Water Cycle Vocab

Front 1

precipitation –

Back 1

any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface.

Front 2

evaporation –

Back 2

the process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor.

Front 3

transpiration –

Back 3

the process by which water is lost through a plant’s leaves.

Front 4

condensation –

Back 4

the process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water. It is part of the water cycle.

Front 5

run-off –

Back 5

water that falls onto land surfaces always attempts to move back toward sea level; can be surface water flow or groundwater flow; part of the water cycle.

Front 6

surface-water flow-

Back 6

water that stays on the surface instead of sinking into the ground.

Front 7

groundwater flow –

Back 7

water that sinks into the ground.

Front 8

ionosphere -

Back 8

a layer of electrically charged particles within the mesosphere and thermosphere.

Front 9

ultraviolet radiation -

Back 9

a type of energy that comes from the sun; ozone absorbs most of this energy that enters the atmosphere.

Front 10

greenhouse effect -

Back 10

natural heating that occurs when certain gases in Earth’s atmosphere, such as methane, CO2 and water vapor, trap heat.