# channel (waterway)

a narrow passage through which water flows

- Computed level: L15 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: channel

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [space](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-space.extent), [water](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-water.liquid), [flow](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-flow.movement), [motion](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-motion.movement), [small](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-small.size)

**Through:** when a limited extent of space constrains the movement of water, a channel forms through which flow is directed

**Novel properties:**
- directed flow
- constrained passage
- sustained watercourse

## Examples
- The English Channel carries tidal flows between the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, constraining ship routes at its narrowest point near Dover. *(geography)*
- The Panama Canal’s locks regulate water flow through a narrow artificial channel connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. *(engineering)*
- Antarctic bottom water moves through the Faure Channel, a deep passage in the South Orkney Islands, detected by submersible sensors. *(oceanography)*

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-channel.waterway*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-channel.waterway.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*