| A | B |
|---|
| water cycle | A continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back. |
| precipitation | Drops from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail which fall to Earth's surface. |
| groundwater | Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers. |
| tributaries | The streams and smaller rivers that feed into a main river. |
| watershed | The land area that supplies water to a river system also known as a drainage basin. |
| divide | One watershed is separated from another ridge of land. |
| habitat | A place where an organism lives and obtains all the things it needs to survive. |
| reservoir | A lake that stores water for human use. |
| wetland | A alnd area that is covered with water during part or all of the year. |
| permeable | Characteristic of a material that is full of tiny, connected air spaces that water can seep through. |
| impermeable | A characteristic of materials, such as clay and granite, through which water does not easily pass. |
| saturated zone | A alyer of permeable rock or soil in which the cracks and pores are totally filled with water. |
| water table | The top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater under the Earth's surface. |
| unsaturated zone | A layer of rocks and soil above the water table in which the pores contain air as well as water. |
| springs | They can form as groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rock. |
| aquifier | Any underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water. |
| artesian well | A well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifier. |
| geyser | A fountain of water and steam that builds up pressure underground and erupts at regular intervals. |
| irrigation | The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops. |
| conservation | The practice of using less of a resource so that it will not be used up. |
| water pollution | The addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or living things that depend on the water. |
| pollutants | A harmful substance in the air, water, or soil. |
| point source | a specific source of pollution that can be identified. |
| nonpoint source | A widely spread source of pollution that is difficult to link to specific point of origin. |
| water quality | The degree of purity of water, determined by measuring the substances in water besides water molecules. |
| concentration | The amount of one substance in a cetain volume of another substance. |
| pH | the measurement of how acidic or basic a substance is on a scale of 0 to 14. |
| hardness | The level of the minerals calcium and magnesium in water. |
| coliform | A type of bacteria found in human and animal wastes. |
| filtration | The process of passing water through a series of screens that allow the water through, but not larger solid particles. |
| coagulation | The process by which particles in a liquid clump together. |
