Stephen Samuelson River Wharfe

The river I chose to write about is the River Wharfe in Yorkshire, England. This is a beautiful but also dangerous river, known for it's strong undercurrent, it is capable of dragging anything along it's river bed. The river starts off very shallow with distinct levees on each side preventing overflow. This river flows in elongated S shapes through the country carrying with it loads of sand and gravel. This deposition beats against the floor and walls of the river revealing various kinds of limestone. The history of this river is also very perennial in nature, both for traveling through most of the English countryside and its record going as far back as  AD74. This river definitely has it's moments of calm as well, but the undercurrent is always very strong, contributing to numerous deaths from swimmers who expect an easy flow.

The River Wharfe is also very prone to flooding due to England's mostly wet weather cycle. This can also be seen in the large levees following the river path. The frequent flooding has also promoted the installation of numerous flooding monitoring stations designed to alert the public to any sort of danger. The river also meanders but not heavily. The twists and turns are much more gradual than in other rivers in the area but it still has distinct curves as it flows through the country. For all of these reasons this river is absolutely one of the most beautiful in the world promoting various kinds of flower growth and vegetation along its walls. This river however, is also very dangerous and should be respected at all times.

Shoe, Des. “Six Feet Across and Full of Peril: England's Killer Creek.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/world/what-in-the-world/six-feet-across-and-full-of-peril-englands-killer-creek.html.

“River Wharfe.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Sept. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Wharfe.