Water Cycle Basics
What is the main source of energy that drives the water cycle?
Sun
What process turns liquid water into water vapor?
evaporation
What instrument measures rainfall?
rain gauge
What is the largest reservoir of water on Earth?
The ocean
What two processes add water vapor to the atmosphere?
Evaporation and transpiration.
What is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below Earth called?
The water Cycle
What is the process where plants release water vapor into the air?
transpiration
What type of cloud is made of ice crystals and forms high in the sky?
Cirrus clouds.
Water stored underground is called what?
groundwater
What is the main factor that causes water to move downhill during runoff?
Gravity.
Water in what state of matter forms clouds?
liquid (tiny droplets)
What is any form of water that falls from clouds?
Precipitation
What process increases humidity in the atmosphere?
evaporation
What is the term for water stored in ice caps and glaciers?
ice storage or frozen reservoirs.
What happens to the temperature of water during evaporation?
It increases (heat is absorbed)
What two major processes form clouds?
cooling and condensation
What process moves water from the surface into the ground?
infiltration
What form of precipitation occurs when raindrops freeze on the way down?
sleet
What do we call a region of land where all runoff drains to a common outlet?
A watershed
What do we call water vapor cooling as it rises in the atmosphere?
Condensation.
What do we call water changing from a gas into a liquid?
Condensation
What do we call water traveling downhill back to rivers and oceans?
Runoff
Name one atmospheric condition that affects evaporation rate.
Temperature, wind, or humidity
What body of water provides most of the evaporation for Earth’s water cycle?
The ocean
Why does warm air hold more moisture than cold?
Warm air has more energy, allowing more water vapor to stay in the air.