Water Cycle
The water cycle is driven by what two forces?
The sun and gravity
Where does most of the water in the atmosphere come from?
Oceans
The four types of precipitation are.....
Rain, snow, sleet, and hail
What are the two types of ways cities use you clean wastewater?
Constructed wetlands and a typical wastewater treatment plant
Frost forms when…
Dew point is below 0°C
Water in the atmosphere, above ground, in groundwater, and in living things are all part of what
The water cycle
Transpiration is the process where…?
Plants release water vapor from their leaves
Sleet differs from hail because…
Sleet is smaller and falls during colder storms
A typical wastewater treatment plant cleans water using… |
Pipes, pumps, tanks, and filters
Why does Miami feel more humid than Phoenix even if temperatures are similar?
Miami has more water vapor in the air because it is surrounded by water
What is groundwater?
Water located underground in aquifers
How is transpiration different from evaporation?
Transpiration occurs from plants; evaporation occurs from water surfaces
Why don’t clouds fall to the ground?
Updrafts support them and gravity is not strong enough to pull them down
A constructed wetland cleans water using…
Plants, microorganisms, and soil
Absolute humidity measures…
The amount of water vapor in a given volume of air
What percentage of Earth's water is found in the ocean?
About 97%
How does air temperature affect the rate of evaporation and transpiration?
Higher temperatures increase the rate at which they happen
What is fog?
Water droplets suspended in the air near the ground
How do engineers evaluate competing design solutions?
Using criteria and constraints to test performance
Why does relative humidity change with temperature?
Warmer air can hold more water vapor, so the ratio of actual water vapor to capacity changes
Describe the steps of the water cycle.
Water evaporates or transpires into the atmosphere, condenses into clouds, falls as precipitation, flows via runoff or infiltration back into bodies of water and groundwater.
Why is transpiration similar to evaporation
Both involve water changing from liquid to gas
What forms of water make up clouds?
Liquid water droplets or ice crystals
What are some constraints in engineering design for wastewater treatment?
constraints are limitations like cost, space and time.
What is the formula for relative humidity?
Water vapor in air / maximum water vapor air can hold) × 100