hydrological cycle

Question 1

precipitation

Answer 1

moisture in any form (input)

Question 2

interception

Answer 2

temporary storage, as water is captured by plants, buildings and hard surfaces before reaching the soil (storage)

Question 3

vegetation storage

Answer 3

any moisture taken up by vegetation and held within plants (storage)

Question 4

surface storage

Answer 4

any surface water in lakes, ponds and puddles (storage)

Question 5

soil moisture

Answer 5

water held within the soil (storage)

Question 6

groundwater storage

Answer 6

water held within permeable rocks (also known as an aquifer) (storage)

Question 7

channel storage

Answer 7

water held in rivers and streams (storage)

Question 8

infiltration

Answer 8

water entering the topsoil. most common during slow or steady rainfall (flows and processes)

Question 9

throughflow

Answer 9

also known as inter-flow; water seeping laterally through soil below the surface, but above the water table (flows and processes)

Question 10

percolation

Answer 10

the downward seepage of water through rock under gravity, especially on permeable rocks e.g. sandstone and chalk (flows and processes)

Question 11

stem flow

Answer 11

water flowing down plant stems or drainpipes (flows and processes)

Question 12

base flow

Answer 12

also known as groundwater flow. slow-moving water that seeps into a river channel (flows and processes)

Question 13

channel flow

Answer 13

the volume of water flowing within a river channel (also called discharge, and runoff) (flows and processes)

Question 14

surface runoff

Answer 14

also called overland flow. flow over the surface during an intense storm, or when the ground is frozen, saturated or on impermeable clay (flows and processes)

Question 15

evaporation

Answer 15

the conversion of water to vapour (outputs)

Question 16

transpiration

Answer 16

water taken up by plants and transpired onto the leaf surface (outputs)

Question 17

evapotranspiration

Answer 17

the combined effect of evaporation and transpiration (outputs)

Question 18

river discharge

Answer 18

the volume of water passing a certain point in the channel over a certain amount of time (outputs)