Watersheds and Drainage Basins

1. Watersheds and Drainage Basins Where does our water flow from and into?

2. What is a watershed? A watershed is a landform defined by highpoints and ridgelines that descend into lower elevations. A watershed carries water “shed” from the land after rain falls and snow melts. The water of the area flows across or through on its way to a particular water body, such as a stream, river, wetland or coast of a drainage basin.

3. What does it look like?

4. What does a Drainage Basin look like?

5. What is a Drainage Basin? A drainage basin is an extent or area of land that drains all precipitation (rain, melting snow, ice) received as runoff from watershed. The runoff converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another body of water, such as a river, lake, wetland, sea, or ocean.

6. Watersheds and Drainage Basins in Canada • Canada has 5 main watersheds: • The Arctic • The Atlantic (includes the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River) • Hudson Bay • The Pacific • The Gulf of Mexico