voc 16

Hydrosphere

All the water on, above and under the Earth's surface.

Water Cycle

The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back.

Universal Solvent

A term applied to water because it dissolves more substances than any other.

Cohesion

The force that causes molecules to stick to like molecules.

Adhesion

The force that causes molecules to stick to different molecules.

Surface Tension

A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid.

Groundwater

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

Aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.

Watershed

All the land where water drains from streams to a river; many watersheds make a river basin.

River Basin

The land that water flows across or under on its way to a river.

Headwaters

The source of a stream or river.

Tributary

A stream or river that flows into a larger river.

Meander

One of a series of regular sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the channel of a river, stream, or other watercourse.

Floodplain

An area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks.

Delta

A landform made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake.