| A | B |
|---|
| artesian well | a well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifer |
| aquifter | an underground layer of rock or soil that holds water |
| conservation | the process of using a resource wisely so it will not be used up |
| desalination | the process of obtaining fresh water from salt water by removing the salt |
| divide | a ridge of land that seperates one watershed from, or drainage basin, from another |
| drought | a water shortage caused by long periods of low precipitation in a particular area |
| evaporation | the process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to a gaseous state |
| groundwater | water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers |
| impermeable | characteriistic of materials through which water does not easily pass,such as clay and granite |
| irrigation | the process of supplying water to ares of land to make them suitable for growing crops |
| levee | a long ridge formed by deposits of sediments alongside a river channel |
| permeable | characteristic of materials such as sand and gravel which allow water to pass easily through them |
| pore | a tiny opening in and between particles of rock and soil; may contain air or water |
| precipitation | forms of water such as rain, snow, sleet, and hail, that fall from clouds and reach Earth's surface |
| recharge | new water that enters an aquifier from the surface |
| reservoir | a natural or artificial lake that stores water for human use |
| saturated zone | a layer of permeable rock or soil in which the cracks and pores are totally filled with water |
| spring | a place where ground water bubbles and flows out of cracks in the rocks |
| transpiration | the process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves |
| tributary | a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river |
| unsaturated zone | a layer of rocks and soil above the water table in which the pores contain air as well as water |
| water cycle | the continuous process by which water moves from the Earth's surface and to the atmoshphere and back, passing through the living and nonliving parts of the environment |
| water table | the top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater in an aquifier |
| water vapor | the invisible, gaseous form of water |
| water shed | the land area that supplies water to a river system |
| wetland | an area of land that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year |
