Water Cycle Basics
This is the process by which water turns from a liquid into a gas and rises into the atmosphere.
What is evaporation?
This type of precipitation is often seen during the winter and consists of frozen water crystals.
What is snow?
This is the main source of energy that drives the water cycle.
What is the Sun?
The process by which plants release water vapor into the air through a leaf or stem
transpiration (tran•spuh•RAY•shuhn)
This large body of water makes up the majority of Earth's surface and is where much of the water cycle and evaporation starts.
What is the ocean?
This term refers to the water that falls from clouds in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
What is precipitation?
This process is responsible for water flowing over the surface of the ground and returning to bodies of water like rivers or oceans.
What is runoff?
This percentage of the Earth's water is freshwater, available for drinking and other uses.
What is 3%?
The change of state from a gas to a liquid
condensation (kahn•den•SAY•shuhn)
The type of precipitation that results when water vapor freezes before reaching the Earth's surface.
What is hail?
This process occurs when plants release water vapor into the atmosphere.
What is transpiration?
This is the term for the water that is absorbed into the soil during precipitation.
What is infiltration?
Water covers about this percentage of Earth's surface.
What is 70%?
Any form of water that falls to Earth's surface from the clouds
precipitation (prih•sip•ih•TAY•shuhn)
The movement of ocean water in a particular direction or patter.
What is Current?
The process of water vapor cooling and condensing into tiny droplets that form clouds.
What is condensation?
This term refers to water under Earth's surface.
What is Groundwater?
Earth is know as what because most of its surface is covered with water.
What is "the Blue Planet"?
The change of state from a solid directly to a gas
sublimation (suhb•luh•MAY•shuhn)
This is the process in which the water from snow and ice is released back into the water cycle as liquid water.
What is melting?
The term for the continuous movement of water through the environment, driven by the sun.
What is the water cycle?
This phenomenon can cause clouds to form when warm, moist air rises and cools.
What is convection?
This percentage of fresh water is frozen.
What is 70%?
The change of state from a gas directly to a solid
deposition (dep∙uh∙ZISH∙uhn)
The average time water spends in the atmosphere before falling back to Earth in precipitation.
What is 9 days?