Question | Answer |
condensation | the process by which a gas changes into a liquid; water vapor becomes liquid water |
precipitation | any form of water that falls from clouds such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail evaporation the process by which a liquid changes into a gas; liquid water turns into water vapor |
water cycle | cycle in which Earth’s water moves through the environment; the process by which water moves through the ground, evaporates from earth into the air, forms clouds, and falls back to earth as rain or snow |
water vapor | water in its gaseous state (invisible) |
surface water | water that stays on the earth’s surface rather than sinks into the soil |
meander | a large bend in a stream channel that develops when soil is eroded from one bank and deposited on another |
aquifer | a layer of underground rock or sediment that contains water |
flood | overflow of a body of water beyond its banks or shore |
ground water | water that has soaked into the soil (fills in cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers) |
drought | a long period of dry weather |
flow | the amount of water or water-saturated material that passes a channel point in a given amount of time |
wastewater | water that has been used |
oxbow lake | a lake that forms when a river breaks through the neck of a meander and moves straight onward |
irrigation | the process by which humans supply water to land by artificial means, such as pipes |
reservoir | a place where large amounts of water are stored for future use (may be natural or man-made) |
sediment | soil components that have been eroded and deposited by moving water, wind, or ice |
flood plain | the land surrounding rivers that is covered by water during a flood, formed from sediments deposited by a river |
levee | a bank along a stream or river that is intended to prevent flooding (may be natural or man-made) |
deposition | the process by which water or a glacier lays down earth materials |
watershed | an area of land that is drained by a stream or river and its branches (also called a drainage basin) |
erosion | the process by which earth materials are broken down and moved from place to place (caused by water, wind, or ice) |
ground cover | trees, shrubs, grasses, plants, and decayed plant material |
load | something carried; for example, the sediment carried by a stream or river |
compaction | the process by which soil particles pack together |
ecosystem | a community that includes all the living and nonliving things found in a certain area |
landforms | the features of earth’s surface, such as mountains, plateaus, and plains |
canyon | a deep, narrow river valley with steep slopes |
hanging glacier | a glacier that has broken off from a main glacier |
crevasse | a deep crack in a glacier |
iceberg | a large piece of ice that has broken off a glacier and has moved into the water |
horn | a sharp mountain peak |
valley glacier | a glacier that forms in the V-shaped valley formed by a river |
cirque | a bowl-shaped hole in a mountain that has been carved out by a glacier |
glacier | a huge mass of ice that moves very slowly over land |
topographic map | a map that shows the shape of the earth’s surface by using contour lines (shows elevation and geographical features of land) |
contour lines | lines that represent imaginary lines on earth that show elevation |
aerial drawing | a drawing or picture of earth as viewed from above |
divide | an imaginary line, usually along a ridge of land, that separates the drainage of two streams |
altitude | the height of a thing above a reference level, especially above sea level or above the earth's surface |
delta | an area of land where a stream drops sediment and other materials as it empties into the sea or another large body of water; often triangle-shaped |
landforms | the features of earth’s surface, such as mountains, plateaus, and plains |
fog | very fine droplets of water suspended in the air at or near the surface of the earth (clouds that form at ground level) |
Soil | the top layer of earth; composed of organic materials (humus), inorganic materials (sand, silt,and clay), water, and air |
weathering | the process by which earth materials are broken down by natural forces (such as water, wind, ice, animals, or chemicals) |
moraine | an accumulation of rocks and other earth materials that are deposited by the sides or end of a glacier |