Water Cycle and Terms Quiz

Water Cycle and Terms

• The hydrosphere encompasses all the water on Earth: surface water, underground water, and atmospheric water
• The hydrologic cycle is the natural movement of water on Earth as it changes from one form of matter to another
• Evaporation is the process of water molecules rising from a liquid surface to become vapor in the air
• Condensation is the process of water vapor molecules cooling, losing heat energy, and joining together to become water droplets
• Precipitation refers to water falling from the clouds in the form of rain, sleet, hail, or snow
• Sleet are tiny ice pellets formed when rain falls through a layer of cold air on its way to the ground
• Hailstones are formed when updrafts carry tiny ice pellets into cold temperatures, causing more ice to freeze on them, making them larger and heavier
• An ocean is a large body of salt water that covers the Earth's surface
• A sea is a large body of salt water smaller than an ocean, partially surrounded by land
• Lakes are usually inland bodies of fresh water
• Glaciers are rivers of ice flowing on land
• Groundwater is water located below Earth's surface
• Aquifers are areas of water-saturated rock allowing underground water to flow to wells and springs
• Drainage basins are areas of land drained by a river and its tributaries; they are separated by ridges and hills called divides