The hydro logical cycle key terms

Question 1

River runoff

Answer 1

Flow of water in a river

Question 2

Over land flow

Answer 2

when water flows over the surface of the ground

Question 3

Condensation

Answer 3

the cooling of water vapour in the atmosphere so it becomes liquid, forming clouds

Question 4

precipitation

Answer 4

water falling in any form e.g. rain, sleet, snow, hail

Question 5

Interception

Answer 5

precipitation caught and stored in trees

Question 6

Infiltration

Answer 6

when water seeps downwards into the soil and rock

Question 7

Evapo-transpiration

Answer 7

the combination of evaporation and transpiration

Question 8

Evaporation

Answer 8

when water is warmed up (usually by the sun) so much that it turns into a gas (water vapour)

Question 9

Hydrology

Answer 9

the study of water

Question 10

Through flow

Answer 10

the sideways movement of water within the soil towards the river

Question 11

Surface storage

Answer 11

water held in puddles, ponds and lakes

Question 12

Water vapour

Answer 12

tiny water droplets that have been evaporated to form a gas

Question 13

Groundwater flow

Answer 13

the movement of water within the rock beneath the soil towards the river

Question 14

Transpiration

Answer 14

water vapour lost from vegetation to the atmosphere

Question 15

Percolation

Answer 15

water moving downwards through the soil, into the rocks below