💧 CATEGORY 1: WATER CYCLE
What provides the energy that keeps Earth’s water cycle going?
The Sun.
Approximately what percentage of Earth’s water is freshwater?
3%.
What does salinity measure?
The amount of salt in water.
What causes ocean tides?
Gravity.
What is desalination?
The process of removing salt from saltwater to produce freshwater.
Identify the process in which water vapor cools and changes into tiny liquid droplets.
Condensation.
Identify two places where most of Earth’s freshwater is stored.
Glaciers/ice caps and underground (aquifers).
Is ocean water generally warmer near the equator or near the poles?
Near the equator.
What do wind and waves do to ocean water?
They mix ocean water.
What is a reservoir used for?
Collecting and storing water for future use.
Name the four main stages of the water cycle in order.
Evaporation → Condensation → Precipitation → Collection.
What is an aquifer?
An underground layer of rock or sediment that stores groundwater.
Explain why deep ocean water is usually colder than water near the surface.
Less sunlight reaches deep ocean water.
What is the role of ocean currents?
Currents move warm and cold water around the ocean.
Identify one thing that can cause beaches to shrink.
Erosion or rising sea levels.
Explain how wind plays a role in the water cycle.
Wind moves clouds from one place to another, allowing precipitation to fall in different locations.
Describe two important ways wetlands help the environment.
Wetlands provide habitats for animals and help clean polluted water.
Freshwater from a river flows into the ocean. What happens to the salinity of the ocean water nearby? Explain why.
Salinity decreases because freshwater mixes with the saltwater.
Explain the difference between ocean currents and tides.
Currents move water around the ocean, while tides cause water to rise and fall because of gravity.
Oil spills onto land near a river. Explain how this could affect animals living in the ocean.
Oil can wash into the river, travel to the ocean, and harm marine animals.
Explain how evaporation and condensation are different. What happens to water during each process?
During evaporation, liquid water changes into water vapor (gas). During condensation, water vapor cools and changes back into tiny liquid droplets.
Earth has a large amount of water, but not all of it is available for people to use. Explain TWO reasons why freshwater is limited.
Much of Earth’s freshwater is frozen or difficult to reach underground. Some freshwater is also polluted or unevenly distributed.
Two ocean locations have different water temperatures. One is near the equator, and the other is near the poles. Explain why their temperatures are different.
The equator receives more direct sunlight, making the water warmer. Near the poles, sunlight is more spread out, so the water is colder.
On Tuesday, the ocean water near a beach was 27°C. On Thursday, it was 30°C. Identify ONE possible reason the water temperature increased.
More direct sunlight, less wind mixing cooler water, or a warmer ocean current moving into the area.
A community wants to protect its freshwater supply. Explain THREE different actions it could take to store, save, and protect water.