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Home , Aquifer, Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Rain, Solid Earth, Water (data page)

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE THE ’S

• HOW MUCH WATER IS ON OUR ? • 70% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE IS COVERED WITH WATER. • 97% OF THAT WATER IS SALTWATER • 3% IS FRESHWATER FRESHWATER ON EARTH

• 3% OF THE EARTH’S WATER IS FRESHWATER. • OF THAT 3%, ONLY 1% OF THE EARTH’S FRESHWATER IS FOUND ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE. • THE DISTRIBUTION OF EARTH’S FRESHWATER: • 1% IN AND , 30% IS , AND 68% IN CAPS AND . • GROUNDWATER- WATER THAT SOAKS INTO THE GROUND AND REMAINS IN THE GROUND. COMPONENTS OF THE EARTH SYSTEM

• EARTH SYSTEM- THE INTERACTION OF THE SPHERES OF THE EARTH. • THE SPHERES INVOLVED IN THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE ARE: • • • • • WHAT IS THE LITHOSPHERE?

• LITHOSPHERE-THE , . • ALSO KNOWN AS THE “ SPHERE” • THIS IS THE GROUND YOU ARE STANDING ON AND THE ROCK BELOW YOU. WHAT IS THE HYDROSPHERE?

• HYDROSPHERE- THE LIQUID ON EARTH, WATER. • ALSO KNOWN AS “WATER SPHERE”. • THIS INCLUDES ALL OF THE RIVERS, LAKES AND OF EARTH. WHAT IS THE CRYOSPHERE?

• CRYOSPHERE- THE ICY EARTH, ICE • ALSO KNOWN AS THE “ICY COLD SPHERE” • THIS IS THE FROZEN PART OF EARTH INCLUDING THE GLACIERS, , AND ICECAPS. WHAT IS THE BIOSPHERE?

• BIOSPHERE- THE PART OF THE EARTH WHERE YOU FIND LIVING THINGS, AND PARTS OF THE LITHOSPHERE, HYDROSPHERE, AND ATMOSPHERE. • ALSO KNOWN AS THE “ SPHERE” WHAT IS THE ATMOSPHERE?

• ATMOSPHERE- THE GASEOUS EARTH, AIR • ALSO KNOWN AS THE “AIR SPHERE” • THIS IS THE AIR THAT SURROUND THE EARTH WHAT IS THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE?

• HYDROLOGIC CYCLE- THE CYCLING OF WATER IN AND OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND BETWEEN ALL OF THE EARTH’S COMPONENTS. • THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE “” • ALL OF THE WATER ON OUR PLANET IS RECYCLED. EACH MOLECULE OF WATER IS RECYCLED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. • WATER IS THE PRIMARY MEDIUM BY WHICH AND MOVE AND ARE CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT THE EARTH’S COMPONENTS. THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE HOW DOES THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE WORK?

• WATER ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE BY AND BY FROM LEAVES. • EVAPORATION- PROCESS BY WHICH ENERGY FROM THE SUN CAUSES WATER ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH TO CHANGE TO , THE GAS PHASE OF WATER, THE FIRST STEP IN THE WATER CYCLE. • TRANSPIRATION- THE PROCESS BY WHICH MOISTURE IS CARRIED THROUGH FROM ROOTS TO SMALL PORES ON THE UNDERSIDE OF LEAVES, WHERE IT CHANGES TO VAPOR AND IS RELEASED TO THE ATMOSPHERE. • IT CONDENSES AND FALLS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AS . • - PROCESS BY WHICH WATER VAPOR CHANGES BACK INTO A LIQUID, THE SECOND STEP OF THE WATER CYCLE. • PRECIPITATION– THE PROCESS BY WHICH WATER RETURNS TO THE EARTH IN THE FORM OF , , SLEET, AND , THE THIRD STEP OF THE WATER CYCLE. HOW DOES THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE WORK?

• WHEN WATER FALLS AS PRECIPITATION ON LAND, IT FOLLOWS TWO POSSIBLE PATHWAYS: • IT RETURNS TO THE HYDROSPHERE BY FLOWING AS RUNOFF FROM THE LAND SURFACE INTO , RIVERS, LAKES, AND EVENTUALLY THE . • - WATER THAT ENTERS A OR AFTER A HEAVY RAIN OR DURING A THAW OF SNOW OR ICE. • IT RETURNS TO THE LITHOSPHERE BY INTO THE GROUND BECOMING , WATER, OR GROUND WATER. THIS INFILTRATION HAPPENS WHEN WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE PORE ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE. • INFILTRATION- FLOW OF WATER FROM THE SURFACE INTO THE GROUND. ONCE ITS IN THE GROUND, IT BECOMES OR GROUNDWATER. • PORE SPACE- SPACE BETWEEN OF SOIL. WATER MOVES THROUGH DIFFERENT DURING THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

• DURING THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE, WATER GOES THROUGH ALL THREE PHASES OF MATTER: • SOLID • WATER CAN FREEZE TO SNOW, HAIL, OR SLEET • LIQUID • WATER FALLS AS RAIN, AND BECOMES LIQUID DURING CONDENSATION • GAS • WATER BECOMES A GAS WHEN IT EVAPORATES WHAT IS NEEDED IN ORDER FOR THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE TO OCCUR? ENERGY THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE AND ENERGY

• WATER GAINS ENERGY: • DURING EVAPORATION • WATER RELEASES ENERGY: • DURING CONDENSATION • THAT ENERGY RELEASE FORMS TWO MAJOR FORCES DRIVE THE WATER CYCLE

GRAVITY (PRECIPITATION) (EVAPORATION) WHERE DOES THE WATER GO AFTER PRECIPITATION?

• ABOUT 76% OF THE WATER IS LOST TO EVAPORATION AND IMMEDIATELY REPEATS THE CYCLE • 32% RUN-OFF AND ENTERS RIVERS, LAKES, STREAMS, AND THE OCEAN • A SMALL PERCENT INFILTRATES INTO THE GROUNDWATER WHERE DO YOU THINK THE CYCLE BEGINS AND ENDS? THEY HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE AND

• CONTAMINATION CAN OCCUR WITHIN ANY STEP OF THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE. • GROUNDWATER IS EASILY CONTAMINATED AS POLLUTION PRESENT IN THE SOIL OR IS SPILLED ON THE GROUND SURFACE THEN MOVES INTO THE GROUND WATER AND IMPACTS NUMEROUS WATER SOURCES. • CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER PLACES WHERE CONTAMINATION WOULD OCCUR? OTHER TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THIS UNIT

• WATERSHED- LAND AREA IN WHICH SURFACE RUNOFF DRAINS INTO A RIVER OR A SYSTEM OF RIVERS AND STREAMS. • RESERVOIR- ARTIFICIAL USED AS A SOURCE OF FRESHWATER. • PERMEABLE- TERM USED TO DESCRIBE MATERIAL THROUGH WHICH WATER CAN MOVE QUICKLY. • IMPERMEABLE- TERM USED TO DESCRIBE MATERIAL THROUGH WHICH WATER CANNOT MOVE QUICKLY • ZONE OF SATURATION- UNDERGROUND IN WHICH ALL THE PORES ARE FILLED WITH WATER. • ZONE OF AERATION- RELATIVELY DRY UNDERGROUND REGION IN WHICH THE PORES ARE FILLED MOSTLY WITH AIR. OTHER TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THIS UNIT

• - SURFACE BETWEEN THE ZONE OF SATURATION AND THE ZONE OF AERATION THAT MARKS THE LEVEL BELOW WHICH THE GROUND IS SATURATED, OR SOAKED WITH WATER. • - LAYER OF ROCK OR THAT ALLOWS GROUND WATER TO PASS FREELY.