Water Cycle Journey

The Water Cycle

• Water is constantly moving and changing on Earth, and its supply never changes.
• The Earth has a fixed amount of water, approximately 332.5 million cubic miles.

Forms of Water

• About 96.5% of the Earth's water is saltwater, found in oceans, seas, and bays.
• About 68% of the Earth's freshwater is stored in ice and glaciers.
• Another 30% of freshwater is stored below ground.

Water Movement

• Water moves through condensation, evaporation, and precipitation (rain and snow).
• The atmosphere transports and stores water molecules, with each molecule staying in the air for about 10 days before condensing.
• Water is also stored in magma, and volcanic eruptions bring water from deep in the earth to the surface.

Transpiration

• Water moves through evaporation from plants, known as transpiration, which is similar to a plant's version of sweating.
• Water moves through a plant from the root and eventually evaporates from tiny pores in the leaves.
• A large oak tree can transpire 40,000 gallons of water in one year.

Water Cycle Process

• Water can evaporate from the ocean, filter through a giant sequoia tree, ride the rapids, evaporate into the atmosphere, turn into hail, and then plummet to the Earth.
• Water can then disappear into a stream, circle the world again, and eventually end up in a glass of water.