are large-amplitude wave-like features evident in ocean currents They can either propagate in the direction of the current (small meanders), remain stationary, or propagate against the direction of the current (meanders with long wavelengths) In strong currents, like the Gulf Stream, meanders can grow and pinch off and form either cold-core or warm-core rings
As a river forms a series of bends, the curves become more and more pronounced Sometimes, if there is enough room and the river is flowing down a very gently slope, the river may bend back on itself in great loops, these bends are called meanders
If a speech, account, or piece of writing meanders, it seems to move from one topic to another without any order or purpose. His talk appears to meander but by the end focuses attention on the true state of affairs. a rich and meandering novel. Extreme U-bend in a stream, usually occurring in a series, that is caused by flow characteristics of the water. Meanders form in stream-deposited sediments and may stack up upstream of an obstruction, resulting in a gooseneck or extremely bowed meander. A cutoff may form through the gooseneck and allow the former meander bend to be sealed off as an oxbow lake. Silt deposits may eventually fill the lake to form a marsh or a meander scar
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course; "the river winds through the hills"; "the path meanders through the vineyards"; "sometimes, the gout wanders through the entire body"
- A loop-like bend in a river or stream Typically, a natural meander has a steep bank or cliff on the outside of the curve and a shallow-sloping bank on the inside, often with a low-lying deposit (or 'bar') comprised of material such as silt, sand or shingle Such features provide opportunities for specialist plants and animals (e g sand martins nest in river cliffs)
Erosion occurs on the outside of a curve while deposition occurs on the inside The river forms snake-like meanders; eventually, the water breaks through the neck of the meander, shortening the river flow and forming an oxbow lake The lighter colours show a young river with subtle meanders , but as the river ages the colour becomes darker blue in colour demonstrating much more vivid, resulting in the creation of an ox-bow lake (horse shoe in shape)
From the name Maeander (modern Menderes), a winding river in western Turkey that flows into the Aegean Sea A decorative motif of intricate, rectilinear character, applied to architecture and sculpture
If a river or road meanders, it has a lot of bends, rather than going in a straight line from one place to another. roads that meandered round the edges of the fields We crossed a small iron bridge over a meandering stream