Hydrological Cycle Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the core processes and flows of the hydrological cycle listed in the lecture notes.

Evaporation

The process by which liquid water is converted into water vapor and rises into the atmosphere.

Condensation

The process by which water vapor cools and transforms into liquid water, forming clouds or droplets.

Precipitation

Water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail that falls to the Earth's surface.

Surface Run Off

Water from precipitation that flows over the land surface into streams, rivers, or other bodies of water instead of infiltrating the soil.

Interception

The process in which precipitation is caught and temporarily stored by vegetation leaves and branches before reaching the soil.

Transpiration

The process by which plants absorb water through their roots and release it as water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves.

Infiltration

The process by which water on the ground surface enters into the soil.

Percolation

The downward movement of water through layers of soil and permeable rock.

Throughflow

The lateral, downslope movement of water through the soil layer towards a stream or river.

Groundwater Flow

The slow movement of water beneath the Earth's surface through saturated soil and permeable rock layers.