Water Flashcards
erosion
the process when wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another
weathering
the process of wearing or being worn by long exposure to the atmosphere
water cycle
the continuous movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean
evaporation
takes place when water from the oceans and the Earth’s surface changes into water vapor from the sun gains energy
condensation
takes place when water vapor cools and changes into water droplets that form clouds in the atmosphere loses energy
precipitation
rain, snow, sleet or hail that falls from clouds onto the Earth’s land and oceans
surface runoff
precipitation that flows over land into streams and rivers which later enters oceans
tributary
a stream that flows into a lake or into a larger system
watershed
the area of land that is drained by a water system
deposition
the process in which material is laid down
delta
a fan-shaped mass of material is laid down
floodplain
an area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks
water table
the upper surface of underground water; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation
sewage treatment plants
a facility that cleans the waste materials found in water that comes from sewers or drains
septic tank
a tank that separates solid waste from liquids and that has bacteria that break down the solid waste
