Water cycle
•Also called the Hydrologic Cycle •Process by which water circulates between the Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land •Involves water storage, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Water Storage •Oceans – super storage for the water cycle - holds 96.5% of Earth’s water •Primary pathway into the water cycle •Oceans, seas, lakes ,and rivers provide nearly 90% of the moisture in our atmosphere through evaporation. Evaporation •Process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas •Primary pathway that water moves from the liquid state back into the water cycle as water vapor •Heat (energy) from the sun is necessary for evaporation to occur. •Energy breaks bonds that hold water molecules together. •Molecules move fast at boiling point 212o F •Slow at freezing point 32o F •Sublimation – the process of snow and ice changing into water vapor without first melting into water. •Evapotranspiration – water lost to the atmosphere from the ground surface and transpiration of groundwater by plants through their leaves. Water Storage Atmosphere •Superhighway used to transport water around the globe •Involves condensation and precipitation Condensation •Process in which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water. •Loss of energy allows water molecules to bond. Forms clouds, fog Precipitation •Water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow and hail •Provides the delivery system of atmospheric water to the Earth Water Storage Ice, snow, groundwater •Water locked up in its present state for a relatively long period of time •Involves runoff and infiltration Runoff •Precipitation that did not get absorbed into soil, or evaporate •Ice caps and glaciers - provides runoff from melting •Water moved by gravity makes its way into places that collect water – rivers, lakes, ponds, ocean Infiltration •The downward process of moving water from the land surface into soil or porous rock •Groundwater - Large amounts of water stored in the ground •Aquifer – another name for groundwater, usually describes water bearing formations Watershed •The area of land where all the water that falls in it and drains off of, goes into the same place •Can be as small as a footprint or as large as all the land that drains water into the Mississippi River Comments are closed.
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Erik E. Mason
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