Finals Blog 1: Water Cycle

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Water/images/water_cycle_usgs_big.jpg

Part A- The water cycle begins with evaporation. Evaporation is when water moves from liquid form to a gas, usually from a body of water into the atmosphere. Transpiration is like precipitation, but it is when plants release water vapor into the air. Condensation, the next step, is when water vapor turns into water droplets in the air (i.e. clouds). Then comes precipitation, and that is when water falls to the Earth's surface in many different forms (rain, snow, hail, sleet, etc.). Infiltration is after the water falls to the ground, it goes into the ground and becomes ground water. Surface runoff is when the ground has absorbed the maximum amount of water it can hold and then water flows across the ground. Ground water is water that is absorbed into the soil. Absorption is when the water is moved from one substance into another, such as the atmosphere into the soil.

http://paws.wcu.edu/bkloeppel/images/watershed_management.gif

Part B- Water usually begins it's journey through a watershed from high places, such as hills or mountains. It either goes into the plants, soil, or ponds or small lakes. From the ponds and small lakes, it moves from streams to bigger ponds or bigger lakes, or other streams and become rivers. From the larger rivers, the water will eventually end up in an ocean. Plants use up the water and release the water vapor, and in the soil water moves from source to source until it ends up in the ocean as well.

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Part C- Rivers and streams come in many, many different forms and types. Many have dug canyons, run down mountains, or spread across valleys. Erosion has caused the rivers to dig the canyons, the most famous example would be the Grand Canyon. The Nevada River started very high above sea level, and due to gravity it has "sawed" it's way through the Earth and formed the Grand Canyon. The Nile River has a flooding cycle where it floods the plains of Egypt every year and supplies the crops with their water. Many things humans do affect these things, such as agriculture and industry.

Bibliography:

10/24/2006, "Water Cycle":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle

11/4/2009, Howard Perlman, "The Water Cycle":

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html