Water Cycle Coursework Materials

EQ: What is the water cycle? The Water Cycle: • natural process that recycles Earth's water • continuous process of water moving from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back to Earth's surface. • 3 major steps - evaporation, condensation, and precipitation • no real beginning or end • energy source is the sun Water Evaporates: • when molecules gain enough energy to change to the gas phase • water constantly evaporates from oceans and large lakes • smaller amounts evaporate from puddles, the soil, and even your skin • plants even give off water through their leaves Condensation: after water evaporates • warm air carries the water molecule upward • at higher altitudes the air is much colder • cold air cannot hold as much water vapor • some water vapor cools and condenses into liquid water • condensed droplets of water clump together around a tiny dust particle • this makes a cloud 2 EQ: What is the water cycle? Precipitation: • as more water condenses the water droplet grows heavier and larger • gets so heavy that it falls back to Earth • can be in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail • most falls directly into the oceans • precipitation that falls on land may run off the surface into lakes and rivers, or will evaporate immediately • some may trickle down into the ground • this ground water may eventually reach the ocean or a lake and be evaporated again • this is the source of all fresh water on an below the Earth's surface The water cycle renews the usable supply of fresh water on Earth. For MILLIONS of years the total amount of water on Earth has remained fairly constant 3 EQ: What is the water cycle? Steps / Processes in the Water Cycle: Accumulation - the process in which water pools in large bodies (like oceans, seas, and lakes). Condensation - the process in which water vapor (a gas) turns into liquid water. Condensing water forms clouds in the sky. Water drops that form on the side of a glass of icy water are condensed water. Evaporation - the process in which liquid water becomes water vapor ( a gas). Water vaporizes from the surfaces of oceans and lakes, from the surface of the land, and from melts in snow fields. Precipitation - the process in which water (in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail) falls from clouds in the sky. Subsurface Runoff - rain, snow melt, or other water that flows in underground streams, drains, or sewers. Surface Runoff - rain, snow melt, or other water that flows in surface streams, rivers, or canals. Transpiration - the process in which some water within plants evaporates into the atmosphere. Water is first absorbed by the plants roots, then later exits by evaporating through pores in the plant. 4 EQ: What is the water cycle? Condensation Transpiration Precipitation Surface Runoff Condensation Evaporation Subsurface Runoff Accumulation Draw the diagram above in your notes..... Use the list of words below to correctly label the Water Cycle Diagram in your notes..... 5 EQ: What is the water cycle? Check your work..... Condensation Transpiration Precipitation Surface Runoff Condensation Evaporation Subsurface Runoff Accumulation 6 EQ: What is the water cycle? 1:35 to complete For Review: #1­11 Copy each statement into your notes. State if it is TRUE or FALSE. If it is FALSE, rewrite it to make it TRUE. 1. The Water Cycle naturally recycles water. 2. The Water Cycle is powered by the sun. 3. The Water Cycle is a continuous process. 4. The Water Cycle does not involve living things. 5. All the water on Earth has been through the Water Cycle. 6. The Water Cycle has a definite beginning and end. 7. Little precipitation falls directly into the ocean. 8. Precipitation is the source of all fresh water. 9. The Water Cycle uses up all of Earth's fresh water supply. 10. Earth's total water supply has decreased greatly over the past million years. 11. In the world as a whole the rates of precipitation and evaporation are balanced. #12 ­ 19 Copy each question into your notes and give a short answer. 12. Why isn't water vapor that comes from the ocean salty? 13. What process in the Water Cycle produces water vapor from bodies of water? 14. What process in the Water Cycle produces water vapor from plants? 15. What process in the Water Cycle forms clouds from water vapor? 16. Why does water vapor condense when it travels far above the Earth? 17. Explain how a cloud forms. 18. How does precipitation occur? 19. List four types of precipitation. 7 EQ: What is the water cycle? For Review: #1­11 Copy each statement into your notes. State if it is TRUE or FALSE. If it is FALSE, rewrite it to make it TRUE. 1. The Water Cycle naturally recycles water. True 2. The Water Cycle is powered by the sun. True 3. The Water Cycle is a continuous process. True 4. The Water Cycle does not involve living things. False The water cycle does involve living things, transpiration 5. All the water on Earth has been through the Water Cycle. True 6. The Water Cycle has a definite beginning and end. False The water cycle is a continuous process, no definite beginning or end. 7. Little precipitation falls directly into the ocean. False Most precipitation fall directly in the ocean. 8. Precipitation is the source of all fresh water. True 9. The Water Cycle uses up all of Earth's fresh water supply. False The water cycle recycles fresh water, not use it up. 10. Earth's total water supply has decreased greatly over the past million years. False ­ The Earth's water supply has not decreased over the past million years. 11. In the world as a whole the rates of precipitation and evaporation are balanced. True 8 EQ: What is the water cycle? #12 ­ 19 Copy each question into your notes and give a short answer. 12. Why isn't water vapor that comes from the ocean salty? It leaves the salt behind... the salt does not gain enough energy to leave the water's surface.... 13. What process in the Water Cycle produces water vapor from bodies of water? Evaporation 14. What process in the Water Cycle produces water vapor from plants? Transpiration 15. What process in the Water Cycle forms clouds from water vapor? Condensation 16. Why does water vapor condense when it travels far above the Earth? The higher up the vapor travels it gets colder... cold air can't hold as much water vapor... they don't have enough energy to overcome their attraction to one another. 17. Explain how a cloud forms. water droplets cling dust particles ... the droplets are attracted to one another... they pull together so that you can see them... 18. How does precipitation occur? the cloud is the particles in the cloud pick up more and more water molecules... drops get bigger and bigger and heavier.. they to a point that they can't overcome gravity and fall back to Earth.. 19. List four types of precipitation. snow, sleet, hail, rain 9