| Term | Definition |
|---|
| evapotranspiration | the transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from the ground or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere |
| streamflow | or channel runoff, is the flow of water in streams, rivers, and other channels, and is a major element of the water cycle. |
| condensation | the transformation of water vapour to liquid water droplets in the air, producing clouds and fog |
| precipitation | condensed water vapor that falls to the Earth's surface. Most precipitation occurs as rain, but also includes snow, hail, fog drip, graupel, and sleet.[1] Approximately 505,000 km³ of water fall as precipitation each year, 398,000 km³ of it over the oceans |
| water cycle | also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth |
| ground water | water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations |
| stream | a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream-banks |
| Sublimation | the state change directly from solid water (snow or ice) to water vapor. |
| Advection | the movement of water — in solid, liquid, or vapour states — through the atmosphere. Without advection, water that evaporated over the oceans could not precipitate over land |
| Infiltration | the flow of water from the ground surface into the ground. Once infiltrated, the water becomes soil moisture or groundwater |
| Snowmelt | refers to the runoff produced by melting snow |
| Canopy interception | the precipitation that is intercepted by plant foliage and eventually evaporates back to the atmosphere rather than falling to the ground |
| Phreatic zone | zone of saturation, is the area in an aquifer, below the water table, in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water |
| Runoff | This includes both surface runoff and channel runoff. As it flows, the water may infiltrate into the ground, evaporate into the air, become stored in lakes or reservoirs, or be extracted for agricultural or other human uses. |
| aquifer | an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well |
| water table | the level at which the ground water pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure |
| water resources | sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans |
| liquid | one of the principal states of matter |
| ice | Ice is a solid phase, usually crystalline, of a non-metalic substance that is liquid or gas at room temperature, such as ammonia ice or methane ice. |
| glaciers | large, slow-moving river of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure |
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