Exploring the Water Cycle
Learning Objective
I can describe the different parts of the water cycle and how they connect.
Key Concepts
The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, including changes from one state to another.
Evaporation rates at the ocean surface are affected by sea surface temperature, surface winds, and air temperature, with warmer temperatures and stronger winds leading to higher evaporation.
Water that falls as precipitation is stored in snow packs, lakes, soils, and underground aquifers, eventually returning to the ocean or evaporating into the atmosphere.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 10 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. Name three places where freshwater is stored on Earth.
2. What is the driving force behind evaporation in the tropics?
3. Explain how the atmosphere, despite not storing a large quantity of water, plays a crucial role in the water cycle.
...and 7 more questions
Educational Video
NASA | Earth's Water Cycle
NASA Goddard