Science 5.5 Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is the water cycle?
The natural cycling of water through its different states
What are the different states in the water cycle?
Solid
Liquid
Gaseous
Which 4 spheres does water move between?
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere
What 7 phenomena occur to water during the water cycle?
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
Transpiration
Runoff
Infiltration
Groundwater flow
Describe evaporation
Happens when water, which has received energy from the Sun, transforms into water vapour and rises into the atmosphere
Where does most water loss from evaporation occur?
Mostly oceans (but lakes and rivers lose water this way too)
Describe condensation
Happens when the water vapour in the atmosphere cools and becomes liquid or solid and forms clouds
Where else can condensation happen (other than clouds)?
Above the ground, where it is called “mist” or “fog”
Describe precipitation
Droplets in the clouds get too heavy, and they fall
What types of precipitation are there?
Liquid (rain or mist)
Solid (snow or hail)
Describe transpiration
A form of evaporation in living organisms
What is an example of transpiration in plants?
They emit (give off) a lot of water vapour when they transpirate
What is an example of transpiration in humans or animals?
Vapour comes our when we exhale
Describe runoff
Water from precipitation that stays on the surface of the ground without soaking in
Where does runoff come from?
Higher ground like mountains
Where does runoff end up?
It accumulates in streams, lakes and rivers, then it eventually ends up in the oceans
Describe infiltration
What happens when water from precipitation penetrates into the ground
Describe the type of ground that water can infiltrate into
Ground that is porous (has little holes)
Why is infiltration important to plants?
The water that infiltrates into the soil is picked up by the roots of plants
Describe groundwater flow
The movement of water through the ground
What happens to groundwater flow?
The water moves around under the ground
Where does groundwater flow end up?
It eventually runs into a body of water
