The Water Cycle

The Water Cycle Watch this video about the water cycle.Listen and watch carefully.Be sure to understand the following terms: Ice, water, water vapor, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration Water Cycle Diagram Label the diagram below with the following water cycle processes:condensationevaporationevapotranspirationinfiltrationprecipitationrunoffClick this link for help condensation infiltration runoff precipitation evaporation evapotranspiration The driving force behind the water cycle is the energy from the sun. The sun heats up water on land and in the oceans, lakes, and seas.The water changes from liquid to vapor in a process called evaporation.The water vapor cools and in a process called condensationforms droplets in the atmosphere. These droplets become clouds.The droplets (or ice crystals if it’s cold enough) gather and then fall, due to gravity, from the sky in a process called precipitation.When this water hits the surface, some of it can seep in to the ground (infiltration) and fill aquifers or groundwater. Some of the water will flow along the surface as runoff and flow back into rivers, streams and lakes.Plants absorb some of the water from the ground through their roots. The water eventually travels to the tree's leaves and returns to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration. Descriptions of Water Cycle Processes Match each description with the water cycle process that best fits it Evaporation sunlight heats up the surface of a small lake Condensation water molecules cool down and clump together in the upper atmosphere Precipitation Sleet falls early in the morning Infiltration Snow on the ground melts and is absorbed by the ground Runoff After a hard rain, water quickly flows from your yard, into the street and down the storm drain Evapotranspiration A small tree releases lots of water vapor from its leaves on a hot summer day