Physical Definitions Flashcards
Precipitation
All water released from clouds such as rain, snow,hail, sleet & snow.
Evaporation
When water is heated by the sun and rises into the sky as water vapour
Surface runoff
Water flowing across the surface of the land, whether in a channel or over the land
Transpiration
when moisture from plants and leaves is lost to the atmosphere
Interception
When trees or man made objects get in the way of rain reaching the ground surface
Condensation
When water vapour is cooled and turns into water droplets to form clouds
Infiltration
When water soaks into the soil
Water Table
The level of saturated ground in the soil - it rises and falls depending on the amount of rain
ThroughFlow
When water travels through the soil towards a river or the sea
Groundwater flow
The movement of water through the rocks
Percolation
The downward movement of water from the soil into rock
Drainage Basin
A drainage basin is an area of land drained by a river network
Abrasion
Large rocks trapped under the glacier get dragged along by the glacier, grinding away the ground below (sandpaper effect).
Plucking
The glacier freezes into cracks in the rock on the sides and below the glacier and as the glacier moves it plucks away large pieces of rock. ( Glacier melts due to friction)
Hydraulic Action
Is the sheer force of water against the banks compressing air pockets in cracks, which expand and fracture the rock over time.
