chapter 17 vocab
Transpiration- transport and evaporation of water in the hydrologic cycle
Evaporation- process in which a liquid is changed to vapor at temperatures well below its boiling point
Sublimation- when water moves from solid to gaseous form without ever becoming a liquid
Saturation Point- when a volume or air contains as much water vapor as it can at a given temperature
Relative Humidity- the amount of water vapor in the air expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount that could be held at that particular point
Condensation- when the saturation concentration is exceeded, water molecules begin to aggregate
Dew Point- for a given amount of water vapor, the temperature at which condensation occurs
Condensation Nuclei- tiny particles, they float in the air and facilitate the process of condensation
Rain Shadow- the dry, leeward side of a mountain range that receives little precipitation
Residence Time- the time it takes a molecule spends circulating in the ocean before it evaporates and starts through the hydrologic cycle
Groundwater- after glaciers, it is the next largest reservoir of fresh water that is held in the ground
Infiltration- Precipitation that doesn’t evaporate back into the air or run off over the surface percolates through the sand and into fractures and spaces of permeable rocks
Zone of Aeration- Upper soil layers that hold both air and water
Water Table- the top of the zone of saturation, it is not flat but follows the topography of the area
Aquifers- porous layers of sand, gravel, or rock lying below the water table
Artesian- when a pressurized aquifer intersects the surface, or if it is penetrated by a pipe or conduit this well or spring results from which water gushes without being pumped
Recharge Zones- areas in which infiltration of water into an aquifer occurs
Discharge- the amount of water that passes a fixed point in a given amount of time
Renewable Water Supplies- made up or in general, surface funoff plus the infiltration into accessible freshwater aquifers
Withdrawal- the total amount of water taken from a lake, river or aquifer for any purpose
Consumption- the faction of withdrawn water that is lost in transmission, evaporation, absorption, chemical transformation, or otherwise made unavailable for other purposes as a result of human use
Degraded- polluted or heated so that it is unsuitable for other uses
Water Stress- a country in which consumption exceeds more than 20 percent of the available, renewable supply is considered vulnerable
Subsidence- settling of the surface above
Sinkholes- form when the roof of an underground channel or cavern collapses, creating a large surface crater
Saltwater Intrusion- consequence of aquifer depletion, saltwater intrudes into freshwater reservoirs
Desalination- reverse osmosis, turning salt water into freshwater
Watershed- catchment, is all the land drained by a stream or river
Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)