Key terms

Question 1

Precipitation

Answer 1

water falling from sky as rain, hail, sleet or snow

Question 2

Interception

Answer 2

capture and storage of precip. by vegetation so that it does not directly fall to the ground. Water may then be evaporated or absorbed by the plant or reach ground by stemflow/throughfall

Question 3

Throughflow

Answer 3

horizontal movement of water through the soil

Question 4

baseflow

Answer 4

discharge into a stream from the groundwater store

Question 5

overland flow

Answer 5

movement of water across surface

Question 6

infiltration

Answer 6

movement of water down into the soil

Question 7

throughfall

Answer 7

movement of precipitation from vegetation to surface

Question 8

interception

Answer 8

capture of precipitation by vegetation

Question 9

stemflow

Answer 9

movement of captured precipitation down the stems and trunks of vegetation

Question 10

surface storage

Answer 10

water stored that has not infiltrated the surface

Question 11

groundwater storage

Answer 11

percolated water that is held in aquifers below the water table

Question 12

antecedent moisture

Answer 12

moisture retained in soil after period of rainfall

Question 13

evapotranspiration

Answer 13

combination of moisture loss due to evaporation and transpiration

Question 14

lag time

Answer 14

period between rainfall and peak discharge

Question 15

peak discharge

Answer 15

time when river has maximum amount of water flow

Question 16

rising limb

Answer 16

rise of discharge from precipitation to peak discharge

Question 17

traction

Answer 17

transportation of large sediment by rolling along river bed

Question 18

pool

Answer 18

deep channels where river flows

Question 19

riffle

Answer 19

shallow areas in river channel

Question 20

laminar flow

Answer 20

low velocity movement of water in a uniform pattern

Question 21

turbulent flow

Answer 21

series of eddies in a downstream direction

Question 22

suspension

Answer 22

transportation where particles are suspended in flow

Question 23

saltation

Answer 23

sediment hops along river bed

Question 24

abrasion

Answer 24

grinding of sediment on river bed/bank

Question 25

hydraulic action

Answer 25

water forces air into cracks applying pressure and weakening rock

Question 26

solution

Answer 26

transportation of dissolved material

Question 27

porosity

Answer 27

determines how much water can be absorbed and stored by the rock

Question 28

permeability

Answer 28

rate that water can pass through a rock

Question 29

water table

Answer 29

line separating the unsaturated zone and saturated zone

Question 30

recharge

Answer 30

refilling of zone of saturation due to lack of water

Question 31

thalweg

Answer 31

line of maximum velocity

Question 32

helicoidal flow

Answer 32

corklike flow possibly contributes to formation of river cliffs

Question 33

bluff

Answer 33

edge of floodplain

Question 34

soil water

Answer 34

water present in soil after infiltration