Water Cycle and Weather

Mrs. Cordt’s class is studying evaporation. They place salt water in a container. They leave the container open for 3 weeks and observe the amount of water each day. What is the dependent variable?

• salt

• type of container

• surface on which it is placed

• amount of water in the container

Maria’s class is studying the water cycle. Maria draws a diagram of the cycle shown below.

• condensation

• evaporation

• infiltration

• precipitation

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

The people of Lave Havasu rely on runoff flowing into a lake to meet their water needs. They are concerned that there is less water in the lake this year than in the previous year. How can they collect data to test if their concerns about the lake’s water level are valid?

• measure the lake’s water density

• measure the lake’s current height a given location and compare it to the height at the same location the previous year

• measure the temperature of the air to determine how fast the water is evaporating

• measure the amount of rainfall in the city using rain gauges and compare it to last year

The fifth-grade class is studying the water cycle. Mrs. Montano draws a model of the cycle as shown in the figure below. The arrows indicate the direction of water movement within this water cycle model.

What can the class conclude about the oceans’ role in the water cycle?

• The oceans play a key role in the water cycle as a source and a storage unit of water.

• The role of oceans is not as important as that of glaciers and ice sheets.

• The role of oceans is not very important because of their high salt content.

• The oceans’ role in the water cycle is not as important as the role of lakes and rivers that store fresh water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Xander is making a model to show how water can evaporate from the ocean. Xander filled a round tray with water. What should Xander do next to complete his model?

• Place a heat lamp above

  the tray.

• Stir the water in the tray each day.

• Reduce the temperature of

  the water.

• Add extra water to the tray each day

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Water on Earth constantly moves between Earth’s surface and its atmosphere. How does water enter the atmosphere?

• through runoff

• through evaporation

• through precipitation

• rough condensation

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Water exists in various states as it passes through the water cycle. Which form of water is the most abundant at any time in the water cycle?

• frozen ice

• water vapor

• liquid salt water

• liquid fresh water

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

On Earth, water is stored in many places. Some places store more water than others do. Look at the table below.

Which place stores most of the water on Earth?

• oceans

• atmosphere

• surface water

• icecaps and glaciers

The diagram below shows the water cycle. At which point does precipitation happen?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Water moves through the water cycle again and again over time. However, water may spend more time in storage during certain stages of the water cycle. Which of the following statements is most accurate?

• The air does not store any water

• The clouds do not store any water

• Glaciers store water for a short time.

• Aquifers store water for a long time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4