Rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock
"Chalk river" redirects here. For the village in Ontario, Canada, see Chalk River.
The River Bourne at Winterbourne Gunner, a typical chalk stream
Chalk streams are rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock. Since chalk is permeable, water percolates easily through the ground to the water table and chalk streams therefore receive little surface runoff. As a result, the water in the streams contains little organic matter and sediment and is generally very clear.
[c]
The beds of the rivers are generally composed of clean, compacted gravel and flints, which are good spawning areas for Salmonidae fish species.[3]
Since they are fed primarily by aquifers, the flow rate, mineral content and temperature range of chalk streams exhibit less seasonal variation than other rivers.[3][4] They are mildly alkaline[5] and contain high levels of nitrate, phosphate, potassium and silicate.[3] In addition to algae and diatoms, the streams provide a suitable habitat for macrophytes (including water crowfoot)[6] and oxygen levels are generally supportive of coarse fish populations.[3]
Of the 210 rivers classified as chalk streams globally, 160 are in England.[5]
A list of chalk streams in England gives a total of 224.[g]
^ ab*"WWF-UK (2014) The State of England's Chalk Streams" (PDF). This report has been written by Rose O’Neill and Kathy Hughes on behalf of WWF-UK. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
^*"UK Rivers and Chalk Streams". WWF-UK. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
^ abcdBerrie AD (1992). "The chalk-stream environment". Hydrobiologia. 248: 3–9. doi:10.1007/BF00008881.
^Casey H (1969). "The chemical composition of some southern English chalk streams and its relation to discharge". Yearbook of the Association of River Authorities: 100–103.
^ abPearce, Fred (24 July 2014). "The threat to chalk streams, our unique contribution to global ecology". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
^Dawson FH (1979). "Ranunculus calcareus and its role in lowland streams". Annual Reports of the Freshwater Biologists' Association. 47: 60–69.
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Chalkstreams are rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock. Since chalk is permeable, water percolates easily through the ground...
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has campaigned against the pollution of British rivers (particularly chalkstreams), and is the Chairman of the Amwell Magna Fishery. He has become a figurehead...
River Test and the other chalkstreams concentrated in Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and Berkshire (see Southern England Chalk Formation for the geological...
The River Chess is a chalkstream that rises near Chesham in the Chiltern Hills, and flows for 11 miles (18 km) through Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire...
The Ver is a 28 km (17 mi) long chalkstream in Hertfordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Colne. The source is in the grounds of Lynch Lodge...
recommended a bet on ChalkStream, a horse owned by his grandfather, Sir Foster Robinson, in the 1960 Lincoln Handicap. ChalkStream finished unplaced,...
Fly Fishing A History of Fly Fishing for Trout Minor Tactics of the ChalkStream Pseudonyms of notable angling authors The American Angler's Book The...
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The River Lambourn is a chalkstream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a...
pioneered nymphing techniques for brown trout on English chalkstreams. His Minor Tactics of the ChalkStream (1910) began a revolution in fly fishing techniques...
northerly chalkstream in England. It provides fly fishing for wild brown trout and grayling. Starting at Elmswell as a spring from a chalk aquifer, it...
Fly Fishing A History of Fly Fishing for Trout Minor Tactics of the ChalkStream Pseudonyms of notable angling authors The American Angler's Book The...
River Test and the other chalkstreams concentrated in Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and Berkshire (see Southern England Chalk Formation for the geological...
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