Water Cycle Basics
The process where liquid water turns into water vapor
What is evaporation?
This provides the energy that drives the water cycle.
What is the sun?
The system that includes all the water on Earth
What is the hydrosphere?
The percentage of Earth’s water found in oceans.
What is 97%
The water we use for drinking, bathing, and cooking comes from this cycle.
What is the water cycle?
The process where water vapor cools and turns into liquid, forming clouds.
What is condensation?
The layer of gases surrounding Earth where water vapor moves.
What is the atmosphere?
The system that includes land, rocks, and soil.
What is the geosphere?
The type of water that makes up glaciers and ice caps.
What is freshwater?
Cutting down too many trees can reduce this water cycle process.
What is transpiration?
Water falling from clouds as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
What is precipitation?
When air cools, this happens to water vapor, leading to cloud formation.
What is condensation?
The system that includes all living things
What is the biosphere?
This part of the water cycle helps clean water naturally as it moves through soil and rocks.
What is infiltration?
Pollution in the air can mix with precipitation to create this harmful rain.
What is acid rain?
The process where water gathers in lakes, rivers, and oceans.
What is accumulation/collection?
This type of precipitation occurs when raindrops freeze before hitting the ground.
What is sleet?
The movement of water shaping the land through erosion is an interaction between these two Earth systems.
What are the hydrosphere and geosphere?
The same water on Earth today was also here when these ancient animals lived.
What are dinosaurs?
Building too many roads and sidewalks can prevent this process where water soaks into the ground.
What is infiltration?
Plants release water vapor into the air through this process
What is transpiration?
The water cycle is responsible for making this form of water that we drink.
What is freshwater?
When plants release water into the air, these two systems are interacting.
What are the biosphere and atmosphere?
The largest source of evaporation in the world.
What are oceans?
This human impact can speed up evaporation and change weather patterns.
What is climate change/global warming?