The Water CycleThe Water Cycle

By: Shana ThayaBy: Shana Thaya

Water never leaves the Earth. It is Water never leaves the Earth. It is constantly being cycled through the constantly being cycled through the atmosphere, ocean, and land. This atmosphere, ocean, and land. This process, known as the process, known as the water cyclewater cycle, is , is driven by energy from the sun. The water driven by energy from the sun. The water cycle is crucial to the existence of life on cycle is crucial to the existence of life on our planet. our planet.

Water Cycle Fun Facts

• Water is essential to our planet’s life and without it nothing could survive! The globe is two thirds covered by water, but 93% is ocean water, toxic to humans, plants and animals.

• There is the same amount of water on earth now as there was when dinosaurs existed a millions of years ago. The water keeps moving in a cycle; it evaporates from rivers, lakes and ocean. The vapour from evaporation and condensation forms the clouds in the sky and then returns to the earth as rain, snow, sleet or hail. The Earth’s water supply is made up of 97% of oceans, 2% of icecaps/glaciers, 1% fresh ground water.

• Water is the only thing that can be either a gas/liquid/solid. In twenty-minutes a thunderstorm can send down over one hundred twenty-five million gallons of water! The best part about water cycle is that you can start a diagram/ anything at any stage because it is always circling around…!

The Water CycleThe Water Cycle

During part of the water cycle, the sun heats up liquid water and changes it to a gas by the process of evaporation. Water that evaporates from Earth’s oceans, lakes, rivers, and moist soil rises up into the atmosphere.

The process of evaporation from plants The process of evaporation from plants is called is called transpirationtranspiration. (In other words, . (In other words, it’s like plants sweating.)it’s like plants sweating.)

As water (in the form of gas) rises higher in the atmosphere, it starts to cool and become a liquid again. This process is called condensation. When a large amount of water vapor condenses, it results in the formation of clouds.

When the water in the clouds gets too heavy, the water falls back to the earth. This is called precipitation.

When rain falls on the land, some of the water is absorbed into the ground forming pockets of water called groundwater. Most groundwater eventually returns to the ocean. Other precipitation runs directly into streams or rivers. Water that collects in rivers, streams, and oceans is called runoff.

Water Cycle Diagram

Thank you for listening…Hope you have learned

something new!