Download water cycle – The continuous movement of water on

Earth Science Vocabulary
1. water cycle – The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/water_cycle_version2.html
2. evaporation - The process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas (water vapor). Heat is
necessary for evaporation to occur.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleevaporation.html
3. condensation - The process by which water vapor (gas) in the air is changed back into liquid water
droplets. Condensation is important in the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of
clouds. Dew, frost, the droplets - “sweat” on a glass or the fog on your bathroom mirror after a shower
are also examples of condensation.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclecondensation.html
4. precipitation - Precipitation is water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet,
snow, or hail. The form precipitation will take, depends on the temperature.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleprecipitation.html
5. transpiration – The process by which water is carried through plants from roots to the leaves. It
evaporates into water vapor (gas) off the plant leaves and is released into the air.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycletranspiration.html
6. collection - When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or
rivers or it may end up on land. When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become
part of the "ground water" that plants and animals use to drink - or it may run over the soil and collect
in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts again.
7. surface runoff – When precipitation falls onto the earth and runs off over the land back to rivers, lakes
and oceans. Runoff is extremely important in keeping rivers and lakes full of water, and changing the
land by the action of erosion.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclerunoff.html
8. percolation/infiltration - Precipitation that falls to the ground and does not run off - instead, it moves
through the soil, sand, gravel or rock by gravity. This is called groundwater. Water fills underground
spaces called aquifers.
http://www.drinktap.org/kidsdnn/Portals/5/story_of_water/html/hydrocycle.htm
http://www.groundwater.org/kc/groundwater_animation.html
9. aquifer - An aquifer is a layer of soil or rock underground, with air spaces in it that can be filled by
water.
10. atmosphere - the air surrounding the earth.
11. clouds: A visible collection of tiny water droplets (or at colder temperatures - ice crystals) floating in
the air above the surface. Clouds offer important clues to understanding and forecasting the weather.
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-clouds.htm
12. Cirrus clouds: Thin, wispy clouds that form high in the atmosphere as their water vapor freezes into
ice crystals.
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/weather/content.aspx?id=16108
13. Stratus clouds: Low-lying, gray and sheet-like clouds that often produce rain or snow. When the sky is
covered in stratus clouds, it is commonly referred to as, “overcast” outside.
http://www.historyforkids.org/scienceforkids/physics/weather/stratus.htm
14. Cumulus clouds: Fluffy, mid-level clouds that develop in towering shapes and signal fair weather.
http://www.historyforkids.org/scienceforkids/physics/weather/cumulus.htm
15. Cumulonimbus clouds: A dense and vertically developed cloud that produces thunderstorms. This
cloud can bring heavy showers, hail, lightning, high winds and sometimes tornadoes.
http://www.historyforkids.org/scienceforkids/physics/weather/nimbus.htm
16. fog: Condensed water vapor in cloudlike masses lying close to the ground.
17. overcast: The gloomy, semi-dark state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
18. meteorology – the area of science that studies the atmosphere. Especially weather and weather
conditions.
19. weather - the meteorological conditions, including temperature, wind direction and speed,
precipitation, air pressure and cloud cover. Weather occurs over short periods of times (daily, weekly,
monthly…)
20. climate - climate is an average of weather conditions in a certain location on Earth. Climate has been
determined over a long period of time (years, centuries, etc…)
21. temperature: The measurement of how hot or cold something is. It is measured by a thermometer.
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-temperature.htm
22. thermometer: a weather tool that measures temperature.
23. wind: The movement of air particles relative to the surface of the earth.
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-wind.htm
24. wind vane: Also referred to as a weather vane. It is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind
25. wind direction: is reported by the direction from which it originates (comes from). For example, a
northerly wind blows from the north to the south.
26. wind speed: how fast the wind is moving.
27. anemometer: is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument.
28. Beaufort scale: is a measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html
29. air mass - A large body of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover
many thousands of square miles. They take on the characteristics of the surface below them.
30. prevailing westerlies – the dominant wind pattern in the United States. They blow from WEST to
EAST carrying weather with them.
31. lake effect snow - Results from cold, arctic air traveling over a relatively warm body of water. The
cold, dry air picks up the lake moisture and deposits it, in the form of snow, over the land.
http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/chap10/lake_effect_snow.html
32. air pressure: The weight of air pressing down on earth. Air moves from areas of high pressure to areas
of low pressure. It is measured with a barometer.
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/air_pressure/
33. barometer: a scientific instrument used to measure air pressure.
34. high pressure: cooler temperatures, fair weather. Represented as an “H” on a weather map
35. low pressure: warmer temperatures, precipitation. Represented as an “L” on a weather map
36. front: a place where two air masses meet
37. warm front: A warm air mass meets a colder air mass and slowly rises over it. Stratus clouds form at warm
fronts. They often bring rain. After a warm front passes over an area, the temperature rises.
38. cold front: A cold air mass bumps against a warm air mass. Strong storms happen at cold fronts. Thunderstorms
are likely in warm weather. During winter, snowstorms are likely. When a cold front passes over an area, the
temperature drops.
39. stationary front: forms when two air masses meet and stop moving. Stationary fronts bring clouds and
precipitation, sometimes lasting for several days.
40. sea breeze: A coastal local wind that blows from the ocean onto the land and often begins during some
time during the day at many coastal locations.
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/fw/sea/htg.rxml
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/seabreeze.gif
41. land breeze: A coastal local wind that forms at night along a beach due to uneven cooling rates of land
and water, wind moves from land to water.
http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/images/sea-land-breeze.gif
42. hurricane: a storm that forms over the ocean that has strong winds at speeds of 75 to 200 mph.
Hurricanes gather heat and energy to fuel their power through contact with warm ocean waters.
Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye" in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. The center of the storm or "eye" is the calmest part.
When they come onto land they lose their energy, but the heavy rain, strong winds and large waves can
damage buildings, trees and cars.