facebook
1%
Processing, please wait...
It was processed successfully!
It was processed successfully!
Create Free Account

River Definition

A river is a freshwater body on Earth's surface. For example, much of the water that people use comes from rivers.

View Lesson on Water Quality & Distribution
Grades 3-5 VideoWater Quality & Distribution player orange
Oops! It looks like your security settings are blocking this video 🙁

If you are on a school computer or network, ask your tech person to whitelist these URLs:
*.wistia.com, fast.wistia.com, fast.wistia.net, embedwistia-a.akamaihd.net

Sometimes a simple refresh solves this issue. If you need further help, contact us.

 

Water Quality & Distribution

Fun Facts

  • Rivers are part of Earth's 3% freshwater.
  • Agricultural runoff can contaminate rivers with fertilizers and pollutants.
  • Rivers can end up with polluted runoff from cities after it rains.

Why Do We Need To Know About River

Learning about rivers helps you understand how nature works and why it’s important to keep water clean. Plants and animals need clean water to live, which shows how important rivers are for all kinds of life. Also, since people can pollute water even from far away, we need to take care of our rivers.

Jobs in waste management, protecting the environment, cleaning water, and environmental engineering help keep rivers clean. These jobs work on stopping pollution, making sure water is clean, and fixing damaged nature areas. They help by reducing harmful waste from factories, taking care of dirty water, and cleaning up beaches, which is really important for the health of rivers and our planet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Dr. Jeff mention the presence of dead zones when talking about water quality?
Dead zones are areas where algae blooms grow. These blooms grow because polluted runoff reaches the ocean. Poor water quality can cause these blooms to form.
How did the team describe the three stages of a water filter?
The first stage separates out large particles from getting into water. The second stage has fine pieces of carbon. This helps absorb impurities in the water. The last stage consists of a fine mesh that takes out extremely small particles from the water.
How is water distributed on earth in terms of freshwater and saltwater?
97% of all the water on Earth is saltwater while only 3% is freshwater. This means bodies of water like rivers and lakes are part of the 3% while oceans make up the 97%.
Explore More Science Topics
X
Success
We’ve sent you an email with instructions how to reset your password.
Ok
x
Choose Your Free Trial Period
3 Days

3 days to access to all of our teaching resources for free.

Continue to Lessons
30 Days

Get 30 days free by inviting other teachers to try it too.

Share with Teachers
Get 30 Days Free
By inviting 4 other teachers to try it too.
4 required

*only school emails accepted.

Skip, I will use a 3 day free trial

Thank You!

Enjoy your free 30 days trial