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Water Cycle Terms

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- Process by which a liquid becomes a gas
the process of changing from a gaseous to a liquid or state
the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
loss of water from a plant through its leaves
seepage of water into soil or rock
the slow movement of water through pores in soil or permeable rock
water which runs along the surface into collection points (streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, etc)
water found beneath Earth's surface
the top of the saturated zone
waters that are emptying from one moving source (stream or river) into another moving or still source (river or lake)
a rock layer that stores and allows the flow of ground water
evaporation from plants
a rock's ability to let water through it
a rock that tends to stop the flow of water
The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back
the amount of moisture in the air
the percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount the air could hold at a given temperature
Instrument used to measure relative humidity that has two thermometers (wet bulb and dry bulb)
the temperature at which the water vapor in the air becomes saturated and condensation begins
Wispy, feathery clouds
clouds that look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton
Clouds that form in flat layers.
Open ended tube that collects rainfall
Most common form of liquid precipitation
Ice particles smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
Ice pellets larger than 5 millimeters in diameter formed in cumulonimbus clouds by strong updrafts of wind
any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface
a stratus cloud that forms when air is cooled to its dew point near the ground
Precipitation that begins falling to the Earth but evaporates before reaching the surface.
when water droplets fuse to create larger water droplets, or when water droplets freeze onto ice crystals
encouraging rainfall by seeding the air with condensation nuclei

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