that may include facts such as a physical description, the number of dams on the river, and historical details about the explorers who discovered the river. |
| Topic: Geography--Study and teaching; Rivers |
| URL: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0001800.html |
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| The Tigress-Euphrates River Basin: Mediating a Path Towards Regional Water Stability |
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| This paper about the Tigress and Euphrates Rivers is taken from "al Nakhlah", the Fletcher School Journal for issues related to Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization. Waterworks development continues to grow along the Euphrates River in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Some of these projects are water reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants. There is a lot of tension between these three countries about water distribution from these rivers, because water is important for electricity and agricultural purposes. This is an excellent report on the water dispute regarding the Tigress-Euphrates River Basin. |
| Topic: Euphrates River; Rivers; Water rights |
| URL: http://fletcher.tufts.edu/al_nakhlah/archives/spring2007/placht-2.pdf |
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| Freshwater Lakes and Rivers |
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| Rivers carry fresh water from rain and melting snow or glaciers to the sea. Along the way, rivers and streams may feed lakes and lakes may feed rivers and streams. When a lake gets isolated and is no longer connected to a stream, the water gets alkaline or salty. Find out what determines how fast a river flows. The temperature of a river depends on its source. Discover the difference between a lake and pond. Investigate what happens deep in a lake during summer and winter. Explore the layers and zones of a lake. Analyze how humans change lakes. |
| Topic: Lakes; Rivers; Stream ecology |
| URL: http://www.fossweb.com/popecoweb/ecoregion/freshwater/ |
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| Protecting Rivers |
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| More than 93,000 miles of rivers and streams flow through the state of Idaho. The web site of Idaho Rivers United provides facts about the impact of rivers in that state. Learn about the ecological impact of dams and see what alternatives to dams are available. Find out about two of Idaho's treasured rivers: the Boise River and the Bear River. Water conservation and water policy is discussed. Read about an Idaho river that is being restored. |
| Topic: Natural resources--Idaho; Rivers; Stream ecology |
| URL: http://www.idahorivers.org/protectrivers/ |
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| Surf Your Watershed |
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| At this interactive site about watersheds created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency you can locate your local watershed. This site provides maps and information about the environmental profile of your river ecosystem that includes quality of water and health of aquatic resources. There are links to information about your drinking water, the American Heritage Rivers, adopting your watershed, wetlands restoration projects, local and national environmental organizations and the EPA Homepage.
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| Topic: Rivers |
| URL: http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm |
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| Great Wall across the Yangtze |
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| This PBS web site, the Great Wall across the Yangtze, discusses the Three River Gorges Dam project, which will be built on the Yangtze River in China. When completed, this will be the largest dam in the world, and it will produce the energy of 15 nuclear power plants and tame some of the river's most deadly floods. The web site introduces the Yangtze River, which is the third largest river in the world and which is considered "the lifeline of China". At this educational web site, learn the story behind the plans to build the dam, as well as the social and environmental threats that parts of China will face as a result of the dam. |
| Topic: Dams; Rivers; Yangtze River Gorges (China) |
| URL: http://www.pbs.org/itvs/greatwall/ |