The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle is always moving and is also known as the hydrologic cycle. The driving force of the water cycle is the Sun. When water is old, it is known as "fossil water." 70% of Earth is covered with water but only 3% is fresh. Because of the water cycle, the water is always being recycled which means we drink the same water the dinosaurs drank. Evaporation is when heat from the sun causes water on Earth to evaporate, or turn to water vapor, and rise into the sky. Once the water vapor rises all the way, it turns into clouds. Condensation is the next step in the Water Cycle. Condensation in when water vapor in the clouds cools down and becomes water again. Since there is gravity, all things must come down. When the water comes down, its called precipitation. It can fall in the form of rain, snow, hail, or sleet. The water then goes into a collection. A collection is the oceans and lakes that collect water that has fallen. Water evaporates out of the collections and back into the sky and the cycle begins again. Transpiration is when plants "sweat" or lose water by evaporation. Sublimation is when a solid turns to a liquid without going through the liquid phase.
Earth's water basics
Did you know that humans use about 275 billion gallons of water per day? 1.2% of all freshwater is surface water. Oceans hold about 96.5% of all Earth's water. 96% of the water is saline which means containing salt. 68% of freshwater is locked in glaciers and ice and 30% of freshwater is in the ground. 10% of the world's land mass is currently covered with glaciers. Glaciers store about 69% of freshwater. If all that water melts, the sea would rise 230 feet. The land underneath may be under sea level due to the pressure of glaciers. A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet like an ocean o lake.
Water Use
Water is used in many ways, our bodies, our homes, our everything. Water is used so often we might not even know it's being used. Water is used for obvious things like cooking and cleaning, but water is also used for things like industry and agriculture. almost everything uses in water in one form or another. Some people use water for recreation, some people use water at the Doctor's office. Domestic water is the water we drink. Water is used for almost everything we do.
Water Properties
Water has so many physical and chemical properties. Water's different properties make it an important natural resource on earth. Water can be solid, liquid, or gas. Water is found in these forms across the earth. Solid ice is in glaciers, water vapor is in the air, and the oceans are full of liquid water. Water has surface tension. Water also has a boiling and freezing point. Water is conductive to electricity. Water has a density and weight. Water is cohesive meaning it sticks to itself easily. Water is also adhesive meaning it sticks to other things easily. Water is also a solvent, meaning it has the ability to dissolve materials. Water has many useful and interesting properties that make it one of our most valuable resources.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is a way to get energy from falling water. This method of hydroelectricity has been used for thousands of years. Dams are how hydroelectricity is created. This form of energy is completely renewable. This form of energy can be created very quickly. The building of dams harms the environment making this renewable resource bad for the nature around it. These dams will flood the area around them causing major problems for the organisms living there. Hydroelectricity is all around the world. Hydroelectricity is a renewable resource that has been used for thousands of years and will most likely be used in the years to come.
Water Quality
Water is naturally blue tinted even when coming out of a faucet. Eutrophication is when a body of water receives an excess amount of nutrients load which results in an overgrowth of algae, an oxygen depletion. Around 70% of the industrial waste is dumped into the water bodies where they pollute the useable water supply. At least 320 million people in China do not have access to clean drinking water. 20% of groundwater in China is used as drinking water whiuch is highly contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals. Carcinogenic chemicals are directly involved with cancer. 14 billion pounds of garbage, mostly plastic, is dumped into the Ocean every year. 15 million children under the age of 5 die because of diseases cause by unhealthy drinking water. Approximately 85% of the total area of Bangledash has groundwater contaminated with arsenic.
Credits:
Created with images by L. Braughler - "Water" • jdnx - "Waikiki Water" • Ai@ce - "200712_syria-40" • ThePixelman - "water glasses according to" • Unsplash - "niagara falls waterfall niagara" • BLMOregon - "Donner und Blitzen Wild and Scenic River"