Water Test Study Guide

These flashcards are focused on vocabulary related to the water cycle and groundwater processes, helping students to reinforce their understanding of key terms and concepts.

Evaporation

The process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas and moves from the ground into the atmosphere.

Transpiration

A form of evaporation occurring in plants where water moves from a liquid to a gas.

Condensation

The process where water vapor cools and changes back into liquid, forming clouds.

Precipitation

Rain, snow, or hail that falls from the atmosphere when water droplets in clouds become too heavy.

Runoff

Water that flows over land into streams, lakes, and oceans when the ground is saturated.

Infiltration

The process in which water soaks down into the soil through small cracks.

Groundwater Flow

The movement of groundwater stored in aquifers flowing back into lakes or oceans.

Aquifer

A layer of permeable rock that can store and transmit water underground.

Permeable

A term used to describe materials through which water can pass.

Impermeable

A term describing materials that do not allow water to pass through.

Porosity

A measure of the amount of open space or 'voids' in sediment, expressed as a percentage.

Zone of Saturation

The area where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water.

Water Table

The upper limit of the zone of saturation which indicates the depth at which soil or rock becomes saturated.

Spring

A natural flow of groundwater that reaches the Earth's surface.

Geyser

A hot spring that erupts periodically, shooting hot water and steam into the air.

Bed Load

Large particles that roll, slide, or skip along a stream's bottom and are not suspended.

Suspended Load

Medium to fine-sized particles carried within the water of a stream, causing it to appear muddy.

Dissolved Load

Invisible soluble particles, usually minerals, carried in the water of a stream.

Erosion

The process by which streams carry sediments and wear away their channels.

Deposition

The process in which sediment is laid down or deposited downstream after being transported.