Where does the water I drink come from and where does it go?

Diagrams from page 72 in our book:

Aquifer (A type of ground water)

Infiltration

Transpiration Stoma (like the pores of a leaf) Water is released through the stoma

Sammamish Water Tower

Hint, Hint, Wink, Wink, Question: Explain how a molecule of water can get from the Pacific Ocean to the water fountain in B-14. (Be sure to include the names of the processes and the parts of the water cycle the water droplet goes through on its journey.) Answer: The water evaporates form the Pacific Ocean, condenses into a cloud, moves over Sammamish and then precipitates down to the surface. The water then infiltrates through the soil and rocks and is caught in an aquifer as ground water. Then the Sammamish Water and Sewer District pumps the water up, cleans the water (if need be) and then puts it into water takes and then pipes that move the water to Pine Lake and B-14.

Main Ideas: The Sun provides the heat to power the water cycle. There are certain parts of the water cycle (reservoirs) that have more water than others (like the oceans). It makes sense that many of you went back and forth between Ocean and Clouds since about 70% of the surface is ocean and the only place for water to go from the ocean is to evaporate back to the atmosphere. There are some places where water can get stuck in the water cycle. Glaciers, ground water and the ocean are examples of places where water can get stuck for hundreds or thousands of years.

Main Ideas (Cont’d): The water we have here on Earth is the water that we have had for billions of years. There is no significant loss or addition of water in the Hydrosphere (you can think of it as being a closed system). Heat is gained or lost changing the state of matter of the water as it goes through the water cycle. There are several processes that move the water through the water cycle.

Study Resources: The Water Cycle and Ground Water BrainPOP Videos are very good to go with this lesson.