Dynamic Planet Key Terms + Concepts

Evaporation

The change of state in a substance from a liquid to a gas

Transpiration

The process where plants absorb liquid water from the soil through their roots and release it as water vapor into the atmosphere

Condensation

The process in which water vapor changes to tiny droplets of liquid water

Precipitation

Water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail

Runoff

Sublimation

The change of state in a substance from a solid to a gas

Hydrologic System

The continuous circulation of water in the Earth and atmosphere system

Biogeochemical Cycle

A cycle which passes through both abiotic and biotic components of the biosphere

Evapotranspiration

The process by which water moves from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere, or the sum of movement of water by the processes of evaporation and transpiration

Advection

The process of transferring energy horizontally (or, in the case of the water cycle, moving water vapor horizontally across the atmosphere)

Convection

The process of transferring energy vertically (or, in the case of the water cycle, moving water vapor from evapotranspiration sources vertically to the atmosphere)