Background and Approach

This introductory chapter provides the background and approach for the second edition of Rivers of North America. The book covers 22 chapters on rivers from the major regions of North America and provides detailed descriptions for 156 rivers to complement those described in the first edition. Each river section includes a description of indigenous peoples, physiography, climate, land use, geomorphology, hydrology, chemistry, biodiversity and ecology, human impacts, special features, and areas of need for research and management. This chapter describes the concepts and terminology for understanding these topics that are covered in detail in individual chapters; e.g., water budgets, ecosystem processes, major organismal groups (algae, aquatic insects, and fishes), and how they interact to form food webs. Furthermore, it describes how seasonal precipitation and temperature affect patterns of discharge and runoff which in turn have a great influence on the diversity of plants and animals.