THE WATER CYCLE

If we wanted to find freshwater on Earth, where could we find it?

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1. The Sun The Sun heats up the water in Earth’s oceans and lakes.

Evaporation 2. Evaporation: liquid water changes to a gas called water vapor.

Transpiration Transpiration: water vapor is released by plants.

3. Condensation 3. Condensation: Warm air carries water vapor upward. The air cools and condenses into liquid water. Tiny droplets of water clump together around tiny dust particles in the air, forming clouds.

4. Precipitation 4. Precipitation: As more water vapor condenses, the drops of water grow larger and heavier. The heavy droplets fall as precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail).

Surface Run off and Collection 5. The precipitation that falls on land may: soak into the soil and become groundwater OR Run off the land, eventually collecting into a watershed (ocean or lake).

Water Cycle Lab Water works in cycles to recycle the Earth’s water and to purify it Let’s complete a lab to demonstrate how the water cycle works with pollution.