Water Cycle online Activity

Water Cycle Activity After watching the video, scroll down to the interactive page. Click on each of the links and record how each plays a role in the water cycle. Bear: They carry water in their body and move them place to place. Sun: When it’s energized, water takes on a different form of matter known as vapor. Energy causes water to evaporate and rise into the atmosphere. The sun provides the energy for the water cycle. Audio Player Lake Water in lakes will most likely evaporate into the atmosphere. However, it could soak into the ground as well and be used by plants, animals and humans. Groundwater: Most of the water used in Florida is groundwater. The Floridan aquifer is where lots of our groundwater comes from. An aquifer is an underground layer of sand, gravel or rock that holds water. In addition to the Floridan aquifer, there are other aquifers in Florida such as the surficial, intermediate and Biscayne. Deer: Once water enters an animal’s body, it helps to keep the body healthy. Eventually, it may leave the body as either waste or perspiration. River: River water usually flows toward the river’s mouth. Before it gets there, some of the water will evaporate and some of it will flow into lakes and streams. Some water may enter an animal’s body. Also, water may be pulled by gravity into the soil, where it may be absorbed by a plant or go into an aquifer. Water that falls onto the ground may stay in the soil, be absorbed by a plant, flow over the ground into a river or lake, or evaporate into the atmosphere. Glacier: There are four paths that water can take from a glacier. It can melt and filter into the ground. It can evaporate and turn into a cloud. It can melt into a body of water, or it can remain frozen for a long time. Plants: In the same way humans sweat, plants transpire. Transpiration is the process by which plants give off vapor through their pores in their leaves. Plants take in water through their roots. This water travels up their trunks, through their branches and into their leaves. Some of the water that plants absorb from the soil will leave through transpiration, while some of it will remain in the plant. Ocean: Ninety-seven percent of the earth’s water is salty; it’s not easily used by humans. The remaining 3 percent is freshwater. Only 1 percent of the freshwater can be easily used. The other 2 percent is frozen in ice caps or deep underground. Soil: Water that falls onto the ground may stay in the soil, be absorbed by a plant, flow over the ground into a river or a lake, or evaporate into the atmosphere. Aquifer: Water underground, or groundwater, usually flows slowly through the ground, taking years to move a short distance. However, in some areas, groundwater moves through the ground rapidly. Underground water may eventually flow into a river or a lake, come out of a spring or be pumped and used. Buoy: Condensation and Precipitation: Once water reaches the cloud, it can condense and fall to the ground, or into a lake, or river or ocean. Depending on location, temperature and air pressure, water may condense and snow onto a glacier. It may also remain a droplet and be stuck in a cloud for a long time. Condensation: When water vapor reaches cool air, it condenses and turns into very small droplets, or ice crystals, that hang together in the form of clouds. Precipitation: Droplets in clouds keep moving closer together. When the droplets become too heavy, it rains. Another word for rain is precipitation. Rain, snow, fog, hail, sleet and drizzle are all different forms of precipitation Scroll down to the picture with the interactive locations around Florida. Click on each one and see what role it plays in the water cycle in Florida. What is a river? A river is a natural stream that empties into an ocean or a lake or other body of water. Okefenokee Swamp: The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the largest swamps in North America. Okefenokee, which in the Seminole language means the Land of Trembling Earth, is made up of approximately 700 square miles. It is located in the southeast corner of Georgia. This swamp is the beginning, or headwaters, of both the Suwannee River and the St. Marys River. Apalachicola River: The Apalachicola River is formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. A confluence is where two rivers join together. The Apalachicola River flows through the Jim Woodruff Dam just south of the Georgia-Florida border in the Florida Panhandle. It’s one of the few Florida rivers that has a dam. The river flows 109 miles through relatively undeveloped coastal plain into Apalachicola Bay. Detritus: Many Florida rivers have a naturally brown color from decaying leaves and plant material, which is called detritus. This decaying material contains tannins that stain the water just like tea. St. Marys River The St. Marys River forms part of the border between the states of Florida and Georgia. This river begins deep within the Okefenokee Swamp and twists for 130 miles to flow out into the Atlantic Ocean. As the crow flies, it’s only 40 miles from the headwaters to the mouth of this river. The St. Johns River The St. Johns River begins in southeast Florida and flows 310 miles north to Jacksonville, where it turns east and joins the Atlantic Ocean. Black Creek Black Creek is named for its dark water, which is caused by the tannins that run into the creek from forested areas surrounding the creek. High sandy and limestone bluffs are visible in many areas as the creek winds through ravines on its way to the St. Johns River. Heads and mouth Did you know that rivers have heads and mouths? The beginning of the river is known as its headwaters. The river’s mouth is where it ends and flows into another body of water. Can you find the headwaters of the St. Johns River? Hmm? Suwanee River The Suwannee River flows out of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, south to the Gulf of Mexico. Because of its distinctive brown color, it’s often called a blackwater river. More of Florida’s springs are found along the banks of this river than any other river in Florida. Ocklawaha River The Ocklawaha River, a tributary of the St. Johns River, begins south of Lake Apopka and flows north. A tributary is a river that flows into a larger river. Some land surrounding the Ocklawaha River was used for farming. In the past, agricultural runoff severely impacted or caused changes to this river. Work is now taking place to restore this region to a more natural system. The Silver River, which is a spring-fed river, is a tributary of the Ocklawaha River. Wekiva River The Wekiva River begins at the confluence, where two rivers join together, of Wekiva Springs Run and Rock Springs Run. It is joined on its way to the St. Johns River by two tributaries, the Little Wekiva River and Black Water Creek. Shark he St. Johns River has a high salt content. That’s why sharks have been found as far as 150 miles upstream. Indian River Lagoon The Indian River Lagoon is not really a river or lagoon. It’s really a special place called an estuary. The Indian River Lagoon stretches approximately 156 miles. Its unique location on the east coast of Florida contains both tropical and temperate climates, which allow many different habitats and a wide diversity of species to be found in one area. River Flow: The St. Johns River is one of the few rivers in the United States that flows from south to north. Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest open-water estuary. An estuary is a place where freshwater and salt water meet and mix. Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee is one of the largest lakes east of the Mississippi River that is not one of the five Great Lakes. Water from the Orlando area flows down the Kissimmee River into this lake. Gauge The average depth of the St. Johns River is 11 feet. At its deepest point, the river can be more than 80 feet deep. The Everglades The Everglades is a wetland located in South Florida. Wetlands provide a vital habitat for fish and wildlife, store water and even help filter or clean the water. Florida Keys Key West is the southernmost city in the continental United States and is found on an island in the Florida Keys. An island is a land area completely surrounded by water. Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida connect the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. The Straits are found between the Florida Keys, Cuba and the Bahamas. The Straits mark where the Florida Current, the beginning of the Gulf Stream, flows east out of the Gulf of Mexico. Bottle When the sun heats the water to a certain temperature, it causes the water to evaporate and turn into an invisible gas called water vapor. Water is constantly evaporating from oceans, rivers and lakes. Buoy Water is the only substance that is found in nature in the form of a liquid, solid, and gas. All living things need water to survive. Scroll back to the top and find the links to the quizzes. Take both quizzes and record your answers below: Quiz 1: 1. found in the form of a solid, liquid, or gas 2. detritus 3. the Okefenokee Swamp 4. meet 5. habitat, store, clean 6. Gulf of Mexico 7. is less dense 8. more dense 9. liquid 10. the Everglades Quiz 2: 1. 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius 2. The river connects with the ocean, which pulls these creatures in with the tides. 3. Water that is in the form of water vapor 4. A river or stream that flows into a larger river 5. A place where two rivers join together 6. Fertilizers and nutrients 7. Precipitation – liquid 8. It consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. 9. Transpiration 10. Provides an ideal home site for a house Create your own water story. Your water droplet must go through at least 10 different things on earth. You may make it a written story, a comic strip or a children’s book with lots of pictures. See me for plain paper for this part.