Glossary

Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum
The Watershed Concept

Aquifers

layers of earth that contain water

changes from a gas to a liquid

changes from a liquid to a gas

the transfer of water to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and transpiration by land plants

water contained within an aquifer, i.e. soil or rock

the Earth’s water cycle – movement of water from the atmosphere to the earth, its distribution on the Earth and its return to the atmosphere

a material that water cannot pass through

water seeping into the ground

the ease with which water passes through the ground

moisture deposited on the Earth as dew, rain or snow

water that travels across the land surface to rivers, lakes and the ocean

unable to hold any more water

the process by which liquid water taken into a plant from the soil is released to the atmosphere as a gas

a stream that flows into a larger stream or body of water

the change of a landscape from a country to city setting

the top of the water surface in the saturated part of an aquifer