The Water Cycle

•Describes the movement of water on, in, and above the earth•Water is always changing and moving from one place to another•This cycle is made up of a few main parts:

•Precipitation•Infiltration•Runoff•Transpiration•Evaporation•Water Vapor•Condensation•Collection

•The repeating change of water on the Earth creates a cycle• As water goes through its cycle, it can be a solid (ice), a liquid (water), or a gas (water vapor)•Ice can change to become water or water vapor•Water can change to become ice or water vapor•Water vapor can change to become ice or water.

• Happens when the temperature and the atmospheric pressure are right

• The small droplets of water in clouds form larger droplets and precipitation occurs. The raindrops fall to earth.

• Occurs when so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore

• The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow

• Click the speaker below to hear rain falling

•Rain: Sleet:

•Snow: Hail:

•Important process where rain water soaks into the ground, through the soil and underlying rock layers•The flow of water from the ground surface into the ground•Once infiltrated, the water becomes soil moisture or groundwater

•Movement of water underground is called groundwater flow

•Groundwater slowly moves through the spaces and cracks between the soil particles on its journey to lower elevations

•The movement of land water to the oceans, mainly in the form of rivers, lakes, and streams•Consists of precipitation that neither evaporates, transpires nor penetrates the surface to become groundwater•Excess runoff can lead to flooding, which occurs when there is too much precipitation

• Process that happens through plants• As plants absorb water from the soil, the water moves

from the roots through the stems to the leaves• Once the water reaches the leaves, some of it

evaporates from the leaves, adding to the amount of water vapor in the air.

• The process where a liquid, in this case water, changes from its liquid state to a gaseous state.

• The sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam.

• The water vapor or steam then leaves the river, lake, or ocean and goes into the air.

• Water in its gaseous state-instead of liquid or solid (ice)

• Totally invisible• Extremely important to the weather and

climate– Without out it, there would be no clouds or rain or

snow– All of the water vapor that evaporates from the

surface of the Earth eventually returns as precipitation - rain or snow

•Formation of liquid drops from water vapor•Occurs when a parcel of rising air expands and cools•Responsible for the formation of clouds

•These clouds may produce precipitation, which is the primary route for water to return to the Earth's surface within the water cycle

• When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land

• When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and animals use to drink.

• It may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts all over again.

•Adding or subtracting heat makes the cycle work. •If heat is added to ice, it melts. If heat is added to water, it evaporates.

•Evaporation turns liquid water into a gas called water vapor.If heat is taken away from water vapor, it condenses.

• Condensation turns water vapor into a liquid.

•If heat is taken away from liquid water, it freezes to become ice.

• Humans use water for drinking, respiration, perspiration, and elimination of wastes are all part of this cycle

• Large amounts of water are needed for most economic activities: agriculture and mining, food processing, manufacturing

• Lakes and rivers provide towns and cities with a means of discharging wastes

• Generation of electricity from thermal power plants

• Waterways provide transportation• Recreational activities• Some people view the rivers and large lakes

of this country as a part of their own identity• AND MUCH MORE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1oCoKj7b2o

Click the link below

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=53bdf2518c53ddf3bce6

Click the link below to sing about the water cycle.

•The water cycle is called the hydrologic cycle. In the hydrologic cycle, water from oceans, lakes, swamps, rivers, plants, and even you, can turn into water vapor. •Water vapor condenses into millions of tiny droplets that form clouds.• Clouds lose their water as rain or snow, which is called precipitation. •Precipitation is either absorbed into the ground or runs off into rivers. •Water that was absorbed into the ground is taken up by plants.• Plants lose water from their surfaces as vapor back into the atmosphere.• Water that runs off into rivers flows into ponds, lakes, or oceans where it evaporates back into the atmosphere.•The cycle continues.

Precipitation

Runoff

Infiltration

Groundwater flow

Condensation

Evaporation

Lets label the Water Cycle together!

• The Water Cycle. Enchanted Learning. 1999-2008. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/watercycle.shtml

• Water Cycle. Wikipedia. 2008. http://en.wkipedia.org/wiki/water_cycle

• The Water Cycle. DLTK’s Sights. 1998-2007. http://www.kidzone.ws/water/

• You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/