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Water
Words 
Terms and definitions relating to
watersheds and the hydrologic (water) cycle
Have you ever wondered what NON-POTABLE means?
How about
RAIN SHADOW? Take a look at these words and
see how many you know...you may be surprised.
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the
Hawaiian equivalent of a watershed; a strip of land, usually between
two ridges, that reaches from summit to sea
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a well
drilled through impermeable strata to reach water; pushed by pressure
from the underground aquifer, this water naturally rises to the earth’s
surface
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the temperature
at which a liquid boils; for water this is 212 degrees Fahrenheit
(100 degrees Celsius)
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removal of
salt from seawater using a semi-permeable membrane; the membrane
prevents the passage of salts as the water is forced through it
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water vapor
that condenses on sold surfaces that have cooled below the condensation
point of water
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temperature at
which water vapor condenses into cloud droplets
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underground water
barrier formed of nonporous, dense volcanic bedrock (basalt); can
form water storage chambers
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the process
by which soils loosen from the earth due to exposure to the elements;
this topsoil eventually washes into the ocean, polluting the sea
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conversion of
liquid water through heat energy into water vapor
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water vapor
which condenses on cooler surfaces such as rocks and plants without
falling to earth as rain
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freshwater
aquifer below a tropical ocean island; rainwater percolates through
the island and floats above the surrounding seawater; this groundwater
forms a root shape beneath the island, usually 40 times as thick
as below sea level as above.
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any water
beneath the earth’s surface; or a region of subsurface water that
forms a saturation zone in which all pore spaces are filled with
water
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concerning water
on the earth’s surface, in the soil and underlying rocks and in the
atmosphere
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surface water
that flows seasonally or only after heavy storms
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lower quality
water with high mineral content; safe for occasional inadvertent
human consumption, conforms to state and federal requirements for
this level
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winds push
moist air up against mountains or cliffs to produce clouds and precipitation
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rainwater
slowly sinks through the island’s soil and porous volcanic rock; passage
of a raindrop from mountain top to aquifer takes roughly 25 years.
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smaller volumes
of groundwater trapped between layers of porous and less porous material
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permanently flowing
water, fed by consistent rainfall
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having small
pores or holes through which materials such as water can pass
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drinkable water
of excellent quality, conforms to state and federal requirements
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rain,
snow, dew, frost, sleet, or hail condensed from atmospheric water
vapor (clouds) and falling to earth
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in relation
to a forested watershed with cool and cloudy conditions, plants act
as a pump to put water back into the soil
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area sheltered
from prevailing winds and rain by adjacent high ground or mountains
and hence an area of low rainfall
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roots
of trees and plants serve as an anchor to hold soils in place and
prevent erosion
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the soil,
roots, mosses, ferns and leaves of a forested watershed act as a
sponge that soaks up precipitation. When the sponge is fully saturated,
it slowly releases water into underground water tables and streams
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water that
emerges from an underground source to feed streams or release freshwater
directly into the ocean
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water flowing
or collecting at the level of the earth’s surface, such as streams,
rivers, springs, or lakes
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evaporation of
water from the surface of a plant
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Trees
and plants serve as an umbrella to intercept rain and wind, thus
reducing the erosive capacity of precipitation and storms
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level under
the ground in permeable or porous rock below which the ground is
completely saturated with water
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Terms
Ahupuaa
Aquifer
Artesian Well
Boiling Point
Desalination
Dew
Dew Point
Dike
Erosion
Evaporation
Fog Drip
Ghyben-Herzberg Lens
Groundwater
Hydrologic
Intermittent Stream
Non-potable
Orographic Lifting
Percolation
Perched Water
Perennial Stream
Porous
Potable
Precipitation
Pump
Rain Shadow
Sponge
Spring
Surface Water
Transpiration
Umbrella
Water Table
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