Is water a renewable resource? Hydrologic cycle Is water a renewable resource?

Water flow . http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/shorelines/program-update/shoreline-ecology/hydrologic-cycle.aspx

What is the hydrologic cycle? Hydrologic cycle as an ecological function The hydrologic -- or water -- cycle is the continuous movement of water between the earth and the atmosphere. Water reaches land as precipitation such as rain and snow. Then the water evaporates, condenses in the atmosphere to form clouds, and falls to the earth again as precipitation, continuing the cycle. When water falls to the ground it can collect on the land becoming streams, rivers, lakes, or soaks in to the ground to become groundwater. Plants take up groundwater either using it or releasing it to the atmosphere. http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/shorelines/program-update/shoreline-ecology/hydrologic-cycle.aspx

Why is the hydrologic cycle important? The hydrologic cycle is important because it is how water reaches plants, animals and us! Besides providing people, animals and plants with water, it also moves things like nutrients, pathogens and sediment in and out of aquatic ecosystems. http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/shorelines/program-update/shoreline-ecology/hydrologic-cycle.aspx

Ways in which the hydrologic cycle is affected One of the ways that water moves through the cycle is through its ability to permeate, or soak, into the soil. There are four key areas that impact that part of the cycle: 1. changes in the ability of soil to soak up water through increases of impervious surfaces, like roads and buildings, and removal of forest cover; 2. water withdrawals or impoundments (such as through wells or dams) 3. filling depressional wetlands; 4. and altering stream flows and beds. http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/shorelines/program-update/shoreline-ecology/hydrologic-cycle.aspx

Other examples . http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.louisianacoastalwetlands.com/20070804%2520hydrologic%2520cycle%2520diagram(5).jpg&imgrefurl=http://louisianacoastalwetlands.com/2007/08/mississippi-river-created-louisiana-coastal-land/&h=288&w=360&sz=139&tbnid=axkklOC-_S9THM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhydrologic%2Bcycle%2Bdiagram&zoom=1&q=hydrologic+cycle+diagram&hl=en&usg=__YeQNiDFz_CdY8rH65W4CP2zBFOU=&sa=X&ei=Ts6DTMSILIKClAeVm-i3Dw&ved=0CB0Q9QEwAQ

Other examples . http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect14/originals/Fig14_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect14/Sect14_1.html&h=318&w=420&sz=95&tbnid=vUehFFnpEARUvM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhydrologic%2Bcycle%2Bdiagram&zoom=1&q=hydrologic+cycle+diagram&hl=en&usg=__OPRSD_meom4542rJ2bvE6k_TUQw=&sa=X&ei=Ts6DTMSILIKClAeVm-i3Dw&ved=0CB8Q9QEwAg

Water flow http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

More notes Earth's water is always in movement, and the water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Although the balance of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and go in a hurry. Since the water cycle is truly a "cycle," there is no beginning or end. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and ice at various places in the water cycle, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

Water Q and A (write your answers) 1. What is most of the freshwater in the U.S. used for? 2. Which states use the most water? 3. Which states irrigated the most? 4. Where did this water come from and how was it used? 5. How much water is used to produce power in the U.S.? 6. Does the U.S. produce any power using steam energy? 7. What about hydroelectric power? 8. Water is used for "fish farming?" The U.S. grows fish? 9. Is saline water used for anything? 10. How important is ground water? http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qausage.html

Question #1 What is most of the freshwater in the U.S. used for? Irrigation: 40 percent Thermoelectric power: 39 percent Public Supply: 13 percent Industry: 5 percent Livestock, aquaculture: less than 1 percent Domestic (self-supplied): 1 percent Mining: 1 percent

2. Which states use the most water? In 2000, California alone accounted for almost 11 percent of all freshwater used in the United States. After California was Texas, Idaho, and Illinois, which together accounted for 28 percent of all fresh water used in the U.S. Most of the water used in California was for crop irrigation. In fact, 22 percent of all the Nation's irrigation water used was in California. California, Michigan, and Florida used the most water for household (domestic) purposes.

3. Which states irrigated the most? California led the Nation in acres irrigated, about 10,100,000, which was over 16 percent of the national total. Nebraska was next, irrigating about 7,420,000 acres, followed by Texas at about 6,490,000 acres.

4. Where did this water come from and how was it used? In 2000, about 56,900 million gallons per day were withdrawn from the ground for irrigation, whereas about 89,700 million gallons per day were taken from surface-water sources. A small amount of treated (reclaimed) wastewater coming from sewage-treatment plants was used for irrigation (no, not on food crops!).

5. How much water is used to produce power in the U.S.? In 2000, about 136,000 million gallons of fresh water and 59,500 million gallons of saline water each day were used in the thermoelectric power-production process. Well over 99 percent of water used is from surface-water sources, rather than from ground-water sources.

6. Does the U.S. produce any power using steam energy? Yes, but not very much. In 1995, power produced by using the earth's steam, called geothermal power, totaled about 6,100 gigawatt hours, which is about 0.2-percent of the Nation's total power production. Only about 59 million gallons per day of water was used in this process. Iceland makes great use of its geothermal resources.

7. What about hydroelectric power? Power produced by hydroelectric plants was a significant source of energy for the U.S. in 1995. About 310,000 gigawatt hours of power was produced, which was about 12 percent of the Nation's total power output. Hydroelectric power is an "instream use" of water, that is, water flowing in a river or from a reservoir is used to turn a turbine to produce energy, so water is not actually "withdrawn."

8. Water is used for "fish farming?" The U.S. grows fish? Fish farming is a big business in some places. There are large catfish farms in Arkansas and Mississippi. In 2000, Idaho used about 1,970 million gallons of water per day to grow trout, and accounted for a large percentage of the world's farm-raised trout. In Louisiana, more than 50 times more water is used for fish farming than is used for animals that produce meat, poultry, and milk.

9. Is saline water used for anything? In 2000, the U.S. used about 62 billion gallons per day of saline water, which was about 15 percent of all water used. But saline water can only be used for certain purposes. The main use was for thermoelectric power-plant cooling.

10. How important is ground water? Ground water, which is in aquifers below the surface of the Earth, is one of the Nation's most important natural resources. Ground water is the source of about 37 percent of the water that county and city water departments supply to households and businesses (public supply). It provides drinking water for more than 90 percent of the rural population who do not get their water delivered to them from a county/city water department or private water company.

10. How important is ground water? Even some major cities, such as San Antonio, Texas, rely solely on ground water for all their needs. About 42 percent of the water used for irrigation comes from ground water. Withdrawals of ground water are expected to rise as the population increases and available sites for surface reservoirs become more limited.

FACT SHEET: The Water Cycle 1. Water covers three-fourths of the surface of the earth. 2. Earth is the only planet where water is found in all three physical forms: liquid, vapor and ice. 3. The water cycle is a continuous cycle; water travels from the ground up into the atmosphere and then back down to the ground again. 4. Another name for the water cycle is the hydrologic cycle. 5. The sun supplies the energy for the water cycle. 6. The process by which water evaporates from plant leaves to renew the water cycle is called transpiration.

FACT SHEET: The Water Cycle 7. Runoff is water from precipitation which drains off the land; it can form rivers and streams. 8. Groundwater is the water which is stored in underground spaces known as aquifers. 9. After water evaporates from the ground, it becomes water vapor; it then condenses into water droplets, forming clouds which then release the water as precipitation. 10. Ocean and sea water is saltwater; freshwater may be found in streams and rivers. 11. Water, a recyclable resource, is not produced, but renewed. http://www.aces.edu/crd/publications/wtrqlty/wq1.pdf

Animated cycle http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle

California’s Katrina http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=227069