1. The Water Planet
Investigation 7, part 1
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2. Quick Write
Using a clean sheet of paper, write down everything that you know to answer the following question:
What is the water cycle?
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TG -Assessment P.437

3. The Water Planet Looking at the globe:
Suppose that you are a visitor from another planet approaching the Pacific Ocean.
How would you describe the planet?
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4. The Water Planet
You may have heard of Earth as being described as a water planet. If your first view of the Earth were the Pacific Ocean, it certainly seem so.
Of all the planets in the Solar System, Earth is the only one with vast oceans of water.
About 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in water
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5. Earth’s Water Inventory
Not all of Earth’s water is located in the oceans. Where are other locations for water on Earth?
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6. Earth’s Water Inventory
Rivers and Streams
Lakes and Ponds
Atmosphere
Aquifers or Ground water
Glaciers, Snow and other Ice
Soil Moisture
Water in Living Things
Bottled Water for drinking
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7. Earth’s Fresh Water
Only a small portion of earth’s water is fresh water.
What do we mean by fresh water?
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8. Earth’s Fresh Water Fresh water contains no salt
Most of Earth’s fresh water is locked up in as ice in glaciers and in polar ice caps
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9. Earth’s Fresh Water
When you add the amount of ocean water and ice together, you find that 99.4% of Earth’s water is inaccessible to humans
How much of Earth’s water is potentially available?
= ???
0.6% of Earth’s water is available for human use
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10. Earth’s Fresh Water
Turn to page 45 in the Weather and Water Resource Book
In what form is water found in the atmosphere?
Water vapor, ice, snow, hail, sleet, rain
In what form is water found in glaciers?
Ice, solid water
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Student Resource Book P.45

11. Earth’s Fresh Water What is groundwater?
Water that is found underground in spaces between rock particles, in cracks, and in other solid earth deposits
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12. Earth’s Fresh Water
In what form is water found under the ground or as groundwater?
Mostly liquid, but some water might exist as ice if the ground is cold, or as water vapor in spaces between rocks and in soil
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13. Earth’s Fresh Water
Other than glaciers and icecaps, where else might fresh water be located?
Lakes, rivers, ponds groundwater, atmosphere and soil
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14. Earth’s Water Distribution
1000ml
This represents Earth’s water
Residue from dipped pipette
All water in streams and rivers
One drop
All water in atmosphere
Two drop
In soil
Three drops
Lakes and ponds
Inland salt water seas
6 ml
Aquifers (groundwater)
21 ml
Icecaps and glaciers
How much is left in the beaker?
What type of water do you think it is?
Where do you think this water is?
Model it in your notebook.
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15. Water Cycle Game
I want you to imagine that you are a water molecule about to enter the Water Cycle.
Nine group of 3 (may be off a bit)
Oldest member is the roller
Second oldest member is the recorder
Youngest member is the reader
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16. Each group will begin in one of the nine locations:
Water Cycle Game
Each group will begin in one of the nine locations:
animal atmosphere
glacier groundwater
lake ocean
plant river
soil
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17. Water Cycle Game Rules Record every destination
At each destination, roll die to find out where you travel next.
Complete ten rolls
When done sit with group. All group members must record information on lab sheet.
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Student Lab Notebooks - p.43
Special Teacher Masters p

18. Water Cycle Game Results
On the board, the group member who recorded during the game writes how many times they were at each location.
We’ll add together to analyze.
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Student Lab Notebooks - p.43
Special Teacher Masters p
Transparency #24- P.344

19. Discuss Water Cycle
The results of the water cycle game represents water molecules traveling through the environment in ways that are different from the picture of the water cycle that we are familiar with.
What surprised you?
What didn’t surprise you?
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20. Discuss Water Cycle
The water cycle shows water rising from the ocean and forming clouds, which move over the mountains and drop precipitation. The water flows to the sea and the cycle is complete.
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21. Discuss Water Cycle
How is what you learned from the Water- Cycle Game different from this “classic” water cycle?
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22. Discuss Water Cycle
In reality, some water does follow the classic cycle, but there are lots of other cycles too.
We saw water escaping from plants, condensing as dew, and going into soil, where it could be used again by plants.
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23. Discuss Water Cycle
Water vapor rising from the ocean condenses and precipitates right back into the ocean, never reaching land.
Water gets “stuck” in the ocean for a long time, never entering the water cycle at all.
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24. Discuss Water Cycle The water cycle is VERY complex.
The water Cycle is any movement of water that follows a path that moves water around Earth
Movement can take place between atmosphere
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25. Discuss Water Cycle Movement can take place between:
Atmosphere and Land
Land and Sea
As a Solid
Liquid or Water Vapor
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26. Water Works Video Why is water significant to those who live on Earth?
All living things need water to survive. We use it for drinking, irrigation, recreation, transportation and electric power generation and we manage it for flood control
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Video- Water Works: Careers in Hydrology

27. Water Smart: The Sun, Water Cycle, and Climate
Follow along jotting notes for each question.
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Video- Water Works: Careers in Hydrology

28. Reading and Reflecting
Read Earth: The Water Planet
Draw an accurate representation of the COMPLEX Water Cycle.
Show all nine stops we used in the game
Show two forms of precipitation
Show condensation
Show evaporation
Show radiation, reradiation, conduction, convection
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Student Resource Book: P.45-47