#separator:tab #html:false #tags column:4 Water cycle The continuous movement of water between Earth and the air earth-water-cycle-oceans Evaporation Liquid water heated by the Sun turns into vapor earth-water-cycle-oceans Transpiration Plants releasing water vapor from their leaves earth-water-cycle-oceans Condensation Water vapor cools and forms tiny droplets, making clouds earth-water-cycle-oceans Precipitation Water falling as rain, snow, sleet or hail earth-water-cycle-oceans Collection Water gathering in oceans, lakes, rivers and underground earth-water-cycle-oceans Runoff Water flowing over the land into streams and rivers earth-water-cycle-oceans Groundwater Water stored underground in soil and rock earth-water-cycle-oceans Aquifer An underground layer of rock that holds water earth-water-cycle-oceans Water table The top of the groundwater earth-water-cycle-oceans Infiltration Water soaking into the ground earth-water-cycle-oceans Surface water Water in rivers, lakes and streams earth-water-cycle-oceans What gives energy to the water cycle? The Sun earth-water-cycle-oceans Freshwater Water with very little salt earth-water-cycle-oceans Saltwater Water with lots of dissolved salt earth-water-cycle-oceans Percent of Earth's water that is fresh, about 3 percent earth-water-cycle-oceans Where is most of Earth's fresh water stored? In glaciers and ice caps earth-water-cycle-oceans Five oceans Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic earth-water-cycle-oceans Largest ocean Pacific earth-water-cycle-oceans Smallest ocean Arctic earth-water-cycle-oceans Deepest known point in the ocean Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench earth-water-cycle-oceans Salinity How salty water is earth-water-cycle-oceans Average salinity of seawater About 3.5 percent earth-water-cycle-oceans Tide The daily rise and fall of sea level earth-water-cycle-oceans What causes tides? The pull of the Moon's and Sun's gravity earth-water-cycle-oceans High tide When the water reaches its highest level earth-water-cycle-oceans Low tide When the water reaches its lowest level earth-water-cycle-oceans Spring tide A tide with the biggest range, at new and full moon earth-water-cycle-oceans Neap tide A tide with the smallest range, at quarter moons earth-water-cycle-oceans Wave Energy moving through water earth-water-cycle-oceans What makes most ocean waves? Wind earth-water-cycle-oceans Current A steady flow of water in the ocean earth-water-cycle-oceans Gulf Stream A warm current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico up the US coast earth-water-cycle-oceans Upwelling Cold, nutrient-rich water rising to the surface earth-water-cycle-oceans Continental shelf The shallow part of the seafloor near a continent earth-water-cycle-oceans Continental slope The steep drop from the shelf to the deep ocean earth-water-cycle-oceans Abyssal plain The flat deep ocean floor earth-water-cycle-oceans Seamount An underwater mountain earth-water-cycle-oceans Sunlight zone The top layer of the ocean where light reaches earth-water-cycle-oceans Twilight zone The ocean layer with dim light, about 200 to 1,000 meters deep earth-water-cycle-oceans Midnight zone The deep ocean layer with no sunlight earth-water-cycle-oceans Hadal zone The deepest ocean zone, in trenches earth-water-cycle-oceans Oceanography The study of the ocean earth-water-cycle-oceans Sonar Uses sound to map the seafloor earth-water-cycle-oceans Submersible A small underwater vehicle for deep dives earth-water-cycle-oceans Hydrothermal vent A crack in the seafloor that spews hot water earth-water-cycle-oceans Coral reef An ocean ecosystem built by tiny coral animals earth-water-cycle-oceans Mangrove A tree that grows in salty coastal water earth-water-cycle-oceans Plankton Tiny life that drifts in the ocean earth-water-cycle-oceans Kelp forest A large underwater forest of giant seaweed earth-water-cycle-oceans Why is seawater not good to drink? It has too much salt for our bodies earth-water-cycle-oceans Desalination Removing salt from seawater earth-water-cycle-oceans Water pollution Harmful substances in water earth-water-cycle-oceans Oil spill Oil leaking into the sea, hurting wildlife earth-water-cycle-oceans Ocean acidification The ocean becoming more acidic as it absorbs carbon dioxide earth-water-cycle-oceans Coastal erosion Waves wearing away the shoreline earth-water-cycle-oceans Wetland Land soaked with water, like a marsh or swamp earth-water-cycle-oceans Why are wetlands important? They filter water and shelter many animals earth-water-cycle-oceans Reservoir A man-made lake that stores water earth-water-cycle-oceans Dam A wall built across a river to hold water earth-water-cycle-oceans