Global water cycle terminology

Precipitation (input)

Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.

Interception (store)

Water being prevented from reaching the surface by trees or grass

Evapotranspiration (output)

Evaporation of water from soil plus transpiration from plants. Correlates with species richness.

Surface storage (store)

water held on the ground surface e.g. lake or a pond. Temporary surface stores include puddles

Infiltration (flow)

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

Soil moisture storage (store)

Water that is stored below the surface in unsaturated ground

Percolation (flow)

Water travels from unsaturated ground into saturated ground

Groundwater storage (store)

the long term store of water in saturated ground

Groundwater flow (flow)

the slow movement of water through rocks (horizontal)

River discharge (output)

the rivers flow discharges into the sea

Throughflow (flow)

the movement of water through unsaturated soil

Surface runoff (overland flow)

when water travels across the surface of the earth e.g. down a hill