Watersheds describe the flow of water within a

§ Watersheds describe the flow of water within a region toward a common destination. § Small watersheds lead to larger and larger watersheds and eventually into the oceans of the world. § Watersheds are surrounded by high land which allows the water to run down to the same place.

Manitoba’s watershed flows into Hudson Bay

§Pacific Ocean watershed drains the area west of the Rocky Mountains §The Fraser, Yukon and Columbia rivers are the largest rivers draining this region §The Arctic Ocean watershed is the area flowing directly into the Arctic Ocean or into the channels of the Arctic Islands

§The Hudson Bay watershed is a huge area that captures about 30% of total Canadian runoff §Nelson and Churchill rivers of Manitoba drain into the Hudson Bay §The Atlantic Ocean watershed is dominated by the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence system. §Gulf of Mexico watershed occupies in Canada a small portion of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. The waters drain south into the Mississippi system, which ultimately drains into the Gulf of Mexico

§The continental divide is the mountain range known at the Rocky Mountains. §It stretches from Northern BC to New Mexico in the United States. §The continental divide separates the waters flowing into the Pacific Ocean, from the waters flowing north and east.