Understanding The Water Cycle

1. Understanding The Water Cycle Water, water everywhere!

2. The Earth’s Water • Water covers about 70% of the earth • Of the earth’s water, 80% is in the oceans • The rest of the earth’s water is in the: • Polar Ice Caps • Lakes, rivers, and streams • Glaciers

3. Where does Rain Come from? • All water on Earth is linked through the Water Cycle • The Water Cycle is how water moves over the Earth’s surface

4. Evaporation • The Sun heats up bodies of water small or large • As water heats up it Evaporates • When water evaporates it turns into Water Vapor • The water vapor rises in the heated air into the sky

5. Condensation • As the water vapor rises in the sky it condenses • Condensation occurs as water molecules attach themselves to dust particles and other water molecules • When enough water molecules attach themselves together the form clouds

6. Precipitation • When clouds get too heavy with water molecules the water breaks free and falls to the Earth as Precipitation • Precipitation can fall as: • Rain Snow Sleet Hail (Ice)

7. Recycling the Earth’s Water • When precipitation falls into the oceans it is mixed with the existing water • When precipitation falls over land it collects in lakes, rivers and steams • This water is eventually Recycled to the Earth’s oceans

8. Summary • The Earth’s water cycle is how water moves over the Earth • There are four main parts • Evaporation • Condensation • Precipitation • Recycling More Information