Download Water Cycle Vocabulary1

Water Cycle Vocabulary
General Term Definition Example
Aquifer - an underground rock formation where water collects
Artesian water- ground water that is under pressure when tapped by a well and is able to rise
above the level at which it is first encountered
Condensation- the process by which water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid.
Drainage Area- the part of the aquifer where runoff water goes into streams and flows to the
recharge zone
Erosion - is the process in which a material are worn away by a stream of liquid
(water) or air
Evaporation- the process of liquid water becoming water vapor, including vaporization from
water surfaces, land surfaces, and snow fields, but not from leaf surfaces
Groundwater - water held in the pores of underground soil and sediments
Hydrologic cycle Process in which water changes states between solid, liquid and gas, and
moves through the atmosphere to earth, oceans and back to the atmosphere
Impermeable layer - is a layer of solid material, such as rock or clay, which does not allow
water to pass through
Percolation- water trickling downward through the cracks and pores in soil
Permeability- is the ability of a material to allow the passage of a liquid, such as water through
rocks. Permeable materials, such as gravel and sand, allow water
to move quickly through them
Precipitation - rain, snow, hail, sleet, dew, and frost
Recharge Zone - replenishment of water to an aquifer from rain, percolation from surface water
bodies
Rock Cycle - a series of processes that form igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
Runoff Water -that is applied to the soil too quickly or for too long a time and thus
runs off and is wasted; does not get absorbed by soil
Saturated -an area of rock that is soaked with water
Surface water -water that is on the Earth's surface, such as in a stream, river, lake, or reservoir
Transpiration- water evaporated from plants and trees through the leaves
Unsaturated- the zone immediately below the land surface where the pores contain
both water and air, but are not totally saturated with water. These zones differ from an aquifer,
where the pores are saturated with water.
Water Cycle- The cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution of the
earth's water as it evaporates from bodies of water, condenses, precipitates, and returns to those
bodies of water
Water table -the top of the water surface in the saturated part of an aquifer
Water vapor - is water in the gas form.
Watershed - is the land area that drains water to a particular stream, river, or lake.
It is a land feature that can be identified by tracing a line along the highest elevations between
two areas on a map, often a ridge. Large watersheds, like the Mississippi River basin contain
thousands of smaller watersheds.
K-2 grades ---- Vocabulary:
Water, Cycle, Oceans and lakes, Evaporate, Condense, Atmosphere, Clouds, Rain drops
Steps of the Water Cycle

Evaporation- Heat energy given off by the sun causes water on the surface to change
into a gas (vapor)

Condensation- Water vapor changes back to a liquid in cool conditions

Precipitation- Water returns to surface as rain, snow, sleet, hail (cloud cannot hold more
water)
General Relationships
Water cycle: The cycle of evaporation and
 condensation that controls the distribution of the earth's water as it evaporates from
bodies of water, condenses, precipitates, and returns to those bodies of water
Water table: the top of the water surface in the saturated part of an aquifer
Water vapor: Water in the gas form.
Watershed: the land