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Water. In what forms do we find water on Earth?. Oceans - salt water. Rivers – fresh water. Water vapor rising from a hot spring. Glacier: Himalayas. Credit: DEP Kumar/UNEP/Topham. The Polar Ice Cap. Water cycle diagram. Evaporation.
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Glacier: Himalayas Credit: DEP Kumar/UNEP/Topham
Evaporation • Heat energy from the sun causes water in puddles, streams, rivers, seas or lakes to change from a liquid to a water vapor. • This is called evaporation. • The vapor rises into the air and collects in clouds.
Condensation • Water vapor collects in clouds. As the clouds cool the water vapor condenses into water drops. • This is called condensation. • These drops fall to the earth as rain, snow or hail.
Precipitation • Water falls to the earth from clouds. Mainly as rain, but sometimes as snow and hail. • This is called precipitation.
Rain Where does water go after it rains?
Rain water either soaks into the ground and becomes part of an aquifer or runs off to join other surface water (creeks, rivers, oceans etc.)
Transpiration • Transpiration is the process by which plants lose water out of their leaves. • Transpiration gives evaporation a bit of a hand in getting the water vapor back up into the air.
This bag tied around a plant stem has trapped water vapor given off through transpiration.
What is a Watershed? The simple definitionIt's the area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater.
Watersheds are natural systems that link the land and water resources and the living organisms, including people, within its boundaries. How we live on the land affects the quality and quantity of water resources within the watershed.
Riparian Buffer Zone - area alongside stream where vegetation protects the stream from runoff. shade