Water Cycle Vocabulary

Rusty Sturken

Duluth Middle School

Sixth Grade Earth Science

Water Cycle• The continuous process by

which water moves from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back, passing through the living and nonliving parts of the environment

Water Cycle

http://www.osovo.com/diagram/water_cycle.jpg

Water Vapor Water Vapor (Water Vapor)

• Water Vapor is the invisible, gaseous form of water.

Water Vapor Water Vapor (Water Vapor)

• Make sure you understand that fog and clouds are NOT water vapor, they are made of tiny droplets of condensed water. WATER VAPOR IS INVISIBLE

Photos by Rusty Sturken

Groundwater• Water that fills the cracks

and pores in underground soil and rock layers

Groundwater

GROUNDWATER http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/images/hydrocyc.gif

Evaporation• The process by which

molecules at the surface of a liquid, such as water, absorb enough energy to change to a gaseous state, such as water vapor.

Evaporation

http://www.tapintoquality.com/facts/glossary/evaporation.jpg

Transpiration• The process by which

plants release water vapor through their leaves

Transpiration

http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module01/images/transpiration.jpg

Condensation• The process by which a

gas, such as water vapor, changes to a liquid, such as water

Condensation

http://www.dreamstime.com/blue-water-drops-condensation-thumb1809120.jpg

Precipitation• Forms of water, such as

rain, snow, sleet or hail that fall from clouds and reach Earth’s surface

Precipitation

http://www.fondriest.com/fileshare/subpages/science_library/precipitation.jpg

Irrigation• The process of supplying

water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops

Irrigation

http://www.marymount.fr/public/WaterDeficits/Irrigation_clip_image005.jpg

Photosynthesis• The process by which

plants use water, plus carbon dioxide and energy from the sun, to make food

Photosynthesis

http://grapevine.net.au/~grunwald/une/KLAs/science/irrigation-photosynthesis.gif

Watershed• The land area that supplies

water to a river system

( think of “drainage basin”)

Watershed

http://www.recycleworks.org/images/watershed_800.jpg

Levee• A long ridge formed by

deposits of sediments alongside a river channel

Levee

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/levees/press&siever13.13.png

Reservoir• A natural or artificial lake

that stores water for human use.

Reservoir

http://www.larryhotz.com/files/2009/05/reservoir2.gif

Eutrophication• The process by which

nutrients in a lake build up over time, causing an increase in the growth of algae

Eutrophication

http://www.lss-lab.bme.buaa.edu.cn/image/index%20of%20WWT_clip_image002.jpg

Pores• Tiny openings in and

between particles of rock and soil that may contain air or water

Pores

http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/3ar81gcwyc4cv/xamdic/5031273188662be420eb.jpg

Permeable• Characteristic of materials

such as sand and gravel that allow water to pass easily through them

Permeable

http://www.thomastrucking.com/images/Maryland%20Gravel.jpg

Water Table• The top of the saturated

zone, or depth to the groundwater in an aquifer

Water Table

http://www.groundwater.org/gi/images/groundwaterdiagram.jpg

Saturated Zone

http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/curriculum/unit4/images/saturated-zone.jpg

Saturated Zone• A layer of permeable rock or

soil in which the cracks and pores are completely filled with water

Aquifer• An underground layer of

rock or soil that holds water

Aquifer

http://mtnwater.com/images/missoula_aquifer-450.gif

Spring• A place where groundwater

bubbles or flows out of cracks in the ground

Spring

http://www.advicesisters.net/uploaded_images/spring-713775.jpg

Recharge• New water that enters an

aquifer from the surface

Recharge

http://geopanorama.rncan.gc.ca/ottawa/images/biggroundwater.jpg

Artesian Well• A well in which water rises

because of pressure within the aquifer

Artesian Well

http://geology.com/articles/bottled-water/artesian-well.gif