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