Water Cycle

Energy Source The SUN is the driving force of the water cycle

Evaporation Water moving from a liquid to a gas ENERGY PUT IN = HEATED UP

Condensation Water moving from a gas to a liquid ENERGY TAKEN OUT = COOLED DOWN

Precipitation Water condensing in a cloud and falling to the Earth ENERGY TAKEN OUT = COOLED DOWN Rain, snow, sleet, hail

Transpiration Plants and animals losing water vapor into the atmosphere ENERGY PUT IN = HEATED UP

Sublimation Water moving from a solid to a gas skipping the liquid stage ENERGY PUT IN = HEATED UP Happens high in the mountains

Runoff Water flowing on the surface of Earth to a lower area Caused by gravity

Infiltration Water soaking into the ground from the surface Depends on how porous the soil is

Ground Water Any water stored below the surface of the Earth

Aquifer A Collection of groundwater storage

Water Table The top of the aquifer Changes in depth from place to place

Flooding Occurs when the ground cannot absorb any more water Too frozen or saturated Rains too much, too fast

Efficiency of the Water Cycle There is the same amount of water on Earth today as there was 1000 years ago

Water Facts Only 3% of all the water on Earth is freshwater (97% is ocean water) Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid, including sulfuric acid 30% of all freshwater is underground The water found in lakes, streams, rivers, swamps and ponds makes up only 0.3% of the world’s fresh water 68% of all fresh water is trapped in glaciers

Water Facts Approximately 70% of the human body is water The average American uses 100 gallons of water per day Approximately 400 billion gallons of water are used in the United States daily Americans use more water each day by flushing the toilet than showering or any other activity Europeans use 50% less water than Americans

Water Facts More than 25% of bottled water comes from the same place that tap water comes from It takes 6.5 years for an American household to use the amount of water that it takes to fill an Olympic swimming pool (660,000 gallons) It takes 7.5 years for an American household to use the amount of water that falls over Niagara Falls in 1 minute (750,000 gallons) http://www.allaboutwater.org/water-facts.html