Properties of Water
This property describes water molecules sticking to other water molecules.
What is cohesion?
This process occurs when liquid water changes into water vapor.
What is evaporation?
Water that is stored beneath Earth's surface in spaces within soil and rock is called this.
What is groundwater?
This term describes the concentration of dissolved salts in ocean water.
What is salinity?
During the day, land heats up faster than the nearby ocean. The cooler air over the ocean moves toward the land. What is this called?
What is a sea breeze?
A water droplet sticks to the side of a glass because of this property.
What is adhesion?
Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all examples of this stage of the water cycle.
What is precipitation?
This is the process in which water moves from Earth's surface down into the soil and rock.
What is infiltration?
This layer of the ocean experiences a rapid change in temperature as depth increases.
What is the thermocline?
This force causes moving air and ocean currents to appear to curve because of Earth's rotation.
What is the Coriolis effect?
Water can move upward through a narrow plant tube because of the combined effects of these two properties.
What are cohesion and adhesion?
Water vapor cools and changes into tiny liquid water droplets that can form clouds. What process is occurring?
What is condensation?
A smaller stream that flows into a larger river is called this.
What is a tributary?
Deep ocean water rises toward the surface, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water with it. What is this process called?
What is upwelling?
Why does the ocean help moderate temperatures in nearby coastal areas?
What is because water has a high specific heat and changes temperature more slowly than land?
Water has a high specific heat. What does this mean about how quickly water changes temperature?
What is water changes temperature relatively slowly because it takes a lot of energy to change its temperature?
After heavy rain, water flows across the ground and eventually enters a nearby stream. What water-cycle process is this?
What is runoff?
A city wants to reduce flooding and protect its groundwater supply. Which would be more helpful: covering more land with pavement or protecting wetlands and open spaces? Explain why.
What is protecting wetlands and open spaces, because they can store water, reduce runoff, and allow more infiltration?
Ocean water becomes more dense when its temperature decreases and/or its salinity does what?
What is increases?
A coastal city and an inland city are at the same latitude. The coastal city generally experiences smaller temperature changes. Which property of water helps explain this?
What is specific heat?
Two substances have the same volume. Substance A has a mass of 50 g, while Substance B has a mass of 100 g. Which substance has the greater density, and how could this affect whether it floats in water?
What is Substance B; it has greater density and would be more likely to sink in water?
A forest is removed and replaced with pavement. Predict two changes this could cause in the local water cycle.
What are increased runoff and decreased infiltration?
A community is located within a river basin. A factory upstream releases pollutants into the river. Explain why the pollution could affect communities far beyond the factory's immediate location.
What is water flows through connected streams and tributaries within the river basin, carrying pollutants downstream?
Two samples of seawater have the same temperature. Sample A has a salinity of 30‰ and Sample B has a salinity of 40‰. Which sample is more dense, and how could this difference contribute to ocean circulation?
Sample B; its greater salinity makes it denser, causing it to sink and contribute to deep-ocean currents?
Explain how heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere can influence weather and climate on a local, regional, or global scale.
What is the ocean absorbs, stores, and releases large amounts of heat, transferring energy to and from the atmosphere and influencing temperature, winds, precipitation, storms, weather patterns, and climate?