Studied by 15 peopleHydrological cycle
The water cycle - how water moves around the Earth's systems
Solar radiation
sun's energy
aquifers
a permeable rock containing water
groundwater
water held underground in the soil, permeable rocks or cracks in the rock under ground.
glaciers
A slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.
ice caps
ice covering a large surface, especially in polar regions
evapotranspiration
the combination of evaporation from the earth's surface and transpiration from plants
transpiration
the process by which water moves through a plant and evaporates from the stomata (pores) in the plants' leaves
sublimation
the transformation of ice directly to water vapour. (Sublimation is actually the process of solid - gas in any substance).
Evaporation
transformation of water liquid to water vapour
condensation
transformation of water vapour to water liquid
advection
the wind-blown movement of water (as clouds)
Precipitation
the release of water from clouds - this is a transfer process and not a transformation
melting
transformation of ice/snow to water
freezing
transformation of water liquid to ice
flooding
an overflow of water onto land that is normally dry
surface runoff
water that flows over the surface of land after melting or precipitation
infiltration
the process by which water enters the ground surface of the soil
percolation
the process of water filtering through the soil
stream flow
the flow of water in streams, rivers and other water channels
Current
the flow of water in a water body such as a lake, sea or ocean.
agriculture
The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.
deforestation
The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.
Urbanization
An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.
Ocean Conveyor belt (thermohaline cycle)
The difference in water density drives the ocean conveyor belt, which distributes heat around the world, and thus affects climate.
ocean circulation systems
driven by differences in temperature and salinity that affect water density thus driving the ocean conveyor belt.
Temperature
A measure of how hot or cold something is.
Salinity
A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid
Note
Flashcard