WATER CYCLE

NBC WATER CYCLE STARTER

FOR YOUR NOTEBOOK:

Notes:

Key Concept:  The Sun's energy is the driving force for the entire water cycle.  It's radiation is the key contributor to temperature fluctuations and phase changes of water.

• Precipitation- all types of water that fall to Earth

• Evaporation- the process of water changing into water vapor

• Transpiration- water that evaporates from plants into the atmosphere

• Condensation- the process by which water vapor changes into liquid

• Sublimation- ice changes from a solid to a gas

• Deposition- water vapor changes from a gas to a solid

• Runoff- water flowing downslope along Earth’s surface

• Aquifers- an underground layer that contains groundwater

• Watersheds- all of the land area whose water drains into a stream system

• Vapor- liquid that is suspended in the air