Oxbow lake in the context of "Lagoons of Albania"

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⭐ Core Definition: Oxbow lake

An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether or not it is cut off from the main stream. It takes its name from an oxbow which is part of a harness for oxen to pull a plough or cart.

In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called resacas. In Australia, oxbow lakes are called billabongs.

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👉 Oxbow lake in the context of Lagoons of Albania

Albania’s diverse landscape, shaped by favorable weather conditions, significant tectonic subsidence, karst processes and coastal dynamics, is home to a wide array of natural and artificial lakes. These water bodies vary widely in altitude, water flow, geology and climate, influencing their unique morphometric features, water balance and hydrochemical and optical properties.

Lakes are generally categorized based on the origin of their basins, a factor that fundamentally alters their geographical characteristics. The country hosts 247 natural lakes and over 800 artificial reservoirs. Natural lakes, primarily formed through karstic or glacial processes, are further classified into four types: 4 tectonic, 134 proglacial, 94 karst and 15 oxbow.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Freshwater marsh

A freshwater marsh is a non-forested marsh wetland that contains shallow fresh water, and is continuously or frequently flooded. Freshwater marshes primarily consist of sedges, grasses, and emergent plants. Freshwater marshes are usually found near the mouths of rivers, along lakes, or are present in low lying areas with low drainage like abandoned oxbow lakes. Unlike its counterpart the salt marsh, which is regularly flushed with sea water, freshwater marshes receive the majority of their water from surface water.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Assam

Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km (30,285 sq mi). It is the second largest state in northeastern India by area and the largest in terms of population, with more than 31 million inhabitants. The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22-kilometre-wide (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Bodo are two of the official languages for the entire state and Meitei (Manipuri) is recognised as an additional official language in three districts of Barak Valley and Hojai district. in Hojai district and for the Barak Valley region, alongside Bengali, which is also an official language in the Barak Valley.

The state has 35 districts with 5 divisions. Guwahati (containing the state capital Dispur) is the largest city in northeastern India. Assam is known for Assam tea and Assam silk. The state was the first site for oil drilling in Asia. Assam is home to the one-horned Indian rhinoceros, along with the wild water buffalo, pygmy hog, tiger and various species of Asiatic birds, and provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. The Assamese economy is aided by wildlife tourism to Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park, which are World Heritage Sites. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is famed for its feral horses. Sal tree forests are found in the state which, as a result of abundant rainfall, look green all year round. Assam receives more rainfall than most parts of India; this rain feeds the Brahmaputra River, whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a distinctive hydro-geomorphic environment.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Cut bank

A cut bank, also known as a river cliff or river-cut cliff, is the outside bank of a curve (meander) in a water channel (stream), which is continually undergoing erosion. Cut banks are found in abundance along mature or meandering streams, they are located opposite the slip-off slope on the inside of the stream meander. They are shaped much like a small cliff, and are formed as the stream collides with the river bank. It is the opposite of a point bar, which is an area of deposition of material eroded upstream in a cut bank.

Typically, cut banks are steep and may be nearly vertical. Often, particularly during periods of high rainfall and higher-than average water levels, trees and poorly placed buildings can fall into the stream due to mass wasting events. Given enough time, the combination of erosion along cut banks and deposition along point bars can lead to the formation of an oxbow lake.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Watering hole

A watering hole or waterhole is a geological depression in which a body of water forms, usually a pond or a small lake. A watering hole is "a sunken area of land that fills with water".

Watering holes may be ephemeral or seasonal. Ephemeral rivers sometimes form waterholes in geological depressions or areas scoured by erosion, and are common in arid regions of Australia. In Australia, the term "billabong", often defined as a type of oxbow lake (an isolated crescentic pond left behind after a river loop is cut off when the river channel changes course), is also used to refer to other types of waterholes. While they exist in both wetlands and arid lands, they are of particular importance in desert areas of Australia, where they are often the only water source for native animals, people, and livestock, and provide critical habitat for a number of wildlife species. Their existence is being threatened by climate change. Desert waterholes are often found in dry hilly areas, sustained by discharge of groundwater, remaining for long periods after flood events or normal flows of rivers and creeks. Depending on the climate, they can be permanent or semi-permanent depending on climatic conditions. They are of particular importance to Indigenous Australians in desert areas, providing water to the local population as well as attracting animals which are used as food, and sustaining plants which can be used for food (bush tucker), bush medicine, tools, shelter, and clothing. They may also be of cultural significance, as places to conduct ceremonies, and are usually named and part of their jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Czersk, Masovian Voivodeship

Czersk (Polish pronunciation: [t͡ʂɛrsk] ) is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Góra Kalwaria, within Piaseczno County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. The village also lies on the Czersk Lake (size: 9 hectares), which is an oxbow lake of the Vistula.

Czersk was an important settlement in the past and is one of the oldest Mazovian cities, famous for ruins of a medieval castle constructed in the late 14th century. It was a royal town of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in the past. In 1247–1526, it was the capital of the Duchy of Czersk, one of medieval Polish duchies. After incorporation of Mazovia into Poland (1526), the duchy was turned into the Czersk Land (see ziemia), part of Masovian Voivodeship (1526–1795). The Land of Czersk was divided into four counties - those of Czersk, Grójec, Garwolin (since 1539), and Warka. Czersk itself was the seat of castellans, who also were senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Geumho River

The Geumho River (Korean금호강) flows through North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and drains into the Nakdong River. It rises in the hilly area of western Pohang, flows west for 116 kilometers before meeting with the Nakdong in western Daegu. It drains an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers. Notable tributaries include the Sincheon, which flows north through Daegu. The name Geumho-gang means "river of the zither-shaped lake," a reference to its oxbow curve in northern Daegu. Much of the riverbank in Daegu has been transformed into parkland.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Taieri River

The Taieri River (a misspelling of the original Māori name Taiari ) is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Dunedin.

The upper reaches meander in a series of convoluted loops across a floodplain above Paerau, close to the aptly named locality of Serpentine; the river has created many small oxbow lakes in this area, some of which have been converted into water meadows. From here the river runs through two small hydroelectric power stations before reaching Patearoa in The Maniototo. The Taieri then arcs through almost 180 degrees, entering a broad glacial valley (the Strath-Taieri) surrounded by rugged hill ranges. Immediately downstream the river has cut a steep-sided declivity, the Taieri Gorge. This is known for the Taieri Gorge Railway, which follows a route into Central Otago through it. In the Taieri's lower reaches there is a broad floodplain (the Taieri Plains) containing much of Otago's most fertile farmland. The river then flows through the lower Taieri Gorge to the Pacific Ocean at Taieri Mouth. Taieri Island lies in the Pacific Ocean several hundred metres from the mouth of the river.

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Oxbow lake in the context of Ishim (river)

The Ishim (Russian: Ишим, IPA: [ɪˈʂɨm]; Kazakh: Есіл, romanizedEsıl, IPA: [jesɪ́l]) is a river running through Kazakhstan and Russia. It is 2,450 kilometres (1,520 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 177,000 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi). Its average discharge is 56.3 cubic metres per second (1,990 cu ft/s). It is a left tributary of the Irtysh. The Ishim is partly navigable in its lower reaches. The upper course of the Ishim passes through Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. In Russia, the course of the river travels through a vast marshland, and has countless meanders and oxbow lakes. The river freezes from late November until March.

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