Water Cycle

Water Cycle Vocabulary Evaporation- Solar energy causes water on Earth’s surface to change from a liquid to a gas. Most occurs over the ocean and large lakes. (Evapo) Transpiration- water vapor that enters the atmosphere when it is released from plants. Sublimation- process of converting a solid directly to a gas. Glaciers and snow caps.

Water Cycle Vocabulary Condensation- water vapor forms droplets on small particles in the air. Billions of these droplets make up clouds. As warm air rises, it expands and cools. Precipitation- When water droplets in clouds get too heavy, gravity causes them to fall to the ground as: Rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Rates of evaporation and precipitation are balanced.

Freshwater 97% is ocean water. Only 3% is freshwater. 2% is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. 1% is usable by humans Groundwater Rivers lakes

Freshwater Storage Glaciers- form where more snow falls than melts each year. Ponds and Lakes- form in depressions in the land. These depressions are often caused by the weight of past glaciers that have melted. Atmosphere- tiny % of earth’s water is found in the form of clouds.

Streams and Rivers Runoff- water that flows over Earth’s surface. Eventually reach streams (or get absorbed by the ground as groundwater) Tributaries- many small streams that make up a river system. Watershed- area of land that contributes water to a river system. Also called drainage basins.

Water Beneath the Surface

Water table- top of the saturated zone. Groundwater- water found underground within cracks, and between particles of rock and soil. most of Earth’s liquid freshwater is underground. Saturated zone- region where pore spaces are entirely filled with water. Water table- top of the saturated zone. Permeable rock- a rock that water can easily flow through. Aquifer- a permeable rock that is saturated with water. Impermeable rock- a rock that water cannot flow through. Bedrock is a type of these.