Nutrition of the rivers of North America table. Rivers and lakes of North America
Distribution of rivers according to drainage basins. With the exception of areas of internal flow (Great Basin and the northern part of the Mexican Highlands), all rivers of North America belong to the basins of 3
oceans: Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic. The watershed between the Pacific Ocean basin and two other basins runs along the ridges of the Laramie Cordillera belt, and between the Arctic and Atlantic basins - from the Cordillera approximately 480 s. w. through Lake Superior and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The rivers of the Pacific basin are significantly shorter in length than the rivers of the other two basins, since the watershed passes at a relatively small distance from the Pacific coast. However, many of them, especially in the northern part, have significant water content and have large reserves of hydropower as a result of their mountainous nature.
Distribution of rivers in accordance with food sources and types of water regime. Depending on the prevailing sources of nutrition, the rivers of North America are of 4 types: snow, rain, glacial and ground. The vast majority of rivers in North America belong to the first two types.
Snow feeding is typical for rivers in the northern part of the continent. For them, winter low water and sudden spring or summer high water are common. For a long part of the year they are covered with ice. In summer, there is no significant drop in water level, since evaporation is insignificant; sometimes short-term floods occur in the event of heavy rainfall. The most typical representatives of snow-type rivers are the Yukon, Mackenzie, Slave, Churchill, Nelson, and Albany.
The Yukon River originates in the Northern Cordillera with several sources (the main source is the Lewis River), flows along the plateau of the same name and flows into the Bering Sea, that is, it belongs to the Pacific drainage basin. The river experiences pronounced summer high water (maximum flows occur in June), due to the late melting of snow, and winter low water, due to the fact that the Yukon is covered with ice for almost half the year, and the possibilities of soil nutrition are insignificant due to the widespread development of permafrost.
The Mackenzie River is named after the famous explorer of the American north, Scottish traveler Alexander Mackenzie. In 1789, in 4 canoes, he was the first European to sail along the Slave River to the Great Slave Lake and further along the river, which was later named after him. The river belongs to the drainage basin of the Arctic Ocean. It originates from Great Slave Lake, flows through the Laurentian Rise along the mountains of the same name and flows into the Beaufort Sea, forming a vast delta. In winter, Mackenzie freezes for 6-7 months. In the upper reaches, the river is very rapid and has significant reserves of hydropower, which are widely used.
The Slave River is significantly shorter in length than the Yukon and Mackenzie rivers. It flows from Lake Athabasca and flows into Great Slave Lake, being considered, together with the Athabasca River, one of the sources of the Mackenzie River. The Churchill River also belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin, although, unlike the Mackenzie and Slave rivers, it flows not to the north, but to the east. It rises in one of the small lakes on the Great Plains, crosses the Great Plains, the Laurentian Rise and a number of lakes and flows into Hudson Bay. The Nelson River, from Lake Winnipeg, crosses the Laurentian Upland and Hudson Valley and flows into Hudson Bay.
Some rivers originating in the highlands, including those in the southern latitudes, are predominantly snow-fed. These include Yellowstone, Snake, Colorado, Missouri. The Colorado River originates in the snowfields of the Rocky Mountains, flows hundreds of kilometers through the desert territories of the intermountain plateaus of the Cordillera and flows into the Gulf of California. Cutting through the plateau of the same name, the river forms one of the deepest and most famous canyons on Earth - the Grand Canyon. The length of the canyon is 320 km, the maximum depth is 1800 m, the depth of water in the river is 10-15 m. The maximum water flow in the river occurs in June, when the snow melts in the mountains. The river then swells greatly and carries many suspended particles of red clay, giving the water a red tint. Hence the name of the river, translated from Spanish as “Red”. Large hydroelectric complexes have been built in the middle and lower reaches of the Colorado. The transport significance of the river is insignificant, but its waters are intensively used for irrigation.
The Missouri River is the right, long tributary of the largest river in North America - the Mississippi. It originates in the Rocky Mountains and is characterized by sharp fluctuations in level and significant uneven flow. Floods in Missouri are often catastrophic. After heavy rainfall in the mountains, the Missouri brings a mass of suspended material across the Great and Central Plains that makes the water cloudy and sometimes turns it into a continuous stream of liquid mud. This explains its name, which means “mud river” in the Indian language. European settlers called her “Bigmadi,” which translates as “Fat Dirty.”
Parts of snow feeding are also typical for rivers on the east coast, originating in the Northern Appalachians. These include the St. Lawrence, Hudson, Connecticut, and Ottawa rivers.
Rain feeding is typical for rivers in the southern part of the continent (south of 480 latitude). Their flooding occurs during the rainy season. In winter, they either do not freeze at all, or freeze for a short period. In summer, due to significant evaporation, a significant decrease in their water content is observed. Rivers of this type include, first of all, rivers originating in the Southern Appalachians and having a monsoon type of hydrological regime. These are rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean from the eastern slopes of the Appalachians - the Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, Savannah, Alabama, etc., as well as the Ohio, along with its left tributaries, the Cumberland, Tennessee, etc.. They are short, with the exception of the Ohio, however, deep and fast, almost all form waterfalls and have enormous hydroelectric resources. In addition to rain, snowmelt water from the Appalachians also plays an important role in their nutrition. The Ohio River is the largest left tributary of the Mississippi. This is a very deep river and plays a large role in feeding the Mississippi. Below the confluence of the Ohio River and the Mississippi, the latter increases water flow by 1.5 times. Ohio is at its deepest during the summer monsoon rains, especially if this coincides with snowmelt in the Appalachians.
The largest river in North America, the Mississippi, along with its left and right tributaries, is predominantly rain-fed. The length of the river, together with the Missouri, is 6,420 km, and according to this indicator it ranks third in the world after the Nile and the Amazon. The Mississippi rises in a swampy forest area that receives up to 1000 mm of precipitation per year. The Missouri, despite its considerable length, carries much less water than the upper Mississippi. That is why even after its merger with the Missouri, the Mississippi still remains quite low in water. The Mississippi becomes a real “father of waters” (Indian language) only after merging with the Ohio River. When it flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi forms one of the largest deltas on the globe, growing by about 100 m per year, gradually moving into the Gulf of Mexico. Hydrological regime of the Mississippi very complex, which is associated with the significant diversity of natural conditions of its huge basin. The rivers of the western part of the basin (Missouri, Yellowstone, Platt, Kansas, Arkansas, Red River), i.e. the right tributaries of the Mississippi, flow through arid areas and carry little water. to the mouth, rain plays a major role in their nutrition, but the snow that falls in the Rocky Mountains also plays a certain role. In spring and summer, these rivers experience rapid floods as a result of rainfall in the mountains and melting snow. The rest of the time they become very shallow and even dry up. The rivers in the eastern part of the basin are full during most of the year.
Rivers that are mostly rain-fed include the rivers of the semi-deserts and deserts of the Great Basin and the Mexican Highlands. Groundwater and meltwater from snow falling in the mountains play a significant role in their nutrition, but most of the runoff comes from rain. After heavy rainfalls, they turn into turbulent streams, but for most of the year their beds are devoid of water. Most of them do not reach the ocean.
Glacial feeding is typical for rivers that flow from the Cordillera of southwestern Alaska and Canada. They have significant water content and summer flooding due to the melting of snow and glaciers in the mountains. Their network is dense, but the length is insignificant. The largest rivers of this type are the Columbia, Fraser, North Saskatchewan, South Saskatchewan, and Athabasca. The Columbia rises in the Rocky Mountains, crosses the plateau of the same name in a deep canyon, and then the Cascade Mountains, Willamette Valley and Coast Ranges before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. A cascade of reservoirs separated by dams has been created in the lower reaches of the river, which makes it possible to use river water for electricity generation and irrigation. The largest tributary of the Columbia is the Snake River.
The San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, which drain the California Valley, are predominantly ground-fed. They collect groundwater that vibrates at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The highest water levels in San Joaquin and Sacramento occur in the spring. The waters of these rivers are widely used for irrigation of dry lands.
The flow regulator of many rivers in the northern half of the continent are numerous lakes. These natural reservoirs provide equal flow throughout the year in rivers that do not freeze. The influence of these lakes is especially pronounced in the regime of the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers. Part of their drainage basin is occupied by the Great Lakes. On the Niagara River, connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario, is one of the most famous waterfalls in the world - Niagara Falls. Niagara translated from Indian means "thunder of streams." And indeed, the sound of water falling from a fifty-meter height can be heard several tens of kilometers away. The width of Niagara Falls is 1200 m. On the river, at the very ledge of the waterfall, there is Goat Island with an area of 20 hectares, which divides the waterfall into two parts: the right one, 300 m wide, belonging to the USA, and the left one, 900 m wide, belonging to Canada. The US waterfall is more picturesque, but the Canadian one is more powerful. Near Niagara Falls there are parks with beautiful alleys, hanging bridges and passages under the waterfall. At night it is illuminated by multi-colored spotlights.
In the northern part of the continent, which has experienced glaciation in recent geological times, it is distinguished by the youthful nature and distribution of most of the rivers and lakes on the surface, in comparison with other territories. But in southern North America the predominance of lakes is not great and there are many ancient river valleys.
The rivers of North America are well used in agriculture, as they are characterized by huge reserves of water energy. The largest river systems and lake basins have favorable conditions for transport communications. The water systems are connected to each other by multiple channels, which is completely favorable.
Depending on the climate and topography, different types of water systems with unequal and often complex river regimes have developed in different parts of the continent.
Glaciers in the eastern part of the Cordillera are located slightly further north than on the western slope, due to the prevalence of less precipitation. But in the northern parts of the Cordillera, cirque glaciers are larger, since the mountainous region in which they are located is more elevated. The first large glaciers in the Rocky Mountains appear north of the parallel of 40°N, but already between 48°N. and the northern border of the Northern Sea there is a large center of glaciation, where up to 60 glaciers of various types are concentrated in a relatively small space. This area is known as Glacier National Park.
Large glaciers are also concentrated in the southern part of the Canadian Rockies, but in northern Canada and inland Alaska there is less glaciation due to the reduction and general decline of mountain ranges.
Centers of modern glaciation are also located on the northern islands of America: on the Ellesmere Islands, Devon Island and Baffin Island. Along with extensive ice sheets, there are powerful valley glaciers.
Lakes
In North America, lakes are usually located in the northern part. It is here, in the area of the archipelago and adjacent territories, that most of the mainland’s lakes are concentrated. All these lakes are of glacial origin. In recent geological times, the entire territory of Canada was plowed by a glacier, and when it retreated, it left furrows, and lakes are now located in these tectonic depressions. These lakes include Athabasca, Nipigon, Winnipegosis and Winnipeg, Forest, and Great Slave. As well as the famous group of North American Great Lakes (Ontario and Erie, and). There are also many lakes on the Laurentian Upland, which in their genesis resemble lowland lakes.
The Cordillera has numerous lakes of volcanic and mountain-glacial origin.
On the interior plateaus of the southern Cordillera, saline shallow lakes with varying levels are very common. These are the so-called residual lakes, which in recent times were much larger in size, which indicates a post-glacial era. These are lakes such as Utah Lake, Great Salt Lake, etc.
The Great Lakes group (Ontario and Erie, Huron, Superior and Michigan), as well as the Saint River, are the most important water systems in North America. Each of these lakes is connected to each other by natural channels, which form the largest freshwater reservoir in the world with a water volume of about 22.7 thousand km3 and an area of 246 thousand km2. But Lake Verkhneye alone is significantly larger in size than any freshwater lake in the world . Its surface area is more than 82 thousand km2.
The depth of the lakes is very significant. It exceeds the average depth of the sea. The maximum depth in the Lake Superior basin is 393 m. Except for Erie, all the Great Lakes are cryptodepressions, i.e. their bottom lies below sea level. The height of the lake level is different. They form, as it were, a system of steps from the highest located Lake Superior. Lake Superior is connected to Lake Huron by a wide but short river. Lakes Huron and Michigan are located on the second, lower level compared to the first. Both basins are connected to each other by a wide channel. Lake Erie forms the third level. Huron and Erie are connected by the small St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River. The remaining Lake Ontario is at its lowest level. The difference in levels between Ontario and Erie is 100m. They are connected to each other by the Niagara River, which forms Niagara Falls breaking through the cuesta plateau. Niagara Falls is 60 m high.
Rivers of North America
The St. Lawrence River is the common natural channel for the Great Lakes to flow into the Atlantic Ocean, emptying into a deep and narrow bay. The length of the river with its bay-estuary is 3130 km. The area of the estuary is 400 * 50 km. In the upper reaches of the river, bypass canals were built due to the unsuitability of the river section for navigation. The St. Lawrence River is a fairly deep river due to the fact that it is fed by extensive lakes. The river, as well as the shores of the Great Lakes, freeze from December to April. For 140 days a year, navigation in this hydraulic network is impossible. The rest of the time, shipping is favorable. The length of the shipping route is 3900 km. The water of the Great Lakes is currently polluted by sewer water and is unsuitable for aquatic life.
The Mississippi originates among lakes on the flat Takamarha plateau, which is located south of Lake Superior. The source of the Mississippi, in all hydrographic indicators, quite closely resembles the source. The Missouri River is the first and largest tributary of the Mississippi, flowing in from the right side. The Missouri is longer, but it carries much less water and its hydrographic regime is less stable compared to the upper Mississippi. The Mississippi may freeze for some period, although it has a uniform flow, since it originates in areas rich in precipitation. The source of the Missouri is in the Rocky Mountains and it is fed by glacial meltwater, because of this it has an uneven flow of water and very pronounced fluctuations in level over the seasons. Missouri has an average flow rate of about 2600 m3/s, its maximum level reaches 19,000 m3/s, and the minimum level is 150 m3/s. Sometimes there are heavy rainfalls in the mountains, which release excess water to Missouri. This water at this time is turbid with a predominance of large quantities of coarse debris. The upper Missouri gets ice in the winter, meaning it freezes. In the spring in Missouri, due to the melting of snow in the mountains, ice can cause great damage to the farm. Floods that become catastrophic are also frequent.
The Ohio is the largest tributary of the Mississippi, which flows in from the left. It is a deep river with a length of about 1580 km and an average flow of 8000 m3/s. Ohio plays a very large role in the nutrition of Mississippi. Ohio experiences flooding in the summer. This is the period of summer monsoon rains and during this same period Ohio is especially full of water. The most active flow of water on the Mississippi occurs in the spring. Here in the upper part of the river the snow melts very much. In summer there are floods, the most significant in the lower reaches.
Among the large rivers of North America, the river should also be noted. . The river is taken as its source. The Athabasca, which begins in the Canadian Rockies and flows into the lake of the same name. Below Lake Athabasca, the river receives the name Slave and retains it until it flows into Great Slave Lake. Further, the river is named after the major explorer of the American north, Mackenzie. The length of the Mackenzie from the sources of the Athabasca is 4600 km, from the Great Slave Lake 1700 km. The Mackenzie Basin also includes Lake Big Bear, connected to it by the river of the same name. The Mackenzie flows into the sea, forming a large delta. The Mackenzie is a typical northern river of the Siberian type. In the upper part of the basin, the Mackenzie and its tributaries form numerous rapids. Hydroelectric power reserves are widely used. Navigation on the river begins from Fort Smith on the river. Slave. In winter it stops for a long period (the river freezes from September to April, and the lower reaches are opened only in early May). Since the opening of the river occurs from the upper reaches, in the spring there are icy conditions along its entire length, accompanied by the destruction of banks and coastal structures, and the cluttering of the riverbed with uprooted trees and boulders.
The Mackenzie is an important waterway linking remote areas of the Canadian north with the southern parts of the country. It is used to export from the shores of Bear Lake not only to Canada, but also to the USA. A large river of great importance to Alaska is the Yukon. This river, like the Mackenzie, begins in the Rocky Mountains and then flows through the Yukon Plateau. The length of the Yukon is 3180 km, the basin area is 855 thousand. km2.
The river is fed mainly by snow. The maximum water flow occurs in June, and then there is a significant decrease in the level, since the amount of rainfall within the river basin is small. Like the Mackenzie, the Yukon is covered in ice for almost half the year. Rapids in the middle reaches of the river impede navigation. The Yukon's fish resources are of great importance to the local population.
There are few large rivers in southern North America. The only exception is R. The Colorado River flows in the southwestern United States and flows into the Gulf of California in Mexico. The Colorado begins in the Rocky Mountains, but most of the river beds lie in the and regions. Thus, almost the only source of food for Colorado is the rain and snow that falls on the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Maximum water flow occurs on the river in June. At the same time, both the main river and its tributaries carry a huge amount of debris, giving their water a muddy red color. The name “Colorado” itself means “colored”. This is the name given to the river by those who saw its mouth for the first time and were struck by the unusual color of the water. The amount of suspended material in small tributaries of the Colorado can be so great that they turn into real forceful tributaries, dragging masses of silt, sand and stones along the bottom of the channel.
The abundance of material carried by the river contributes to the growth of its delta. Obviously, the Colorado used to flow into the Gulf much further north, and the entire lowland located north of the Gulf of California is composed of sediment from the river. The Colorado quite often shifts its channel downstream and floods areas located below sea level and separated from the lower reaches of the river by a natural dam.
In the middle reaches, within the Colorado Plateau, it is cut very deeply into the surface, forming the largest canyon in the world. Below the canyon a large dam and Boulderdam have been built. There is a large hydroelectric power station on the river. The ultimate goal of construction, in addition to generating electricity, was to supply water to the city of Los Angeles. Boulderdam's cheap electricity is heavily used by the military industry.
Scientists attribute all rivers of America to the basins of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Some of them also have internal drains. The longest river system is located here - this is also its significant tributary, the Missouri.
Where does this river flow?
Many people are familiar with the book “Deniska’s Stories” from childhood, in particular the story “The Main Rivers of America”. Dragunsky tells a very funny story, and those who read this work will forever remember the name of the main river of America.
The Mississippi is the main communication waterway of the continent. It originates in the source of the river - Lake Itasca. It flows mainly in a southerly direction and exclusively across the United States, across 10 states. But its basin extends to Canada. The main river of America flows into it, forming a vast delta of 6 branches. The approximate length of each is 30-40 km. The Mississippi Delta covers approximately 32,000 square kilometers, mostly lakes and swamps. Its width is 300 km.
Some statistics
The Mississippi Basin spans 31 states from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian Mountains. The river is part of the borders or crosses such states as:
- Kentucky.
- Iowa.
- Illinois.
- Wisconsin.
- Missouri.
- Tennessee.
- Arkansas.
- Mississippi.
- Louisiana.
In the list of the most important waterways in the world, the most important river of America ranks fourth in length and ninth in depth.
Characteristics of the channel
The Mississippi is divided into two sections - the Upper and Lower parts. After the beautiful St. Antonio Falls near the city of Minneapolis, the main river of America becomes navigable. In this place the relief of the riverbed is flat. The soils are composed of alluvial deposits. The channel of the Mississippi there is winding with a large number of oxbow lakes. On the plain where the river flows, many intricate channels are formed. There are also many floodplain swamps in this area. During floods, they flood all nearby areas.
Almost the entire main river of America, or rather, its bed, is bordered by coastal ramparts. In order to protect the river bank from floods, entire systems of artificial dams with a length of more than 4,000 km have been created.
The Upper Mississippi is rich in rapids and rocky rifts. From Minneapolis to the very mouth the channel is covered with locks. More than 20 dams have been built in this area. The Missouri is pouring muddy water into America's main river. For about 150 km, such a stream is adjacent to the clean waters of the Mississippi.
During flood periods, the water level in the Mississippi rises sharply. Some of this water is discharged into Lake Pontchartrain, which is located near the rest of the flood waters into the Atchafalaya River, which flows parallel to the Mississippi.
Sometimes floods reach catastrophic proportions. This happens during the period of coincidence in the Mississippi and Missouri basins of melting snow and rain flows coming from the basin. Even modern hydraulic structures cannot protect fields and settlements from severe floods.
water artery
The great river receives most of its water from heavy rainfall and melting snow. Interestingly, right-wing flows replenish the Mississippi more than left-wing flows. This is understandable, because these rivers are formed by melting snow from the Rocky Mountains.
Mississippi is the main river of America. This is the most convenient way to the center. In addition, the Mississippi is an important transport artery of the United States, connecting the developed industrial areas of the country.
In the early 1860s, with the development of railroad transportation, the Mississippi Waterway became less important. But as the Great Lakes region developed, the importance of the great river increased again. Today, the length of shipping routes is 25 thousand km. The river's cargo turnover is about 7 million tons per year. The main cargo moved along the Mississippi is:
- Construction Materials.
- Chemicals.
- Petroleum products.
- Coal, etc.
Dragunsky describes in great detail the main waterway of the United States; this story contains a lot of useful information. The main rivers of America include, of course, not only the Mississippi. There are also a lot of such reservoirs in the northern part of the country.
If you look at the Missouri from above, from a bird's eye view, you will see how it meanders. It is very difficult for those people who “dared” to settle on its changing shores.
After South America and Eurasia, North America ranks third in terms of the wealth of inland waters. On the mainland there are many deep rivers and lakes, mountain and cover glaciers, as well as groundwater and swamps. One of the largest rivers on the planet, the Mississippi with its tributary of the Missouri, and the largest lake system are located on this continent. The glaciers located here are second in area only to the glaciers of Antarctica.
Inland waters are distributed extremely unevenly across the continent. For example, a poorly developed river network is typical for the southwestern part of the continent, while in the southeast, on the contrary, it is very dense. The rivers of North America are distributed between the basins of the $3$ oceans, but most of them carry their waters to the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, because the main divide is shifted towards the Pacific Ocean. The area of internal flow on the mainland is insignificant and occupies part of the Great Basin, as well as a small area in the northern Mexican Highlands. The rivers are predominantly rain-fed or mixed.
The rivers of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans are flat in nature and carry their waters in wide and deep river valleys. The rivers of North America have a significant annual flow of $8200$ km sq. The height of the runoff layer in the Great Basin reaches several centimeters, in the Appalachians it is already $100$ cm, and in the northwestern Cordillera it reaches $200$ cm.
Lakes, like rivers, are distributed unevenly across the territory, and most of them are located in the north. Large and deep glacial and glacial-tectonic lakes formed within the Canadian Crystalline Shield.
Five Great American Lakes are located on the southern edge of the shield:
- Upper Lake;
- Michigan;
- Huron;
- Ontario.
The volume of water in these lakes is greater than in the Baltic Sea. Apart from Lake Baikal, the largest and freshwater lake is Lake Verkhnee, its area is $82.4 thousand square km. The depth of the lake is $393$ m. The lakes are connected to each other by rivers. Rugged Niagara connects Erie and Ontario. Huron and Erie are connected by the small St. Clair River, the lake of the same name, and the Detroit River. Descending steps to the Atlantic Ocean, they give it their waters through the St. Lawrence River. Of the northern glacial lakes, the largest include the Great Bear Lake, the Great Slave Lake, Athabasca, and others. The lakes of the internal drainage basin are classified as “relict”; their basins have been preserved from the Quaternary period. Among these endorheic lakes is the Great Salt Lake in the Great Basin. The lake has a salinity of $137-$300 ppm.
Modern glaciation is significant in area. The cover glaciers of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic archipelago have an area of more than $2 million sq. km. Of the mountain glaciers, the Cordillera of Alaska and Canada accounts for $75$%. Thousands of small and large lakes cover the Canadian tundra.
Note 1
North America is very well provided with inland waters, only they are distributed unevenly across the continent and belong to the basins of $3 oceans. The Atlantic Ocean basin is the largest. The lakes are mainly of glacial-tectonic origin and are concentrated mainly in the north of the continent.
Rivers of the Pacific Ocean
Rivers flowing from the western slopes of the Cordillera carry their waters to the Pacific Ocean. They originate in deep and narrow gorges. They are separated from the ocean by a distance of no more than $150$ km, so they are short and very stormy. In the northern part of the coast, thanks to a sufficient amount of moisture, the rivers are full-flowing, and as they move south along the coast, many dry up in the summer. The rapid current provides them with reserves of hydropower. Of all the rivers in the Pacific Ocean, the largest are the Colorado, Columbia, and Yukon. The rivers are located in different climatic zones, therefore they differ from each other in nutrition and regime.
The Colorado flows through the United States and Mexico and flows into the Gulf of California, forming a vast delta. The length of the river is $2330$ km, and the basin area is $640$ thousand km sq. This is the $7$ largest pool in North America. The Colorado receives $25$ of significant tributaries, of which the Green River is the largest in terms of length and flow of water. The climatic conditions of the Colorado Basin vary and temperatures range from +$49$ degrees in desert areas to -$46$ degrees in the winter in the Rocky Mountains. The amount of precipitation in the river basin also varies from $15$-$1000$ mm per year. The river with its canyons and waterfalls attracts many tourists, and multi-day rafting on the river is the most popular tourist program.
The next river in the Pacific Ocean is the Columbia. The river flows in the northwest of the continent and is glacially fed, and originates in the Rocky Mountains in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The river collects water from an area of $670 thousand square kilometers. The area of its basin is comparable to the area of France. The Columbia is the 12th longest river in the United States. The river's high gradient - $40.9 cm/km - and powerful current create enormous energy potential. More than $400 worth of dams have been built on the Columbia River system to produce electrical energy and are used for irrigation. Dams make it possible to regulate the flow of the river and improve navigation conditions.
The fifth longest river in North America is the Yukon. Its length is $3187$ km. The river begins in Lake Atlin, which is located in the Canadian province of British Columbia and carries its waters to the northwest, towards Alaska. Forming a delta, the river flows into Norton Bay of the Bering Sea. The river itself and, especially, its tributary the Klondike have become known since the gold rush. The river mainly has a flat flow and only at its sources it has a mountainous flow. The river is fed by melting snow, and freeze-up begins in the second half of October and lasts until the beginning of May. The Yukon is under ice for most of the year.
Rivers of the Atlantic Ocean
The largest number of rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers of this basin are long with a large number of tributaries. Among them stands out Mississippi and its tributary the Missouri. The Mississippi is a system of streams formed by the confluence of three large rivers. The area from which the Mississippi collects water occupies $1/6$ of the continent. The water regime of the river depends on fluctuations in annual climatic indicators, for example, in the upper reaches it is associated with melted snow and rainwater, and in the lower reaches the role of rainfall increases. In the upper reaches, the river forms many rapids and riffles and therefore will be unnavigable, despite the fact that here it is quite wide. The water is transparent. During the winter, the Mississippi is covered with ice. A truly majestic spectacle is formed after the Missouri flows into the main river. Kilometer-wide powerful streams, without mixing, flow in one channel for $150$-$180$ km. The relatively clean Mississippi flows along the left bank, and the muddy Missouri along the right bank. Gradually the waters mix and acquire a yellowish color. The Missouri erodes loose rocks and carries huge amounts of sand, clay, and silt. The volume of water in the Mississippi is increased by the Ohio River, the width of which at its confluence reaches $2$ km. The Ohio makes the course of the Mississippi meandering with many islands.
The lower reaches of the river occur at subtropical latitudes, so it never freezes. Mississippi is characterized by catastrophic floods, the causes of which were the plowing of the floodplain and deforestation. When the river waters rage, they can sweep away entire villages. When it flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi forms a delta $300$ km wide, a third of which is occupied by swamps and lakes. The Mississippi is associated with the name of Mark Twain, who described a journey along the river in his work “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The river is also considered the cradle of jazz. On the banks of the river, in New Orleans, the famous jazzman Louis Armstrong was born.
Rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin
Note 2
The largest river in the Northern basin is Mackenzie, the length of which is $4241$ km. The river originates from Great Slave Lake, whose depth is $614$ m. The Mackenzie flows its waters to the northwest and flows into the Beaufort Sea. The river is named after the Scottish traveler A. Mackenzie, who discovered it in $1789. The basin area is $1.8 million sq. km. The river basin also includes large lakes in Canada. The area through which the river flows is very swampy. In general, the river’s nutrition is mixed, but rain and snow predominate. The nature of the river's flow is flat. Melting snow causes floods in the spring and summer. Major tributaries include the Liard, Arctic Red, Peel, and Great Bear Rivers. For $200$ km the Mackenzie is navigable.
The rivers of North America amaze with their beauty and diversity. Each of them has its own history of origin.
History of education
When the water of the global flood left the lands of North America, or rather, at the end of the most ancient ice age, a great many rivers and lakes formed in the territory between the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific oceans. These are lakes of glacial and tectonic origin. The retreating glacier left behind tectonic depressions along the way, which gradually filled with water.
Thanks to the glacier, the rivers and lakes of North America have such a large amount of water resource that it is second in volume only to Eurasia and slightly to South America. For the most part, all the rivers and lakes of North America belong to the Atlantic basin, but a sufficient number of them belong to the basins of the other two oceans. The water in these streams and rivers does not flow.
The rivers of North America belonging to the Pacific basin flow through the plains all the way to the Cordillera. Beyond the Cordillera, rivers flow. The mountains separate the two basins and are the largest watershed in North America. On the other hand, they separate the rivers of the Atlantic basin from the rivers of the Pacific.
Appalachian rivers of North America
In the east, where the Appalachian Mountains stand, rivers born in these mountains flow from their slopes into the plains. Amazing fact: All major rivers in the Appalachian region flow through mountains. They cut the mountains with narrow but deep gorges. The longer ones flow out of the western slopes and flow directly into the Mississippi. One of them is Ohio, the other is Tennessee. These rivers are fed only by rain and melt water. The Tennessee has a lot of water and flows on the left side into the Ohio. This river itself is formed, in turn, by the connection of the Holston River with the French Broad River, falling from the western cliffs of the Appalachians. Since it doesn’t rain every day, and the snow melts even less often, the feeding of these rivers cannot be called regular. We have to stock up on water using dams in some places and reservoirs in others. The result was many scenic waterways between the rivers.
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