Current (hydrology)
Flow of water in a stream caused by gravity
In hydrology, a current in a stream or other water body is the flow of water influenced by gravity as the water moves downhill to reduce its potential energy. The current varies spatially as well as temporally within the stream, dependent upon the flow volume of water, stream gradient, and channel geometry. In tidal zones, the current and streams may reverse on the flood tide before resuming on the ebb tide.
The term upstream (or upriver) refers to the direction towards the source of the stream (or river), i.e. against the direction of flow. Likewise, the term downstream or downriver describes the direction towards the mouth of the stream or river, in which the current flows. The term "left bank" and "right bank" refers to banks as seen from the direction of flow.
See also
- Discharge (hydrology) – Flow rate of water that is transported through a given cross-sectional area
- Ocean current – Directional mass flow of oceanic water generated by external or internal forces
- Rheoscope – Instrument for measuring fluid viscosity
- Rheotaxis
- Rip current – Water current moving away from shore
- Volumetric flow rate – Volume of fluid which passes per unit time
- v
- t
- e
Coastal geography
- Anchialine pool
- Archipelago
- Atoll
- Avulsion
- Ayre
- Barrier island
- Bay
- Bight
- Bodden
- Brackish marsh
- Cape
- Channel
- Cliff
- Coast
- Coastal plain
- Coastal waterfall
- Continental margin
- Continental shelf
- Coral reef
- Cove
- Dune
- Estuary
- Firth
- Fjard
- Fjord
- Freshwater marsh
- Fundus
- Gat
- Geo
- Gulf
- Gut
- Hapua
- Headland
- Inlet
- Intertidal wetland
- Island
- Islet
- Isthmus
- Lagoon
- Machair
- Mudflat
- Natural arch
- Peninsula
- Reef
- Ria
- Salt marsh
- Shoal
- Shore
- Skerry
- Sound
- Spit
- Stack
- Strait
- Strand plain
- Submarine canyon
- Tidal island
- Tidal marsh
- Tide pool
- Tied island
- Tombolo
- Waituna
- Windwatt
- Blowhole
- Cliffed coast
- Coastal biogeomorphology
- Coastal erosion
- Concordant coastline
- Current
- Cuspate foreland
- Discordant coastline
- Emergent coastline
- Feeder bluff
- Fetch
- Flat coast
- Graded shoreline
- Ingression coast
- Large-scale coastal behaviour
- Longshore drift
- Marine regression
- Marine transgression
- Raised shoreline
- Rip current
- Rocky shore
- Sea cave
- Sea foam
- Shoal (Peresyp)
- Steep coast
- Submergent coastline
- Surf break
- Surf zone
- Surge channel
- Swash
- Undertow
- Volcanic arc
- Wave-cut platform
- Wave shoaling
- Wind wave
- Wrack zone
- Accretion
- Coastal management
- Integrated coastal zone management
- Submersion
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