Water Cycle Flashcards
the only planet where water in its liquid form exists
Earth
in other planets, water occurs in the form of _____ or _____
ice, vapor
as seen from space, what are the colors of the earth?
blue and white
why is earth blue and white?
because of water, snow, ice. and clouds on its surface
The part of the earth’s subsystem containing the oceans, lakes, streams, underground water, and snow and ice
hydrosphere
makes up about 71% of the earth’s surface.
hydrosphere
However, _______ is also present in other subsystems.
water
It exists as water vapor in the atmosphere, as an important constituent of minerals in the geosphere; and a fundamental component of living organisms in the biosphere.
water
The existence of _______ in the different subsystems is part of the hydrologic cycle.
water
also known as water cycle, is the movement of water around the Earth’s surface and its subsystems.
The hydrologic cycle
consists of interconnected pathways and reservoirs.
The hydrologic cycle
are the places where water resides for varying amount of time
Reservoirs
are the processes that allow water to move between reservoirs and subsystems
pathways
which maintains the total amount of water.
mass balance
may occur on a local scale, such as the occurrence of flood and drought, but these are balanced out on a global scale.
flunctuations
coming from the sun provides energy for the movement of water.
Heat
the process in which liquid water changes into vapor
evaporation
occurs in the oceans, surface water bodies, vegetation, and soil.
evaporation
About _____ of water vapor in the atmosphere evaporates from the _______
80%, ocean
the evaporation of water from the leaves and stems of plants, which contributes to about 10% of the water vapor in the atmosphere.
transpiration
in high altitudes, ice can directly transform into water vapor in a process called _________
sublimation
enters the atmosphere and moves with the flowing air.
water vapor
the change from vapor into liquid or solid, to occur.
condensation
group together and form clouds
water droplets
When water. droplets or ice crystals in the clouds become large and heavy, ____________ occurs.
precipitation
transfers water from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface in liquid or solid form as rain, snow, or hail.
precipitation
Rain that falls into the land surface penetrates the soil in a process called _________.
infiltration
When the soil becomes saturated, rainwater may flow over land as __________ and will join other bodies of water such as streams, lakes, and oceans.
surface runoff
Part of the water that infiltrates the ground will be stored as _____________, while some will be absorbed by plants or will directly evaporate.
groundwater
usually remains on the ground for one or more seasons and eventually melts and contributes to the water in streams.
snow
_______ is locked up as ice in glaciers for a long time
Water
Given the right conditions, the ____________ will eventually melt, evaporate, and return to the oceans.
glaciers
saltiness of saltwater
salinity
stored in glaciers and situated in inaccessible areas such as the polar regions and high mountains
freshwater reservoir
consists largely of recrystallized snow
glaciers
a soil, rock, or sediment that is frozen for more than to consecutive years
permafrost
the frozen ground varies in thickness from a few meters to about 150 m.
permafrost
most of this is found in polar regions, although they may exist in high-altitude regions
permafrost
include the streams, lakes, and wetlands where water from rainfall, melting snow and ice, and groundwater flows.
surface water
They represent 0.3% of Earth’s total water resource
surface water
This resource is harnessed for irrigation, recreation, transport, fishing, drinking, and hydropower.
surface water
It has clearly-defined passageways called channels where particles and dissolved substances are transported
stream
a stream with a considerable volume and a well-defined channel.
river
are interconnected and form a tree-shaped network of small streams, making up the branches and joined to a large main stream or river, which comprise the trunk.
Streams
Its upper surface is exposed to the atmosphere-and is essentially flat.
lakes
forms in places where water collects in a low area (depression) and behind natural or humanmade dams.
lakes
store 67% of the total surface and atmospheric water.
lakes
It provides freshwater for irrigation, industrial, municipal, residential, and recreational purposes.
lakes
could also be used as transportation routes.
lakes
are biologically diverse environments filled with species that rely on both the land and water for survival.
wetlands
It is also a fragile ecosystem that is sensitive to the amount and quality of water.
wetlands
is a natural event in which an area that is usually dry is submerged under water.
flood
usually occurs when the rate of precipitation is higher than the rate in which it could be absorbed by the ground of carried by streams.
flood
can also occur even during dry periods when natural or humanmade reservoirs collapse.
flood
may occur suddenly and recede quickly, while others lasts for few days to several weeks.
flood
occurs at irregular intervals and varies in size, duration, and extent of affected area.
flood
freshwater found in the rock and soil layers beneath the surface.
groundwater
the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater on Earth.
groundwater
It constitutes about 30.1% of the total freshwater on the planet.
groundwater
