1.
The force of attraction that causes two different substances to join. Adhesion causes water to spread out over glass.
2.
The movement of a liquid along the surface of a solid caused by the attraction of molecules of the liquid to the molecules of the solid.
3.
The force of attraction that holds molecules of a given substance together. It is strongest in solids, less strong in liquids, and least strong in gases.
4.
of molecules causes drops to form in liquids (as when liquid mercury is poured on a piece of glass), and causes condensing water vapor to form the droplets that make clouds.
5.
The change of a gas or vapor to a liquid, either by cooling or by being subjected to increased pressure. When water vapor cools in the atmosphere, for example, it condenses into tiny drops of water, which form clouds.
6.
living underwater structures built by tiny invertebrate animals called polyps that secrete hard calcium carbonate skeletons
7.
continuous movements of water far below the surface driven by differences in water density caused by temperature and salinity
8.
Chemistry. the intentional removal of salt from something, especially seawater, by any of various means, often reverse osmosis.
9.
The change of a liquid into a vapor at a temperature below the boiling point. Evaporation takes place at the surface of a liquid, where molecules with the highest kinetic energy are able to escape. When this happens, the average kinetic energy of the liqu
10.
the process of transferring moisture from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation of water and transpiration from plants.
11.
a massive, continuous system of deep and surface ocean currents that loops around the entire Earth
12.
The degree to which something inclines; a slope. A mountain road with a gradient of ten percent rises one foot for every ten feet of horizontal length.
13.
Water that collects or flows beneath the Earth's surface, filling the porous spaces in soil, sediment, and rocks. Groundwater originates from rain and from melting snow and ice and is the source of water for aquifers, springs, and wells. The upper surface
14.
the slow movement of water through the tiny spaces, cracks, and pores within underground layers of soil, sand, and rock called aquifers
15.
The ability of a substance to allow another substance to pass through it, especially the ability of a porous rock, sediment, or soil to transmit fluid through pores and cracks. Geologic permeability is usually measured in millidarcies.
16.
Geology, Engineering. the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the volume of the pores or interstices of a substance, as a rock or rock stratum, to the total volume of the mass.
17.
A form of water, such as rain, snow, or sleet, that condenses from the atmosphere, becomes too heavy to remain suspended, and falls to the Earth's surface. Different atmospheric conditions are responsible for the different forms of precipitation.
18.
the measure of the concentration of dissolved salts, primarily sodium chloride, in a body of water or soil
19.
a large-scale reversal of prevailing surface winds that creates distinct wet and dry periods across tropical and subtropical regions
20.
continuous, large-scale movements of water in the top layer of the ocean
21.
the flow of water over the land when rain, melted snow, or other water cannot soak into the ground fast enough
22.
The process of giving off vapor containing water and waste products, especially through the stomata on leaves or the pores of the skin.
23.
a stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.
24.
Also called: hydrologic cycle. the circulation of the earth's water, in which water evaporates from the sea into the atmosphere, where it condenses and falls as rain or snow, returning to the sea by rivers or returning to the atmosphere by evapotranspira
25.
The upper surface of an area filled with groundwater, separating the zone of aeration (the subsurface region of soil and rocks in which the pores are filled with air and usually some water) from the zone of saturation (the subsurface region in which the p
26.
A continuous ridge of high ground forming a divide between two different drainage basins or river systems.
