A.1 Terrestrial Stores Key Terms

Question 1

Drainage basin

Answer 1

the area from which a single stream or river and its tributaries drains all of the water

Question 2

Precipitation

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Condensation

Answer 3

the change of state from a gas to a liquid

Question 4

Cryospheric processes

Answer 4

processes that affect the total mass of ice at any scale from local patches of frozen ground to global ice amounts

Question 5

Evaporation

Answer 5

the change of state from a liquid to a gas

Question 6

Evapotranspiration

Answer 6

the evaporation of water from soil and the transpiration of water from plants

Question 7

Interception storage

Answer 7

the total volume of water held on the surface of vegetation and man-made surfaces above the ground

Question 8

Water balance

Answer 8

the amount of precipitation comparable with the water leaving the system as runoff or as evapotranspiration

Question 9

Run-off

Answer 9

water that flows over the ground’s surface rather than soaking into it

Question 10

Saturation

Answer 10

the state of the atmosphere when it can hold no more water vapour at its particular temperature and pressure, the relative humidity then being 100 percent

Question 11

Stemflow

Answer 11

the flow of intercepted water down the trunk or stem of a plant

Question 12

Storm event

Answer 12

a storm event is defined as a rainfall period separated by dry intervals of at least 24 hours

Question 13

Rainfall event

Answer 13

a rainfall event is defined as a rainfall period separated by dry intervals of at least 4 hours

Question 14

Throughfall

Answer 14

water reaching the ground directly or after being intercepted by vegetation

Question 15

Transpiration

Answer 15

evaporation of water from a plant through its leaves

Question 16

Infiltration

Answer 16

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

Question 17

Throughflow

Answer 17

the movement of water down a slope within the soil layer

Question 18

Overland flow

Answer 18

water that flows over the land’s surface

Question 19

Percolation

Answer 19

the downward movement of water through soil and rock due to gravity

Question 20

Groundwater flow

Answer 20

the movement of groundwater beneath the earth’s surface