Body of water

A body of water is a significant accumulation of water on the surface of the earth. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more rarely, puddles. A body of water does not have to be still or contained; rivers, streams, canals, and other geographical features where accumulated water moves from one place to another are also considered bodies of water..

Most are naturally occurring and geographical features, but some are artificial. There are types that can be either. For example, most reservoirs are created by engineering dams, but some natural lakes are used as reservoirs. Similarly, most harbors are naturally occurring bays, but some harbors have been created through construction. Bodies of water that are navigable are known as waterways.

Bodies of water are affected by gravity, which is what may create the tidal effects. The impact of climate change on water is likely to intensify as observed through the rising sea levels, water acidification and flooding. This means that climate change has pressure on water bodies.

Climate change significantly affects bodies of water through rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and sea-level rise. Warmer temperatures lead to the melting of glaciers and polar ice, contributing to rising sea levels and affecting coastal ecosystems. Freshwater bodies, such as rivers and lakes, are experiencing more frequent droughts, affecting water availability for communities and biodiversity. Moreover, ocean acidification, caused by increased carbon dioxide absorption, threatens marine ecosystems like coral reefs. Collaborative global efforts are needed to mitigate these impacts through sustainable water management practices.

Types This is a list of some common types of bodies of water. Some common geographical features involving water are not bodies of water in their own right, such as geysers, rapids, and waterfalls, and are therefore not included on this list. Some terms, particularly relating to wetlands, refer in part to one or more bodies of water and in part to the land surrounding them, and these have been included on this list.

+ Common types of bodies of water Name Description Categorization Regional association Examples Running Inland Ephemeral Wetland Anabranch A distributary that re-joins the branch it separated from further downstream. the Great Darling Anabranch Arm An inlet; a narrow extension of a larger body of water. Indian Arm Arroyo A bed of a steep-sided gully that temporarily fills with water after heavy rain. the Southwestern United States Artificial lake An artificially created lake. Lake Burley Griffin Backwater A stagnant section of a river. the Kerala backwaters Barachois A lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand bar. Atlantic Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon Grand Barachois Bay A wide indentation of the coast of a larger body of water. Bridgwater Bay Bayou A slow-moving marshy body of water. the Gulf South of the United States, especially Louisiana Bayou Teche Bight A large and wide indentation in the shoreline of a sea or ocean; a large bay or gulf. the Bight of Benin Billabong An oxbow lake; a distributary leading to a dead-end or backwater; an ephemeral body of water formed after a dry creek bed floods. Australia Anbangbang Billabong Bog A wetland that accumulates peat. Chat Moss Bourne An ephemeral chalk stream. Southern England Broad A river spreading out across lowlands; a shallow lake. England, especially in the Broads region of Norfolk and Suffolk Hickling Broad Brook A watercourse that is bigger than a stream but smaller than a river. Moston Brook Burn A watercourse that is bigger than a stream but smaller than a river. Scotland and North East England the Usway Burn Canal An artificial waterway; a channel. Stamford Canal Cenote A sinkhole with exposed groundwater at the bottom, formed as a result of the collapse of surface limestone. Central America, especially the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico Sacred Cenote Chalk stream A watercourse fed by water emerging from an aquifer through bedrock made of chalk. England the River Pang Channel A navigable waterway between two bodies of water; a wide strait. the Beagle Channel Cove A small indentation of the shoreline of a larger body of water; a small bay. ANZAC Cove Creek A watercourse, usually smaller than or a distributary to a river. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States Aliso Creek Distributary A stream or river that branches off from a larger watercourse. the Waal Ditch or dyke An artificially created narrow trench used for irrigation and/or drainage. the Grand Ditch Endorheic lake A lake that instead of having an outflow has its water level balanced entirely by evaporation and the inflow of water from its endorheic basin. Lake Chad Estuary A partially enclosed area at the outflow of one or more rivers where river currents meet and mix with the tide. Río de la Plata Fen A peat-forming wetland that relies on groundwater for inundation. Wicken Fen Firth A narrow inlet on the coast of a sea. Scotland the Firth of Forth Fjard or fiard A broad and shallow inlet formed by withdrawing glaciers. Sweden and Finland, mainly on the Baltic coast Vårbyfjärden Fjord or fiord A narrow and deep inlet formed by withdrawing glaciers. The Nordic countries, especially Norway Lysefjorden Flood meadow or floodplain meadow A seasonally flooded area of treeless grassland. the Mottey Meadows Gulf A large extension of sea or ocean that stretches deep into the bordering landmass. the Persian Gulf Harbour A coastal body of water that is partially enclosed, naturally or artificially, and where ships can be safely left. Wellington Harbour Hot spring A naturally heated spring. Sembawang Hot Spring Park Inlet A narrow indentation into the coastline of a larger body of water. Bute Inlet Kettle lake A lake inside of a large rounded hole formed by glacial melt, a so-called kettle or pothole. Kettle Mucubají Kill A stream, creek, river, or channel. the United States, in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware the West Kill Lagoon or laguna A shallow body of water that is partially or entirely separated from the sea by sandbanks, coral reef or similar features. the Laguna Madre Lake A large inland body of water. Ganoga Lake Liman A muddy lagoon. the Black Sea Tylihul Estuary Loch or lough A lake, inlet, arm of the sea or a bay that is almost enclosed by land. Scotland, Ireland Loch Ness Mangrove forest or mangrove swamp Saline or brackish coastal waters with mangroves growing in them. the Tropics and the Subtropics the Sundarbans Marsh A peat-forming wetland dominated by herbaceous plants. Brandon Marsh Mere A lake or pond. Great Britain Cop Mere Mire or peatland A wetland where dead plant matter, known as peat, accumulates faster than it decays. the Subarctic Moat A deep, wide channel, dug around a point of interest and filled with water in order to protect it from attack. Matsumoto Castle Nullah A river or stream, often intermittent, in a ravine; an inlet; a drain. India, Pakistan, Hong Kong Buddha Nullah Oasis An area in a desert where groundwater reaches the surface, creating a small fertile patch of land. the Middle East and North Africa Kharga Oasis Ocean One of the major bodies of salty water that together cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface or all of them as one single body of water. the Atlantic Ocean Oxbow lake A body of water formed by a bend in a river that is bypassed by a cutoff being wholly separated from the river as a result of sediment deposition. the Kanwar Taal Pool A small body of water. Pond A body of water, often artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Brittas Pond Puddle A small, shallow pool of water. Reach An open stretch of water. Hanford Reach Reservoir A lake or pond, often artificially created by a dam or other impoundment, that is used as a water storage. Abberton Reservoir Ria An inlet formed by a rise in sea levels submerging a valley carved by a river. China, Spain, especially in Galicia, Asturias, and the Basque Country China Ria de Pontevedra Rill or rivulet A very small watercourse. River A large, natural stream of freshwater. the Colorado River Roadstead or roads A sheltered area of water near a shore that is less enclosed by land than a harbour and where ships may anchor. Hampton Roads Run A small stream, especially a swift one. Scotch Run Salt marsh A wetland near the coast that gets flooded and drained by the tides of a nearby body of saltwater. the Rann of Kutch Sea A large body of water, usually saline and connected to the oceans. the Adriatic SeaSeep A small spring. Slough A wetland, often near an inlet or backwater. the Columbia Slough Sound A long inlet; a channel connecting two large bodies of water or separating an island from the mainland. Nootka Sound Spring A place where water emerges from the ground. Eye of Kuruman Strait A narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water. Foveaux Strait Stream A watercourse that is usually smaller than a river; a running body of water. the Waiwhetū Stream Subglacial lake A lake that is permanently covered by ice and whose water remains liquid by the pressure of the ice sheet and geothermal heating. Antarctica Lake Vostok Subterranean river A river that runs underground. the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Swamp A wetland with many trees and shrubs. Zapata Swamp Tarn A mountain lake formed in a cirque. Malham Tarn Tidal creek or tidal channel A long, narrow and shallow inlet or estuary whose water level is noticeably affected by the tides. Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek Tide pool A pool of seawater trapped in a rocky depression as the tide recedes from an area that is submerged at high tide. the Flat Point Tide Pools Tributary or affluent A watercourse that flows into a larger stream or river. the Willamette River Vernal pool An ephemeral wetland that forms seasonally by precipitation filling natural depressions in level ground, that flood seasonally to form wetland environments. the Phoenix Vernal Pools Wadi A stream or river that only runs after heavy rain, usually only occurring during the rainy season. North Africa and Arabia Wadi Doan Washland or washes A area that is periodically flooded by a nearby stream or river, especially one that is allowed to do so for flood management or water storage purposes. Ouse Washes Watercourse A running body of water. Watering hole or waterhole A natural depression where animals can drink accumulated water. Well A hole, usually man-made, with exposed groundwater at the bottom. the Etruscan Well Wetland An area of land that is inundated by water. the Bangweulu Wetlands Winterbourne An ephemeral stream that mostly, or only, flows during winter. Southern England the River Lavant

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Body of water

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