The Water Cycle

Instructions

Press the Green flag and then press full screen (pls don't mess up my Chromebook) Transcript: (for people that would like to read) Oh, hey there! Did you ever wonder how water moved about our world? Water covers 71% of the earth's surface. That's a lot of water! Water is found in seven different types of reservoirs that vary in size. These different types of containers contain the earth's water and flow through these reservoirs in many ways of transportation. Water is never created or lost. But how does the water end up at different bodies of water and move through them? Fortunately, I know the answer to that question. Water moves between reservoirs through the water cycle. What is the water cycle? The water cycle is a massive, never-ending cycle in which water moves through reservoirs. Water is continually changing phases and moving between these water bodies. There are seven types: Lakes, Oceans, Rivers, Glaciers, Groundwater, Atmosphere, and Other. These water bodies are all interconnected through the water cycle. The water moves in specific ways between the reservoirs. These methods are flow, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration. Let's see an example of the water cycle. Let's say you're a water molecule. You would probably start somewhere in the ocean. You would flow around for an average time of about 4,000 years. Yes, it may seem like a lot, but that's how it works. Now, the water cycle starts. The sun was excruciatingly hot that day. Evaporation occurs. Evaporation is the process by which water moves into the atmosphere; water changes from liquid to gas. You evaporate from the ocean and go into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is another reservoir that contains water. What's the atmosphere? The atmosphere is the mass of gasses surrounding the earth. On average, water in the atmosphere stays there for about 1.5 weeks. Then, you condense into a cloud. Condensation is when water changes from a gas to a liquid/solid. Clouds float around, and so do you. Eventually, the cloud has to precipitate. Precipitation is when liquid/solid water falls to the ground. It is also otherwise known as rain. You would probably stay in the glacier for about 1,000 to 10,000 years. You thought that 4,000 was a lot? Water can't stay in the same place for too long, so eventually, the glacier will melt, causing the melted water to flow into a lake or another reservoir. Flowing is another way water moves between reservoirs. Water usually stays in lakes for an average time of about ten years. After you flow into a lake, now you go into a river. Water in rivers usually stays there for two weeks. But where can you go after? After all, you visited just about every major source of water. Not exactly. There's still groundwater! Groundwater fills the spaces between soil particles and fractured rock beneath the earth's surface. It is water that's under the surface. Water travels into groundwater through infiltration. Infiltration is the process by which water moves down into the earth to below the surface. So, you infiltrate into groundwater, where you stay for about two weeks - to 10,000 years. From there, you infiltrate into the ocean again, and the cycle repeats. In conclusion, water moves throughout our world through the water cycle.