| A | B |
|---|
| precipitation | falling liquid or solid water from clouds towards Earth's surface |
| phase | one of the three main forms of matter-solid, liquid, gas |
| phase change | change of a substance from one phase or state to another,such as liquid water to gaseous water |
| cloud | a visible mass of suspended liquid water droplets and/or ice crystals in the atmosphere |
| rain | liquid precipitation larger than drizzle |
| sleet | transparent ice pellets formed by the freezing of falling rain before it hits the ground |
| freezing rain | rain that freezes as it hits Earth's surface |
| hydrologic cycle | another name for the water cycle |
| run-off | precipitation that does not evaporate or sink into the ground, but runs downhill along Earth's surface |
| condensation nuclei | microscopic particles of dust and salt suspended in the air that provide a surface on which condensation can occur |
| sublimation | change of state from a solid to a gas and from a gas to a solid with no intermediate liquid state |
| evaporation | change in state from a liquid to a gas, such as liquid water to water vapor; also called vaporization |
| condensation | change in state from a gas into a liquid, such as when water vapor changes to liquid water droplets as clouds form |
| transpiration | process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through the stomata of the leaves |
| evapotranspiration | combination of the processes of evaporation and transpiration |
| contrail | trail of condensation formed by the cooling of water vapor in jet exhaust |
| hail | a round solid form of precipitation made by concentric layers of ice and snow formed in cumulonimbus clouds |
| fog | a stratus-like cloud that is on or just above Earth's surface |
| drizzle | liquid precipitation with drops smaller than raindrops |
| infiltration | process whereby water seeps into the ground |
