Hydrological Cycle Key Words

Question	Answer
The Hydrological Cycle	An open system with inputs, outputs, stores and transfer flows.
Drainage Basin	The area drained by a river and it's tributaries.
Catchment Area	The drainage basin on a smaller scale for a small stream.
Watershed	A line that contains and separates drainage basins.
Confluence	Where two rivers join.
Tributary	A small river that joins into a larger one.
Distributary	Where a large river splits off into two smaller rivers.
Estuary	The tidal mouth of a river.
Channel	Where the river flows.
Interfluve	The land between two channels.
Evaporation	The loss of water through the sun's heating of it.
Evapotranspiration	The combined loss of water from transpiration and evaporation.
Transpiration	The loss of water through the leaves of plants.
Precipitation	All forms of moisture that reach the ground.
Percolation	The flow of water into rock by gravitational pull.
Interception	The catchment of water on natural or man-made surfaces before it reaches the ground/soil.
Throughflow	The movement of water within the soil downslope.
Stem-flow	The movement of water down the exterior surfaces of natural objects.
Surface Storage	The total volume of water held on the surface of the Earth.
Infiltration	The downward movement of water into the soil.
Soil Water Storage	Water held in the soil.
Groundwater Storage	The storage of water underground in permeable rock strata.
Vegetation Storage	The water held in vegetation.
Surface Run-Off	The movement of water over the surface of the land.
Groundwater Flow	The deepest movement of water downslope within rock.
Channel Storage	Water held in the river channel.
Channel Flow	The water movement downslope within the channel.
Channel Run-off	The movement of water out of the hydrological cycle into stationary bodies of water.

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Hydrological Cycle Key Words

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	Created by Jack EJ over 10 years ago