Vocab
A(n) _________ is the total amount of water on a planet. The _________ includes water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air. A planet's hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice. On Earth, liquid water exists on the surface in the form of oceans, lakes, and rivers.
hydrosphere
The ________, also known as the hydrologic cycle or the hydrological cycle, is a biogeochemical cycle that describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.
water cycle
What are the atoms that make up water?
2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom
_________ is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada.
______ is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, despite providing neither food, energy, nor organic micronutrients.
Water
A ______________ is a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean.
watershed
How much percent of most of the water in Earth's hydrosphere is saltwater?
roughly 97%
mountain range
In the water cycle, _________ occurs when sunlight warms the surface of the water. The heat from the sun makes the water molecules move faster and faster, until they move so fast they escape as a gas. Once evaporated, a molecule of water vapor spends about ten days in the air.
evaporation
A(n) ___________ is a deep hole of water or an underground source of water.
A well
How much of Earth's fresh water is underground?
1/3
Name two large rivers.
Mississippi River and Sacramento River
__________ is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water. __________ is crucial to the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of clouds.
Condensation
A(n) ________ is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials. Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. _______ vary greatly in their characteristics.
aquifer
About how much of Earth's fresh water is frozen?
The ____________, the longest divide in North America, follows the _________.
Great Divide, Rocky Mountains
_________ is water that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface. The main forms of __________ include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel, and hail.
Precipitation
A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. To perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.
Process
How much percent of Earth's hydrosphere are lakes and rivers?
1%
Great Basin