Oxbow lake

Backwater is a collective term often used for parts of a river that do not belong to the main arm.

The water Bauer differ depending on the origin and nature:

Distinctions

Distributary

Side arm is the arm of a river branch, at medium water levels for the drain and possibly vessel traffic is less important and usually has a lower flow rate.

Tributaries may be caused by natural shift of the main stream, especially meandering through the lowlands or flow around of terrain elevations ( mountains circulation ) at high water, but also by artificial river regulation ( punctures ). Feature: connection at both ends flows through the main flow and the time.

Oxbow

Oxbow ( colloquially "dead arm " ) is the part of a river, which is cut off by natural ( sand or gravel ) or artificial ( Absperrdamm ) exposure at one end of the main current. Oxbow lakes often arise from tributaries. Since they are no longer flows through, they tend to stagnation or even silt, but have at flood some residual function.

Feature: connection flows through only one end with the main stream and no more, except maybe at high water.

Sidearm

Sidearm is a collective term for tributaries and oxbow lakes.

Backwater

Backwater is a natural or artificial exposure (see backwater ) separated part of a river with standing water often. Auelandschaft in swampy and thus an important habitat for birds and insects

Backwater often arise as remnants of flood poor, from Altstrecken a shipping channel, which have no connection to channel more, or even as a man-made ecological compensation measure when river development. Where they are not abgedeicht, they form ( catch basin ) in natural flood retention areas.

Old ride Altstrecke

In navigable waters, especially in shipping channels, may result in a stop driving if in addition to the original route a New journey is made and both routes continue shipping serve (eg Nedlitzer Old ride the Havel near Potsdam and Hiltruper Old ride of the Dortmund- Ems Canal at Münster). Altstrecken navigable channel is one or both sides still connected to the main line of the channel, but have for the shipping usually no more importance.