Freshwater Stream

The cold water, draining from the melting snow high on the mountain, keeps the forest floor lively and fresh feeling. The tranquil sound of its subtle course over rocks and between giant tree roots brings nature's special undertone to an otherwise quiet part of the forest. And of course, without its life-giving waters, there would be no forest at all. Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water although it does include mineral rich waters such as chalybeate springs. The term "sweet water" has been used to describe fresh water in contrast to salt water. The source of almost all fresh water is precipitation from the atmosphere, in the form of mist, rain and snow. In industrialized areas rain is typically acidic because of dissolved oxides of sulfur and nitrogen formed from burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories, trains and aircraft. In coastal areas fresh water may contain significant concentrations of salts derived from the sea if windy conditions have lifted drops of seawater into the rain-bearing clouds. This can give rise to elevated concentrations of sodium, chloride, magnesium and sulfate as well as many other compounds in smaller concentrations.