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Watersheds of North America are large drainage basins which drain to separate oceans, seas, gulfs, or endorheic basins. There are six generally recognized hydrological continental divides which divide the continent into seven principal drainage basins spanning three oceans ( Arctic , Atlantic and Pacific ) and one endorheic basin.
Watershed delineation is the process of identifying the boundary of a watershed, also referred to as a catchment, drainage basin, or river basin.It is an important step in many areas of environmental science, engineering, and management, for example to study flooding, aquatic habitat, or water pollution.
Other terms for a drainage basin are catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area, river basin, water basin, [3] [4] and impluvium. [5] [6] [7] In North America, they are commonly called a watershed, though in other English-speaking places, "watershed" is used only in its original sense, that of the drainage divide line.
This map of United States water resource subregion hydrologic units updated boundaries to include the ocean as well as the portions of the basins that cross international borders For the use of hydrologists, ecologists, and water-resource managers in the study of surface water flows in the United States, the United States Geological Survey ...
Grey areas are endorheic basins that do not drain to the ocean. The list of drainage basins by area identifies basins (also known as "catchments" or, in North American usage, "watersheds"), sorted by area, which drain to oceans , mediterranean seas , rivers, lakes and other water bodies.
A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, [1] watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges , and may be in the form of a single range of hills or mountains , known as a dividing range .
Other terms that are used to describe drainage basins are catchment, catchment area, drainage area, river basin and water basin. In North America, the term watershed is commonly used to mean a drainage basin, though in other English-speaking countries, it is used only in its original sense, to mean a drainage divide, the former meaning an area ...
The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrological divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. It is one of six continental hydrological divides of North America which define several drainage basins, each of which drains ...