Streams, riparian areas, floodplains, alluvial aquifers, and downstream waters (e.g., large rivers, lakes, and oceans) are interconnected by longitudinal, lateral, and vertical fluxes of water, other materials, and energy. Collectively, these interconnected waters are called fluvial hydrosystems. Physical and chemical connectivity within fluvial hydrosystems is created by the transport of nonliving materials (e.g., water, sediment, nutrients, and contaminants) which either do or do not chemically change (chemical and physical connections, respectively). A substantial body of evidence unequivocally demonstrates physical and chemical connectivity between streams and riparian wetlands and downstream waters. Streams and riparian wetlands are structurally connected to downstream waters through the network of continuous channels and floodplain form that make these systems physically contiguous, and the very existence of these structures provides strong geomorphologic evidence for connectivity. Functional connections between streams and riparian wetlands and their downstream waters vary geographically and over time, based on proximity, relative size, environmental setting, material disparity, and intervening units. Because of the complexity and dynamic nature of connections among fluvial hydrosystem units, a complete accounting of the physical and chemical connections and their consequences to downstream waters should aggregate over multiple years to decades.

中文翻译：

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河流和河岸湿地与下游水域的物理和化学连通性：综合。

溪流、河岸地区、洪泛区、冲积含水层和下游水域（例如大江、湖泊和海洋）通过水、其他物质和能量的纵向、横向和垂直通量相互连接。这些相互连接的水域统称为河流水系统。河流水文系统内的物理和化学连通性是通过非生命物质（例如水、沉积物、营养物和污染物）的运输而产生的，这些物质要么发生化学变化，要么不发生化学变化（分别为化学和物理连接）。大量证据明确证明了溪流与河岸湿地和下游水域之间的物理和化学联系。溪流和河岸湿地在结构上通过连续河道网络和洪泛区形式与下游水域相连，使这些系统在物理上连续，而这些结构的存在为连通性提供了强有力的地貌证据。溪流和河岸湿地及其下游水域之间的功能联系随着地理位置和时间的推移而变化，基于邻近性、相对大小、环境设置、物质差异和干预单元。由于河流水文系统单元之间联系的复杂性和动态性，对物理和化学联系及其对下游水域的影响的完整核算应该在数年至数十年的时间内进行汇总。