By: Jill Roe and Kaelyn Burns

Terms in the Cycle Groundwater: Water that sinks into the soil and is stored in slowly flowing and slowly renewed underground reservoirs. Aquifer: Underground water reservoirs in the zone of saturation (below the water table), made up of sand, gravel, or bedrock. Water Table: Upper surface of saturation zone in which available pores in the soil and rock in earth’s crust are filled with water.

Driving Forces Sun - provides the energy needed for evaporation and produces water vapor needed throughout the air Atmosphere - the presence of water vapor in the atmosphere is one of the things that makes earth and its thermal properties livable. It also circulates the water particles through clouds Oceanic circulations - determine the distribution of climatic zones over the earth

Reservoirs Inorganic: Dams that help ecosystem to meet downstream demands Organic: Lakes, rivers, and other reservoirs are largely affected by runoff by account for less than 1% of all freshwater on earth Underground reservoirs which naturally filter water through soil Oceans and clouds, where water cycles through evaporation and precipitation

This is a very rapidly recycling process. The table below shows the large amounts of water that cycle through the earth:

Human Intervention Withdrawing/pumping large amounts of water affects both fresh and salt water ecosystems and depletes underground water supplies (due to population growth) Clearing land creates more runoff and soil erosion Farming and adding nutrients, fertilizers, and other pollutants to water resources Harmful components of mining can leak into underground reserves

Pathway of Water Cycle The water cycle consists of 8 different steps… -Evaporation/ Capillary Action -Evapotranspiration -Freezing -Condensation -Precipitation -Infiltration -Runoff Click picture for link!

What Does This Mean??? Evaporation and Capillary Action- water droplets are evaporated through trees and bodies of water Evapotranspiration- the process of water that is lost from evaporation by the ground and transpiration by plants Freezing and Condensation- the freezing of the water droplets in the upper atmosphere and the de-freezing of them when they enter the lower atmosphere Precipitation- the return of water from the atmosphere back down to earth Infiltration- the movement of water from rainfall into the soil and rock Runoff- the movement of water from mountains to lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, dams, etc.

Chemical Reactions!! Water is made up of Hydrogen (2) and Oxygen(1) No chemical changes throughout cycle (unless pollution is added: Ex. Acid rain CO2 + H2O  H2CO3) Does change physically Snowflakes Ice Water droplets Etc.