Instagram story viewer> @_theenvironmentalseries> Posts

The Environmental Series

@_theenvironmentalseries

15

followers

21

following

Explore the beauty and wonder of nature with us
Compiled by @funmilayo_david

POSTS STORIES REELS

This offers a beautiful lesson in how connected nature really is. Water begins its journey high in the uplands, flowing from mountains, lakes and small streams into larger rivers. Along the way, these channels carry sediment, nutrients and life through the landscape, shaping their banks and feeding wetlands and lowland habitats before eventually reaching the coast. What happens in the mountains does not stay in the mountains; it can influence everything downstream, from the health of a riverbank to the quality of coastal ecosystems.

Sediment is generated and mobilised in the uplands, transported through tributaries and then progressively deposited as channel slope and stream power decline.
In a simplified sequence:
mountain slopes → small tributaries → main river → lowland/wetland → estuary/coastal zone

This is what makes a watershed more than just a network of rivers. It is a living connection between land, water and wildlife. A healthy upland can help regulate water and sediment, healthy riverbanks can provide habitat and reduce erosion, and wetlands can slow and store water before it reaches the sea. Looking at this stream, Eyja- og Miklaholtshreppur in southern Snæfellsnes, this way helps us see the environment as one connected system, where protecting one part can strengthen the whole.

I filmed this river in Iceland. It’s so easy to focus on the sound and movement of the water, so next time you look at a river, notice not only the water but also the shape of the surrounding environment.

The big beginner lesson: Nature does not work in separate boxes. A mountain, a stream, a wetland and the ocean may look like completely different environments, but water, sediment, nutrients and living organisms connect them. Once you understand that connection, you have one of the foundations for understanding ecosystem restoration.

Date: 06-2023
Location: Eyja- og Miklaholtshreppur in southern Snæfellsnes by @_theenvironmentalseries

by @_theenvironmentalseries

by @_theenvironmentalseries