| A | B |
|---|
| irrigation | the process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops. |
| water cycle | the continuous process by which water moves from earth's surface to the atmosphere and back, passing through living and non living parts of the environment. |
| habitat | the place where an organism lives and that provides the thing it needs to survive. |
| evaporation | the process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid, such as water, absorb enough energy to change to a gaseous state, such as water vapor. |
| transpiration | the process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves. |
| photosynthesis | the process by which plants use water, plus carbon dioxide and energy from the sun, to make food. |
| water vapor | the invisible, gaseous form of water. |
| precipitation | forms of water such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface. |
| groundwater | water that fills the cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers |
| watershed | the land area that supplies water to a river system. |
| divide | a ridge of land that separates one drainage basin or watershed from another. |
| reservoir | a natural or artificial lake that stores water for human use. |
| eutrophication | the process by which nutrients in a lake build up over time, causing an increase in the growth of algae. |
| levee | a long ridge formed by deposits of sediments alongside a river channel. |
| wetland | an area of land that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year. |
| tributary | a stream that flows into a larger stream. |
| pores | tiny openings in and between particles of rock and soil that may contain air or water. |
| permeable | Characteristic such as sand and gravel that allow water to pass easily through them. |
| impermeable | characteristic of materials through which water does not easily pass, such as clay, and granite. |
| saturated zone | a layer of permeable rock or soil in which the cracks and pores are completely filled with water. |
| water table | the top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater in an aquifer. |
| unsaturated zone | a layer of rocks and soil above the water table in which the pores contain air as well as water. |
| aquifer | an underground layer of rock or soil that hold water. |
| spring | a place where groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rocks. |
| recharge | New water that enters an aquifer from the surface. |
| artesian well | a well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifer. |
