The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

Learning Targets

• Describe the processes that move water through the water cycle (solid earth, oceans, atmosphere, and living organisms), using energy from the sun

• Identify the different reservoirs (sources) of water on Earth.

Biogeochemical Cycles

What does biogeochemical mean?
Something that has components of biology (life), geology (earth), and chemistry (chemical substances).

What are cycles?

A series of change which comes back to the starting point and is repeated. The is no end.

Biogeochemical cycles are pathways by which chemical substances move throughout Earth’s systems.

Did you know???

IMPORTANT – We will talk about water moving through the cycle, but remember: MOST water (96.5%) is stored in the oceans at any given time.

Multiple Choice

What is the main energy source the water cycle depends on?

• Coal
• The sun
• Wind
• Nuclear power

Evaporation

When a liquid (water) turns into a gas at a temperature below the boiling point.

IMPORTANT: This is the main way water moves from oceans, lakes, ponds, into the atmosphere.

​Evaporation

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Transpiration

When plants release water into the atmosphere from their leaves.

Important but a much smaller amount of water enters the atmosphere this way

​Transpiration

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Evaporation vs Transpiration

Notice, the water is evaporating from a body of water where transpiration is water is released directly from a plant

BOTH add water to the atmosphere

​Evaporation

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Transpiration

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between evaporation and transpiration?

• Evaporation and transpiration both occur from water bodies
• Evaporation occurs from plants, while transpiration occurs from water bodies
• Evaporation occurs from water bodies, while transpiration occurs from plants.
• Evaporation and transpiration both occur from animals

Condensation

When a gas (water vapor) is transformed into a liquid – This forms clouds.

High in the atmosphere, the water vapor cools and condenses back into water droplets

​Condensation

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Precipitation

Water that falls from clouds due to gravity, in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc. back down to Earth's surface.

Precipitation transports water back into the ocean and onto land.

​Precipitation

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Precipitation

The type of precipitation (rain, hail, sleet, snow) depends on temperature

Infiltration

When precipitation is soaked up by the soil.

Water then can travel deeper(due to gravity) to be stored as ground water (like our aquifer) or will move to a nearby body of water

​Infiltration

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Runoff

Water that falls as precipitation on Earth’s surface and moves on the surface of Earth.

​Runoff

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Labeling

Label the diagram of the water cycle provided

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Precipitation

Condensation

Transpiration

Evaporation

Multiple Choice

When water vapor is cooled and forms droplets of liquid water

• Solidification
• Condensation
• Evaporation
• Sublimation

Multiple Choice

What is water that flows in rivers and streams into the oceans and lakes?

• Condensation

• Evaporation

• Precipitation

• Runoff

Multiple Choice

Puddles that disappear on a hot day is an example of......

• Condensation
• Precipitation
• Transpiration

• Evaporation

Where do we find water on Earth?

•Oceans

•Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams

•Ice sheets and glaciers

•Ground

•Atmosphere

•Living organisms

*We call these different locations where water is stored reservoirs.