The Water Cycle and You

1. The WaterCycle and You

2. Water Cycle • Continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans • On land and in the oceans: it is a liquid or solid (glaciers) • In the atmosphere: vapor (gas)

4. Water Cycle Key Terms • Evaporation from soil, lakes, ocean • Transpiration:water from plants and animals • Precipitation: any form of water that falls to earth from clouds • Rain, snow, sleet, and hail • Condensation: water changes from gas to liquid • Happens in clouds • Infiltration/Percolation: when water is absorbed and passed through the ground

5. Water Cycle • evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and precipitation. • Evaporation and transpiration occur when the water molecules have enough kinetic energy to leave the liquid phase and become a gas. The source of kinetic energy is heat from the sun. • The condensation of water occurs when water in its gaseous state loses energy. Water vapor molecules slow down so much that they group and form droplets of liquid. These droplets get heavy and fall to the Earth as percipitation.

7. Water Budget • Water cycle establishes it • Water put on Earth • Precipitation • Water being used up • Evaporation & transpiration • Runoff- Erodes rocks • Whole thing is in balance • Water used = water made

8. Factors for Water Budget • Local: temperature, vegetation, wind, and amount/ duration of rainfall • Too much water (precipitation)= floods and moist soil • Too little water (evaporation & transpiration) • = soil is dry and irrigation may be needed • Vegetation: reduces runoff but increases evapo. • Wind: increases rate of evap. • Varies geographically and with • seasons

9. The Water Cycle • Of the total amount of water on Earth, less than 1 percent is available for our consumption. • Most is too salty or frozen as ice at the poles.

10. Where is water on Earth? • Reservoirs- protected artificial or natural lakes • Groundwater- water that collects underground

11. Water Facts • Each person in the USA uses about 20,890 gallons each year • About 90% of water used by cities and industry is returned to rivers and oceans as wastewater • Toxic materials in waste water cause pollution • Conservation of Water • Two ways to ensure enough • fresh water for our future • 1) Conservation • 2)Find alternative means of obtaining fresh water--deslination

12. More of Just the Facts • The amount of water on Earth is about the same as it was during the age of the dinosaurs, 65 to 220 million years ago. • With about 70 percent of its surface covered with water, Earth is truly a water planet.

13. Water Shed • A watershed is an area of land that catches all rain and snow and collects it one place like a river. • They provide water to many neighborhoods and houses

14. How It Works • Surface Water: Oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and reservoirs • Surface runoff: Water that flows over the land before reaching surface water, collects minerals and other nutrient rich sources • Aquifer: Underground area of sediment and rocks where groundwater is collected

15. The Water Cycle • Aquifers contain groundwater. • Groundwater that is not collected for our use will continue to flow through sediments and eventually enter the ocean, thus continuing the water cycle.