Keywords Flashcards
Precipitation
INPUT. Water deposited on the Earth’s surface in various forms, for example rain, snow, sleet, hail and dew.
Evaporation
OUTPUT. The change of state from water droplets (liquid) to water vapour (gas) caused by heating.
Evapotranspiration
OUTPUT. Loss of water into the atmosphere from plants (transpiration) and water surfaces (evaporation).
River discharge
OUTPUT. The amount of mobile volume of water moving in a river.
Interception
STORE. Water that is caught and stored by vegetation, the three main components being interception loss, throughfall and stemflow.
Soil water
STORE. The subsurface water in soil and subsurface layers above the water table.
Surface water
STORE. Any part of a system where water lies above ground on the Earth’s surface.
Channel storage
STORE. Water contained within a river channel or stream.
Groundwater
STORE. Subsurface water that is stored under the surface in rocks.
Water table
STORE. The level below which the ground is saturated with water.
Throughfall
FLOW. Water that either falls through gaps in vegetation or that drops from leaves or twigs.
Stemflow
FLOW. The process by which intercepted water moves down the branches and trunks of vegetation.
Overland flow
FLOW. The movement of precipitation from high ground to lower ground over the surface.
Channel flow
FLOW. The movement of water in channels such as streams and rivers.
Infiltration
FLOW. The movement of water into the soil from the soil surface.
