The water cycle & freshwater

1. When spring temperatures warm mountain snowpacks, the resulting liquid water flowing into streams is called: snowmelt runoff or condensation?

2. What do we call the upper level of underground rock or soil that is completely saturated with groundwater: the water table or the treeline?

3. What forms when cold air cools water vapour below 0 °C high in clouds so ice crystals grow into six-sided flakes: snow or dew?

4. What do we call the process by which rainwater soaks downward into soil and porous rock layers: infiltration (percolation) or evaporation?

5. What do we call water that flows over the land surface into streams, rivers and the sea after rainfall: surface runoff or sublimation?

6. When snow and ice on a high mountain turn directly into water vapour in dry sunlight without melting first, that process is: sublimation or runoff?

7. What stage of the water cycle occurs when cloud droplets grow heavy enough to fall as rain, snow, sleet or hail: precipitation or evaporation?

8. Where is the largest reservoir of water on Earth (about 97% of all Earth’s water) stored: in the oceans and seas, or in rivers?

9. When ocean water evaporates into the air, does the dissolved salt evaporate with the water vapour or stay behind in the sea?

10. What stage of the water cycle occurs when liquid water at the ocean surface warms and turns into water vapour: evaporation or precipitation?

11. Does the water cycle create brand-new water or continuously recycle the same water molecules through different states?

12. What role do trees play in a watershed during heavy rain: their canopy intercepts rain and roots help water infiltrate soil, or they block all evaporation?