water cycle
What role does the Sun play in the water cycle?
Heats up water and causes evaporation
What is one way that people participate in the water cycle?
Using water in homes or drinking it
What would happen to a wetland ecosystem if there was no precipitation for several months?
Water levels would drop, hurting plants and animals
What happens when fossil fuels are burned?
Carbon stored underground is released into the atmosphere
Is decomposition a carbon source or a carbon sink?
carbon source
What happens to some of the rain after it falls to the ground?
It soaks into the ground and refills the underground water.
How does the water cycle support living things?
It moves freshwater into ecosystems where organisms need it
How do living and nonliving systems work together in the water cycle?
plants release water vapor into the air during transpiration
How do living things return carbon to the atmosphere?
by breathing out
Is burning fossil fuels a carbon source or a carbon sink
carbon source
Why is the water cycle important for living things?
It keeps water moving through the environment so organisms can survive.
Which of the following shows how water moves between Earth’s systems in the cycle?
water evaporates from the lake into the air atmosphere
What change would most affect both biotic and abiotic parts of the water cycle?
A long drought that reduces rainfall across a region.
How does sedimentation help store carbon?
It buries dead organisms, trapping carbon underground.
Does photosynthesis capture or release carbon?
What percentage of Earth’s water is freshwater that is easily available for use?
Less than 1%
Which part of the water cycle would be affected first if the Sun stopped shining?
eviporation
What is the role of carbon in living organisms?
It forms the basic building blocks of materials in cells.
Which of these is a carbon release process that happens naturally?
volcanic activity
Does volcanic eruption capture or release carbon
it releases carbon
What two forces help to move water through the water cycle?
Sunlight and gravity
Dr. Sparks said that scientists use technology like satellites to study Earth from above.
Why are satellites useful for scientists when studying the movement of water through the water cycle?
To track how water moves and where it goes
What is the role of carbon in living organisms?
It forms the basic building blocks of materials in cells
Why can ocean absorption become harmful over time?
The ocean becomes too acidic for marine life.
Are trees a carbon source or a carbon sink?
carbon sink