| A | B |
|---|
| water cycle | the continous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans |
| condensation | change of water from gas to a liquid |
| precipitation | water of any form falling to Earth from clouds; rain, snow, sleet, hail |
| water budget | the amount of water going into and out of the Earth through precipitation and evaporation |
| desalination | removal of salt from ocean water |
| tributary | stream that flows into a lake or larger stream |
| watershed | area of land that is drained by river system |
| headward erosion | channels lengthen and branch out at upper end of stream |
| stream piracy | a stream of one watershed captured by stream from another watershed |
| stream load | material other than the water that are carried by a stream |
| discharge | volume of water that flows within a given time |
| gradient | the change in elevation over a given distance |
| meanders | one of the bends, twists, or curves in a low-gradient stream or river |
| braided stream | stream or river that is composed of multiple channels that divide and rejoin around sediment bars |
| delta | fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited at the mouth of a stream |
| alluvial fan | a fan-shaped mass of rock material depositied by a stream when the slope of land decreases sharply |
| floodplain | an area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when river overflows its banks |
| dams | used for flood control |
