Is always in movement,
andthe water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the
continuousmovement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.
Since thewater cycle is truly a "cycle," there is no beginning or
end. Watercan change states among liquid, vapor, and ice at various places in
the watercycle, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over
millionsof years.
Although the balance of water on
Earthremains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and
goin a hurry. The water in the apple you ate yesterday may have fallen as
rainhalfway around the world last year or could have been used 100 million
yearsago by Mama Dinosaur to give her baby a bath.
The water cycle is the way the
Earthuses and recycles water.
When water falls to the Earth,
thewater seeps into the soil because of the force of gravity. This seeping
iscalled infiltration. Or the water flows over the land and into bodies of
water,such as rivers and lakes. Most of this precipitation falls in either
coastalareas or in elevations high up in the mountains. Some of the water that falls in high
elevations becomesrun-off water, which is water that runs over the ground to
lower elevations andForms Rivers, lakes, and valleys. Sometimes this water
collects nutrients fromthe soil it runs over, making the valley good for plant
growth.
The water cycle is a process that is constantly recycling
theEarth's supply of water. This
isimportant because humans, animals, and plants all need water to survive.
Toreview, let's go through the water cycle step by step:
a. First the water from the Earth's surface evaporates. Then
itrises into the atmosphere, is cooled, condenses, and forms clouds.
b. When enough water collects in the clouds, they release
moisturein the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail. And once again, the water
returns tothe Earth.
c. The water that's fallen to the Earth runs off into
lakes,rivers, streams, and any other body of water. This water will eventually
seepthrough layers of the Earth's surface where impurities filter out.
d. Then, the water is heated by the sun and evaporates, and
thewhole cycle begins again.
Now that you've learned about the water cycle, discover how tomake
your own miniature water cycle at home. Then you can use this mini watercycle
to conduct your own investigations!
Evaporation
Evaporation is the physical process of a liquid or solid
changingover to a gaseous state.
The energy released from the earth's sun causes the watermolecules
to speed up and change from a liquid state to a gaseous state.
Condensation
Condensation is the process of air borne water vapor changing
overto liquid water.
The opposite of evaporation.
Precipitation
Precipitation can be in a solid or liquid state that falls fromthe
atmosphere and
Accumulates on the water or land surfaces. Snow, rain, sleet
andhail
Are some of the different forms of precipitation?
Accumulation
Accumulation is the collection of rain, snow, sleet,
etc.(precipitation)
Into puddles, rivers, lakes, and oceans.
WATER FUN FACTS
There's Water In The Air We Breathe
*
There is exactly the same amount of water on earth now as there was
whenthe dinosaurs hung out at the local pond millions of years ago. The water keepsgoing
around and around. It evaporates from rivers, lakes, and oceans. Thevapor from
this forms clouds in the sky, then it returns to earth again as rainor snow.
This process is called "The Water Cycle"!
* Clouds Ñ Theaverage rainfall in New Jersey is 42 inches
per year.
* SunÑ The energy from the sun causes water to evaporate
from the ocean at arate of six feet per year.
* OceanÑ There are 120 miles of coastline in New Jersey.
*Watershed Ñ A region or
area bounded geographically which ultimatelydrain to a particular body of
water. Surface water runoff (from rain andsnowmelt) drain into the creeks,
streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs thatare used for drinking water
supplies.
*Aquifer Ñ 50 % of the people in New Jersey use ground water
(wells) fortheir drinking water.
