Water

​Water you waiting for...

Multiple Choice

What percentage of Earth is covered by water?

• 50%

• 60%

• 70%

• 80%

Multiple Choice

How many states (forms) can water be found as?

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

Explained...

Water is an amazing element. It is unique because it can be naturally found as a solid, liquid or gas. As lakes, oceans, rivers and streams increase in temperature, some water will change from liquid to gas, collecting together into clouds of moisture. As these clouds float over cooler seas or land, some of the moisture falls as rain or snow. Rain and snow that falls on the land either seeps into low places – feeding aquifers and groundwater tables –or flows down hill, forming headwaters. These headwaters flow into streams, which in turn flow into rivers or lakes. Eventually, these waters flow to the sea, starting the cycle over again.

Multiple Choice

What percentage of the water on Earth is 'freshwater'?

• 3%

• 10%

• 15%

• 50%

• 90%

Finite Water

Answer Explained

Fresh water is vital to life and yet it is a finite resource. Of all the water on Earth, just 3% is fresh water. Although critical to natural and human communities, fresh water is threatened by many factors...

Explained..

Water can be broadly separated into salt water and fresh water. Salt water is 97% of all water and is found mostly in our oceans and seas. Fresh water is found in glaciers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands and even groundwater. These freshwater habitats are less than 1% of the world’s total surface area yet house 10% of all known animals and up to 40% of all known fish species. Despite their importance to life as a drinking water source, sustaining crops through irrigation, providing food in the form of fish, powering homes through dams and moving goods by barges –freshwater habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Multiple Choice

What is the 'water cycle'?

• The water cycle is a mystical journey undertaken by water droplets seeking their true purpose in life. They start as confused raindrops, evaporate into existential vapor, gather as a group of self-aware clouds, and finally find enlightenment when they fall as rain again.

• The water cycle is a secret dance performed by water molecules when nobody is watching. They pirouette in the sky, do somersaults in the ocean, and twerk in the rivers, all while maintaining perfect coordination.

• The water cycle is the continuous process by which water circulates between the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and back again. It involves evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff, ensuring the availability of freshwater for various ecosystems.

• The water cycle is an ancient, mythical creature that controls the weather. It has a mischievous personality and loves to play tricks on humans. It creates rainbows to distract us, summons thunderstorms when it's feeling angry, and occasionally hides lakes and rivers just for fun.

​The way that water travels from the earth’s surface to the sky and then back to the earth’s surface is called the water cycle. The water cycle has no start or end, but is always moving water around the earth. The sun is what keeps the water cycle going round and around.

The sun’s heat warms water in oceans, rivers, lakes and even from ground surfaces. Some of this water then turns into a gas, or water vapour and rises into the air to form clouds, which are made from millions and millions of water droplets. This process is called evaporation.

Evaporation

Over 80% of the water vapour in the atmosphere is from water evaporated from the oceans. When this water evaporates the substances dissolved in it (like salt) remain behind.

Draw

Draw Evaportation

Multiple Choice

What is transpiration?

• Transpiration is when plants magically turn water into colorful bubbles that float away into the sky. It's like a plant's secret way of making wishes!

• Transpiration is a superpower possessed by plants, where they release tiny droplets of water through their leaves, just like a plant's own version of sweating.

• Transpiration is when plants become thirsty and start singing to call rain clouds. Their melodic tunes attract the clouds, and when the clouds hear the plants' song, they shower the plants with rain.

• Transpiration is the process by which plants release water vapor into the air through tiny holes in their leaves called stomata. It's like plants taking a deep breath and exhaling water vapor, similar to how we breathe out when we exhale. This helps the plants stay cool, just like how sweating helps us cool down on a hot day.

Transpiration

What is it?

Plants drink water up through their roots and release water vapour through their leaves. This process is called transpiration and this water vapour also travels up to the clouds.

Condensation

Explained

Condensation is like magic happening in the air. You know how when you breathe out on a cold day, you can see your breath? That's because when warm air comes out of your mouth and meets the cold air, it turns into tiny water droplets that you can see. That's condensation!

Condensation

Condensation also happens with clouds. When the warm air from the Earth goes up high in the sky, it gets cooler and cooler. Just like when you blow on a mirror, the warm air turns into tiny water droplets. These droplets gather together to make clouds. It's like a big group of water droplets having a cloud party!

Condensation

And when the clouds get really full of water droplets, they can't hold all of them anymore. That's when it starts raining! The water droplets in the clouds join together and become bigger and bigger until they are too heavy to stay in the cloud. They fall down to the ground as rain, and that's how we get rainstorms!

Precipitation

When the clouds in the sky get really full of water droplets, they become too heavy to stay up there. It's like a big water balloon that bursts! So, the water droplets start to fall from the clouds and come down to the ground. That's precipitation happening!

Sometimes, when it's really cold up in the sky, the water droplets freeze and turn into tiny ice crystals. Those ice crystals come down as snowflakes, and we get snow! It's like nature's way of giving us a soft, white blanket.

Precipitation

And when it's not too cold or too warm, we get regular rain. Raindrops are like little water balls that fall from the clouds and make everything wet. It's important for plants, animals, and even us humans to have rain because it helps things grow and keeps the Earth happy.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is NOT a form of precipitation?

• Rain

• Hail

• Fog

• Snow

Precipitation

Snow and hail are like frozen rain. Sleet is like slushy snow, it falls as rain and freezes on the way down from the clouds. On average, water will stay in a cloud for 8-10 days before falling as precipitation.

Open Ended

In your own words, describe the water cycle. Try to use as much scientific language as possible.

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