Name _________________________________________________

Date ______________________

The Water Cycle

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/mwater.htm
l
Where is Earths Water?
1. What does it mean that the Earth is a closed system, like a terrarium? We have systems
that
repeat
themselves___________________________________________________________________________
__
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. How does water the water amount from millions of years ago compare to todays
water
amount?
It
is
the
same_____________________________________________________________________________
3.Out of all the water on Earth, what percentage is usable by humans?
2.5%_________________________
4. Of the water usable by humans, where is the largest percentage of that water found?
Underground________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5.Complete the following diagram:

6. Of
the
freshwater,
where
is
most
of
the
water
tied
up?
Glaciers________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. Of the remaining freshwater, where is the largest majority of that water found?
Underground___________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. What
percentage
of
freshwater
is
found
as
surface
water?
1.2%________________________________
9. Compare the amount of freshwater to the amount of saltwater in cubic kilometers:
1,338,000,000
vs

24,064,000________________________________________________________________________
___
____________________________________________________________________________________

How Much Water Is There?

1. How
much
of
the
Earths
surface
is
covered
by
water?
71%____________________________________
2. Besides the ocean, where else does water exist? The atmosphere, rivers, lakes,
aquifers, etc._________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Where does most of the water people and other life on Earth come from?
Groundwater____________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Compare the amount of groundwater to surface water: 30.1% vs
1.2%___________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. What
term
is
used
for
the
storage
place
of
groundwater?
Aquifer_______________________________
6. How is groundwater recharged? Water soaks through the ground from lakes, rivers
and rain_________
7. How does groundwater recharge rivers? By adding to it through
seepage_________________________
8. In
2005,
how
much
surface
water
did
the
United
States
use?
382,000Mgal/d______________________
9. In the same time period, how much groundwater did people use?
129,000Mgal/d__________________

The Water Cycle

What is another term used for the water cycle? Hydrologic Cycle___________________________
Atmosphere
1. Which two processes changes liquid water into vapor which then rises into the atmosphere?
Transpiration and evaporation_______________________________________________________
2. Which process produces the majority of the vapor in the atmosphere? Evaporation__________
3. What percentage of vapor does transpiration add to the atmosphere? 10%________________
4. If all the water in the atmosphere rained down and covered the Earth, how deep would it be?
1in____________________________________________________________________________
Condensation
1. Define condensation: water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water____________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is condensation an important part of the water cycle? To get the water into the
atmosphere_____________________________________________________________________
3. Besides clouds, what else can happen due to condensation? Fog________________________
Evaporation

2.
3.
4.
5.

1. Define evaporation: water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor_____________________

____________________________________________________________________________
Where does most of the evaporated water come from? Oceans, seas and lakes_____________
____________________________________________________________________________
What is necessary in order for evaporation to occur? Heat______________________________
What percentage of the water evaporated from the ocean is transported over land and falls as
precipitation? 10%________________________________________________________________
How long does an evaporated water molecule stay in the air? 10 days___________________

Evapotranspiration
1. According to this website, define evapotranspiration: (beneath the diagram) the sum of
evaporation and transpiration____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Define transpiration: evaporation of water from plant leaves__________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. How much water in the atmosphere is due to transpiration: 10%__________________________
4. How does a plant transpire? By breathing______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
5. How much can an oak tree transpire during one year? 40,000 gallons___________________
Freshwater Storage
1. What bodies of water does surface water include: ponds, lakes, reservoirs and canals,
streams_____________________________________________ ____________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. What processes are included in inflows to surface water? Precipitation, runoff and seepage__
3. What processes are included in outflows of surface water? Evaporation, flow of water and people
removing it______________________________________________________________________
Groundwater Discharge
1. Describe why groundwater is an important part of the water cycle: Its an important source of
water that humans use a lot_________________________________ ___________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Where is the majority of groundwater found? Aquifers_____________________________
3. When are aquifers formed? Between rocks and subsurface materials______________________
4. Explain how water becomes part of the groundwater: Runoff soaking into the ground____
5. What percentage of freshwater is groundwater? 30.1%________________________________
Groundwater Storage
1. Where does most of the water in groundwater come from? precipitation that infiltrates
downward from the land surface______________________________________________
2. Describe the difference between the saturated zone and the unsaturated zone: The upper layer of
the soil is the unsaturated zone, where water is present in varying amounts that change over time,
but does not saturate the soil. Below this layer is the saturated zone, where all of the pores, cracks,
and spaces between rock particles are saturated with water_______________________________
3. What is the water table? The top of the surface where groundwater occurs is called the water
table_______________________________________________________________________
4. To what level would you have to dig to find water? It depends_______________________
____________________________________________________________________________

4. Label the diagram below:

Ice, Snow, and Glaciers

1. What is meant by storage, in relation to the water cycle? water that is locked up in its present
state for a relatively long period of time_________________________________________
2. Where is the 90% of Earths ice mass found? Antarctica_________________________________
3. Where is the rest of it found? The Greenland Icecap________________________________
4. What majority of freshwater is held in ice caps and glaciers? 68.7%______________________
Infiltration
1. What is happening to water during infiltration? Water may travel long distances or remain in
groundwater storage for long periods before returning to the surface or seeping into other water
bodies, such as streams and the oceans___________________________________________
2. What happens to water that infiltrates the shallow soil layer? it will gradually move vertically and
horizontally through the soil and subsurface material_________________________________
3. What happens to the water that infiltrates deeper? It might recharge ground aquifers________
4. What is the greatest factor affecting infiltration? Precipitation___________________________
5. What happens to rain, once the soil is saturated? It seeps into stream beds________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Oceans
1. What percentage of water is found in the ocean? 96.5%______________________________
2. What percentage of evaporated water comes from the ocean? 90%_____________________

Precipitation
1. What forms of water can precipitation take? Snow, rain, hail, sleet, ______________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. How does most precipitation fall? As rain_____________________________________
3. What has to happen before water can fall as precipitation? It has to condensate________
4. Draw how raindrops actually look up to 3 mm: A bean____________________________

Snowmelt Runoff
1. In what type of climates does snowmelt runoff play a significant role in streamflow? Cold____
____________________________________________________________________________
2. What percentage of freshwater in the western states comes from snowmelt runoff? 75%____
____________________________________________________________________________
Springs
1. What are springs a result of? the side of a hill, a valley bottom or other excavation intersects a
flowing body of groundwater at or below the local water table, below which the subsurface
material is saturated with water_________________________________________________
Streamflow
1. How does USGS define streamflow? The amount of water flowing in a river_______________
2. What is a stream? Flowing water bodies____________________________________________
3. Why do rivers exist? gravity__________________________________________________
4. Where does water generally seek to flow? The center of earth_________________________
5. What percentage of freshwater is found in rivers? 20.9%______________________________
Sublimation
1. What is sublimation? conversion between the solid and the gaseous phases of matter, with no
intermediate liquid stage_______________________________________________________
2. What is sublimation, in relation to the water cycle? used to describe the process of snow and
ice changing into water vapor in the air without first melting into water____________________
3. When does sublimation occur? When snow changes straight to water vapor______________
4. Where on Earth does sublimation happen a lot? The south face of Mt.
Everest_____________________________________________________________________
5. What is a Chinook Wind and where do they occur? "Chinook winds are westerlies from the
Pacific whose moisture gets wrung out as it passes over the Rocky Mountains. Once these
winds come down from the mountains onto the high plains, they can be quite mild and
extremely dry-as warm as 60 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit -- over 15 Celsius -- with a relative
humidity of 10% or less. The air is so dry that when it hits a snowpack, the frozen water
evaporates, going directly from the ice to vapor and bypassing the liquid phase entirely. This is
called sublimation, and it's a common way for snow to disappear in the arid West."__________

Surface Runoff
1. What is surface runoff? precipitation runoff over the landscape_______________________
2. When does runoff occur? Where ever rain hits_____________________________________

Place the letter from the diagram above in the space provided next to its associated term in
the lists below:
[I]
[K]
[E]
[D]
[C]
[M]
[L]
[A]

Condensation
Evapotranspiration
Groundwater discharge
Infiltration
Snowmelt runoff to streams
Streamflow
Surface runoff
Water storage in ice and snow

[H]
[O]
[F]
[B]
[N]
[P]
[J]
[G]

Evaporation
Freshwater storage
Groundwater storage
Precipitation
Spring
Sublimation
Water storage in the atmosphere
Water storage in oceans