34: The Water Cycle Flashcards
What is evaporation?
water molecules go from a liquid state to a gas state
- water to water vapor
- water vapor rises with the air that has been heated on the surface
What is condensation?
as the water vapor rises, the temperature cools and the vapor condenses around microscopic dust particles to form little water droplets that form clouds
- water is back into liquid form
- if cold enough, they may also form small ice crystals
What is transportation?
clouds move with the wind; move all those droplets with the overall wind
What is precipitation?
when droplets get heavy enough, they will precipitate down to ocean, mountain, or land
- if air is cold enough and the right conditions are met, the precipitation may be snow (could stay as snow or ice, or melt)
- most water will percolate down to soil
What is runoff?
water that is not absorbed by the ground and remains on surface and travels
What is snow melt run off?
snow melts and flows down mountain as it cannot absorb water; can form rivers
What is percolation?
movement of water through the soil; most water will percolate down into soil
- a lot more water in ground
What is plant uptake?
plants take up water from the upper soil and use it to transport nutrients up into the leaves
- a lot of it gets transpired out
What is transpiration?
evaporation of water out of plant leaves
What is sublimation?
solid form of water (ex: ice) to the gas form of water (water vapor)
- happens in situations where it is cold and very dry, low pressure
What is the distribution of water?
- fresh water: 2.5%
- lakes and rivers: 0.3%
- groundwater: 30.8%
- glaciers and Permanent Snow Cover: 68.9% - saltwater: 97.5%
How long do water molecules stay in different stages?
longest to shortest
- glaciers –> groundwater –> oceans –> lakes –> swamps –> soil –> rivers –> atmospheric –> biospheric (in living organisms)
