SC - The Water Cycle

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to the Water Cycle, including definitions and explanations of important terms.

Absorb

To soak up or take something in.

Atmosphere

The layer of gas surrounding a planet that is held in place by gravity.

Condensation

The change from a gas state to a liquid state. (Gets Cooler)

Crystallization

The formation of highly ordered, solid structures from particles in a solution. (Freezes)

Evaporation

Change of a liquid to a vapor or gas. (Gets warmer)

Gravity

The force that causes objects with mass to attract one another.

Groundwater

Water that collects in cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers.

Percolation

When water soaks into the ground and moves downward through spaces in soil and rocks.

Precipitation

Rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds in the sky.

Radiant Energy

Energy from the Sun that reaches Earth as visible light, ultraviolet radiation, and infrared (heat) radiation.

Runoff

Rainfall and surface water that drain or flow from the land into streams, rivers, lakes, or the ocean.

Thermal Energy

The total kinetic (motion) energy of the tiny particles that make up matter; the faster the particles move, the warmer the matter becomes.

Transpiration

The process by which plants lose water (water vapor) through the stomata in their leaves.

Water Cycle

The constant movement of water through the land, air, oceans, and living things.