The Amazon has many names: Portuguese Rio Amazonas, Río Solimões and Rio Marañón, to name a few. However, one thing that never changes is how unique this river is. Most know that the Amazon River is the largest river in South America but only a few know that it is actually the largest drainage system in the world. This is due to the size of basin and flow of water. The Amazon pumps out enough fresh water that it actually dilutes the salt water at the river mouth. The water dumped out of the Amazon makes up 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans [2].
The main type of water in the Amazon is called whitewater, and it originates from a large number of acidic tributaries. The white water is considered soft in the sense of water hardness due to low mineral content. Thus, the water is slightly acidic [4]. The water appear muddy due to heavy sediment build up. There are also some black water tributaries, these waters have large amounts of humic acid which makes the water dark colored. Although, it differs from white water by having little dissolved solids. Clear water tributaries exist as well. Clear water is clear in appearance and has a higher pH than the other two types of water. They have some dissolved minerals, but the clear nature of this water allows for plant growth. When the water types collide you can see a distinct line where the water mixes.
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The Amazon River in home to a diverse amount of animal species, too many to name here. There are over 3,000 different types of fish. The well-known and feared piranha lives in these water ways. Large caiman and river turtles are major predators of the fish. Mammals are also found, such as the charismatic river dolphins and manatees. There are some large rodents such as capybara and nutria swimming around, which are some favorite prey of the large water snakes: anaconda.
Interesting Facts
-There are no bridges that cross the Amazon, mostly because there is no need, the majority of the Amazon River runs through rainforests rather than roads or cities. [3]
- Source of the River is high in the Peruvian Andes.
-There are about 1,000+ tributaries
-There are no bridges that cross the Amazon, mostly because there is no need, the majority of the Amazon River runs through rainforests rather than roads or cities. [3]
- Source of the River is high in the Peruvian Andes.
-There are about 1,000+ tributaries
Sources:
[1] Amazon River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-River
[2] Amazon River | World's Greatest River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.extremescience.com/amazon-river.htm
[3] Amazon River Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts about the Amazon River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/amazonriver.html
[4] Types of Rainforest Rivers - Mongabay.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2016, from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0602.htm
[5] Smith, C. (n.d.). Plants That Live in the Waters of the Amazon Rivers. Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.ehow.com/list_6823575_plants-live-waters-amazon-rivers.html
Picture Credits:
[1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inia.jpg
[2] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buberel_cayman_3.jpg
[3] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Podocnemis_unifilis_(Yellow_spotted_river_turtle).jpg
[4] https://www.flickr.com/photos/joachim_s_mueller/4052401356
[5] https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee#/media/File:FL_fig04.jpg
[6] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capybara_Hattiesburg_Zoo_(70909b-58)_2560x1600.jpg
[7] https://pixabay.com/en/nutria-rodent-coypu-325135/
[8] https://pixabay.com/en/anaconda-reptile-snake-head-eye-600096/
[9] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Amazon_River.jpg
[1] Amazon River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-River
[2] Amazon River | World's Greatest River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.extremescience.com/amazon-river.htm
[3] Amazon River Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts about the Amazon River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/amazonriver.html
[4] Types of Rainforest Rivers - Mongabay.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2016, from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0602.htm
[5] Smith, C. (n.d.). Plants That Live in the Waters of the Amazon Rivers. Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.ehow.com/list_6823575_plants-live-waters-amazon-rivers.html
Picture Credits:
[1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inia.jpg
[2] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buberel_cayman_3.jpg
[3] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Podocnemis_unifilis_(Yellow_spotted_river_turtle).jpg
[4] https://www.flickr.com/photos/joachim_s_mueller/4052401356
[5] https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee#/media/File:FL_fig04.jpg
[6] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capybara_Hattiesburg_Zoo_(70909b-58)_2560x1600.jpg
[7] https://pixabay.com/en/nutria-rodent-coypu-325135/
[8] https://pixabay.com/en/anaconda-reptile-snake-head-eye-600096/
[9] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Amazon_River.jpg