1. Water Cycle (Also known as the hydrologic cycle)
The continuous process by which water moves from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back

2. Water Cycle

3. Water Vapor
Water Vapor is the invisible, gaseous form of water.

4. Water Vapor
Make sure you understand that fog and clouds are NOT water vapor, they are made of tiny droplets of condensed water. WATER VAPOR IS INVISIBLE
Photos by Rusty Sturken

5. Evaporation
The process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to a gas
EX: water water vapor
(liquid) (gas)

6. Evaporation

7. Transpiration
The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves

8. Transpiration

9. Condensation
The process by which a gas, such as water vapor, changes to a liquid, such as water
This is how clouds are formed

10. Condensation

11. Precipitation
Forms of water, such as rain, snow, sleet or hail that fall from clouds and reach Earth’s surface

12. Precipitation

13. Infiltration
Is when precipitation soak into the shallow soil layer, then seeps into streams or groundwater

15. Groundwater
Water that fills the cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers

16. Groundwater http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/images/hydrocyc.gif

17. Watershed The land area that supplies water to a river system
( think of “drainage basin”)

18. Watershed

19. Water Table
The top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater in an aquifer

20. Water Table

21. Aquifer
An underground layer of rock or soil that holds water

22. Aquifer