A hydrographic slope it is a territory where all the rivers that exist there flow into the same lake, sea or ocean. For example, all the rivers that form along the peaks of the Sierra Madre de México that run eastward, empty into the Gulf of Mexico (Atlantic Ocean) and are known as the hydrographic watershed of the Gulf of Mexico..
Then, to better specify the description of the river system in that region, the slope is in turn divided into hydrographic basins. A hydrographic basin the area of that slope that corresponds to a determined main river and its tributaries.
For example, in the hydrographic slope of the Gulf of Mexico there are several rivers and each one has its own basin. That is, the area of land from where each river receives the waters it carries.
The determining element in the formation of a hydrographic slope is the relief of the territory on a large scale, which conditions a system of slopes. That is, it determines the slope of the land and therefore where the waters will drain..
Therefore, hydrographic slopes are characterized by presenting a defined size or area and a topography or shape of the land. This implies a maximum and a minimum altitude, as well as a direction and magnitude of the slopes, that is, the slope of the terrain, with a specific geographical orientation..
For example, in the case of America, three major watersheds are identified: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. In the case of the Atlantic Ocean slope, it can be divided into three more specific slopes.
These are the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the waters that drain directly into the ocean. On this slope is the largest hydrographic basin in the world, the Amazon River basin and the largest interconnected basin system, the Amazon-Orinoco.
Watersheds have a series of characteristics:
The slopes have their origin in the existence of altitude differences between one point and another on Earth. Rainwater when it falls in a low and flat point, simply accumulates, as it happens in the oceans.
However, if the rainwater falls at a high point, it will drain away, attracted by gravity to the lowest point. To do this, it will follow the path marked by the direction of the slope of the terrain, until it reaches a lake, ocean or seeps into the ground..
The mountain ranges act as watersheds, where the different portions of water will go to one side or the other, forming slopes. The higher and more extensive these mountains are, the more watersheds will form within the slope..
Each slope is named after the largest body of water towards which the waters flow, generally a sea or an ocean, sometimes a lake..
Every slope has a geographic location on the planet and occupies a certain extension or area. This is defined by the system of dividing slopes, that is, the line of mountain ranges that delimit a region.
An example of a watershed divide is the Great Divide or Continental Divide of America. This runs from Cape Prince of Wales on the Seward Peninsula (Alaska), to Cape Horn in the southern tip of South America.
It is a series of mountain ranges that form an almost continuous line from the north with the Alaska Mountains. Then follow the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Madre in Mexico and Central America and finally the Andes mountain range in South America..
The so-called triple points are also present, when two slope dividers intersect. As it happens with the Peak of the Triple Divide, in Montana (USA). There the Great Divide with the Rocky Mountains and the North or Laurentian Divide with the Canadian Shield converge..
Thus, three slopes are delimited, the one that drains the water towards the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic through the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic through the Hudson Bay.
Depending on the relief, every slope has an orientation with respect to the cardinal points. That is, the waters will flow either towards the north, east, west or south or in any of the intermediate orientations, southwest for example.
This orientation of the slope has great ecological and climatic importance, since it determines factors such as the incidence of winds, insolation, among others..
For example, the slope of the Gulf of Mexico from the Sierra Madre faces east. That is, the waters run from the high peaks that are located to the west towards the Gulf of Mexico, which is in the east..
Every slope has a characteristic climate or climates, depending on its latitude and the altitude reached by its peaks. This in turn affects the flow of water that moves its basins
The springs are characterized by presenting a certain average volume of water that enters their area. As well as a defined flow, that is, an amount of water that flows through its rivers..
Both the volume and the flow vary over time, depending on climatic variations, alterations in its basins and other factors. In this the determining factor is the amount of rain that falls in the area of the slope.
The main difference between the watershed and the watershed is a matter of hierarchy in classification and scale. That is, the watershed is a larger category, which includes many watersheds..
A basin has a single outlet drainage, that is, its waters end up reaching the ocean, sea or lake, through a main river. It is like a network, where several minor rivers come together, forming major rivers until they converge into a main river that finally empties.
Whereas in a slope, by including several basins, its waters reach the ocean through each of the main rivers of its different basins. For example, the Amazon basin is made up of numerous rivers, all reaching the Amazon River. Then the Amazon River empties into the Atlantic.
This river is part of the Atlantic slope of America, which is served by other rivers besides the Amazon. This is how the Orinoco, the Paraná and many other large, medium and small rivers do it, each with its own basin..
America has 3 major watersheds, generated by the presence of 4 main watershed divisions. These slopes drain into the 3 oceans that delimit the continent, the Atlantic to the east, the Pacific to the west and the Arctic to the north.
The waters that drain to the east of the Great Divide and to the south and southeast of the North Divide, drift into the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous rivers flow here along the east coast of America, from the south of the Labrador peninsula to Tierra del Fuego..
This slope has a large area in North and South America, so the main rivers are very large and long. Here are some of the largest basins in the world, first of all the Amazon basin.
The Mississippi basin, the Orinoco basin and the Río de la Plata basin with the Paraná river are also here. Where the Mississippi drains into the Gulf of Mexico and the other two basins directly into the Atlantic Ocean.
In the case of the Río de la Plata basin, drainage occurs through the Río de la Plata estuary.
In this great watershed, which is the largest in America, two watersheds are identified in turn, defined by clearly delimited bodies of marine water. It is the slope of the Caribbean Sea and the slope of the Gulf of Mexico, since the rest of the basins drain directly into the ocean.
This slope is delimited by the Great Divide, the North Divide, the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas as well as the island of Cuba. The main one of its basins is that of the Mississippi River, the fourth longest in the world, which by including the Missouri River reaches 6,275 km in length. It takes place in the US, with the Mississippi River flowing south..
The Caribbean slope is defined by the Great Divide to the west and the Antilles, especially Cuba and Hispaniola, to the north and east. Then, the Andes mountain range to the southwest and the Costa de Venezuela mountain range to the south.
The largest river on this slope is the Magdalena in Colombia, which forms the Magdalena-Cauca river basin with 270,000 km².
This great slope is much smaller than the Atlantic slope, with a shorter distance between the Great Divide and the ocean. Therefore, here the rivers are of shorter and steeper course as well as of medium to low flow..
The longest rivers on this slope are found in North America, such as the Yukon, Colorado, and Columbia. The Yukon flows into the Bering Sea, while the Columbia River flows directly into the Pacific Ocean.
For its part, the Colorado River runs into the Sea of Cortez or the Gulf of California. While in South America there are rivers such as the Tambo and Santa in Peru as well as the Biobío and the Maipo in Chile
This slope develops to the north of America, towards the northeast and east of the Great Divide, and to the north and west of the North Divide. The climate in this region is cold, so the rivers that flow along this slope freeze part of the year.
The largest river is the Mackenzie in Canada with 1,738 km, which is navigable, but only from June to October (when it is not frozen) and empties into the Beaufort Sea.
Within the slope of the Arctic Glacial Ocean a slope with a considerable and perfectly defined body of water is delimited, the Hudson Bay. This slope has a large number of lakes of glacial origin.
Here are other major rivers such as the Saskatchewan tributary of the Nelson River and the Churchill in Canada. On the other hand, in Alaska (USA) rivers such as the Noatak and Colville drain into the Arctic Ocean..
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