Download Land and Water Vocabulary

Vocabulary
Lesson 1
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fresh water- water found in lakes, river, and streams (not salt water)
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lentic systems- moving bodies of water (stream, ocean, river)
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lotic systems- non-moving bodies of water (lake, pond)
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glacier- a river of ice
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ground water- water under the surface of the Earth
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surface water- water on the surface of the Earth found in lakes, rivers, and
streams
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soil- the uppermost layer of the land
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landforms- the natural features of the land’s surface (mountains, plateaus, and
plains)
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erosion- the wearing away and moving particles of soil and rock
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sedimentation- depositing particles of soil and rock
Lesson 2
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water cycle- water in its three states moving from one place on Earth to another
in a continuous cycle
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water vapor- water in the form of gas molecules
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evaporation- the change of water from a liquid to a gas
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condensation- water vapor cooling and changing from a gas to a liquid
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clouds- tiny droplets of liquid condensing in the sky
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cumulus clouds- white puffy clouds
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stratus clouds- low flat-layered clouds
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cirrus clouds- feathery wispy clouds
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cumulonimbus clouds- tall dense clouds involved in thunder storms
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precipitation- water falling to the Earth in different forms (rain, sleet, snow, and
hail)
Lesson 3
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weathering- the process of rocks breaking down into Earth materials (soil)
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gullies- when a continuous flow of water creates a ditch
Lesson 4
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source/head- the place where a stream begins
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tributaries- small streams joining together to make a river
Lesson 5
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organic matter- living and decayed plant and animal material
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silt- particles smaller than sand but larger than clay that can consist of any mineral
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humus- organic component of soil
Lesson 6
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runoff- water that flows over the surface of the land
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pore space- the space between the soil particles
Lesson 7
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sediments- soil components that have been eroded and deposited by moving
water
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mouth- where the stream empties into a lake or ocean
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delta- where the sediment carried by a stream forms a triangular shape at the
mouth of a stream
Lesson 8
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channel- the course along which water moves
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drainage basin/water shed- all of the land drained by a river and its tributaries
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floodplain- a flat area next to a stream where the stream overflows the banks
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valley- long low area carved by a steam or glacier
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canyon- a deep steep walled gorge carved in rock by the erosion of a stream or
glacier
Lesson 10
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flow- the amount of water that passes a given point in the channel in a given
amount of time
Lesson 11
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meanders- the bending and sweeping curves of a stream
Lesson 12

flood- the overflow of a stream’s banks
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levees- high ridges along the banks of streams that prevent or minimize a flood
Lesson 14
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ground cover- trees, shrubs, and nonwoody plants, grasses, and litter
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litter- decaying twigs, needles, leaves, and bark on the uppermost layer of the
forest floor
Lesson 15
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landscape- the view of the land with natural scenery around a home