THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

THE EARTH’S WATER

• HOW MUCH WATER IS ON OUR PLANET?

• 70% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE IS
COVERED WITH WATER.
• 97% OF THAT WATER IS
SALTWATER
• 3% IS FRESHWATER
 FRESHWATER ON EARTH
• 3% OF THE EARTH’S WATER IS
FRESHWATER.
• OF THAT 3%, ONLY 1% OF THE
EARTH’S FRESHWATER IS FOUND
ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE.
• THE DISTRIBUTION OF EARTH’S
FRESHWATER:
• 1% IN LAKES AND RIVERS, 30%
IS GROUNDWATER, AND 68% IN
ICE CAPS AND GLACIERS.
• GROUNDWATER- WATER THAT
SOAKS INTO THE GROUND AND
REMAINS IN THE GROUND.
 COMPONENTS OF THE EARTH SYSTEM

• EARTH SYSTEM- THE INTERACTION OF THE

SPHERES OF THE EARTH.
• THE SPHERES INVOLVED IN THE
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE ARE:
• LITHOSPHERE
• HYDROSPHERE
• CRYOSPHERE
• BIOSPHERE
• ATMOSPHERE
 WHAT IS THE LITHOSPHERE?

• LITHOSPHERE-THE SOLID EARTH, LAND.

• ALSO KNOWN AS THE “ROCK SPHERE”
• THIS IS THE GROUND YOU ARE
STANDING ON AND THE ROCK BELOW
YOU.
 WHAT IS THE HYDROSPHERE?

• HYDROSPHERE- THE LIQUID ON EARTH,

WATER.
• ALSO KNOWN AS “WATER SPHERE”.
• THIS INCLUDES ALL OF THE RIVERS,
LAKES AND OCEANS OF EARTH.
 WHAT IS THE CRYOSPHERE?

• CRYOSPHERE- THE ICY EARTH, ICE

• ALSO KNOWN AS THE “ICY COLD
SPHERE”
• THIS IS THE FROZEN PART OF EARTH
INCLUDING THE GLACIERS, ICEBERGS,
AND ICECAPS.
 WHAT IS THE BIOSPHERE?

• BIOSPHERE- THE PART OF THE EARTH WHERE

YOU FIND LIVING THINGS, AND PARTS OF
THE LITHOSPHERE, HYDROSPHERE, AND
ATMOSPHERE.
• ALSO KNOWN AS THE “LIFE SPHERE”
 WHAT IS THE ATMOSPHERE?

• ATMOSPHERE- THE GASEOUS EARTH, AIR

• ALSO KNOWN AS THE “AIR SPHERE”
• THIS IS THE AIR THAT SURROUND THE
EARTH
 WHAT IS THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE?

• HYDROLOGIC CYCLE- THE CYCLING OF WATER IN AND OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND
BETWEEN ALL OF THE EARTH’S COMPONENTS.
• THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE “WATER CYCLE”
• ALL OF THE WATER ON OUR PLANET IS RECYCLED. EACH MOLECULE OF WATER IS
RECYCLED OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
• WATER IS THE PRIMARY MEDIUM BY WHICH ENERGY AND MATTER MOVE AND ARE
CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT THE EARTH’S COMPONENTS.
THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
 HOW DOES THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE WORK?
• WATER ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE BY EVAPORATION AND BY TRANSPIRATION FROM LEAVES.
• EVAPORATION- PROCESS BY WHICH ENERGY FROM THE SUN CAUSES WATER ON THE SURFACE OF THE
EARTH TO CHANGE TO WATER VAPOR, THE GAS PHASE OF WATER, THE FIRST STEP IN THE WATER CYCLE.
• TRANSPIRATION- THE PROCESS BY WHICH MOISTURE IS CARRIED THROUGH PLANTS FROM ROOTS TO
SMALL PORES ON THE UNDERSIDE OF LEAVES, WHERE IT CHANGES TO VAPOR AND IS RELEASED TO THE
ATMOSPHERE.
• IT CONDENSES AND FALLS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AS PRECIPITATION.
• CONDENSATION- PROCESS BY WHICH WATER VAPOR CHANGES BACK INTO A LIQUID, THE SECOND STEP
OF THE WATER CYCLE.
• PRECIPITATION– THE PROCESS BY WHICH WATER RETURNS TO THE EARTH IN THE FORM OF RAIN, SNOW,
SLEET, AND HAIL, THE THIRD STEP OF THE WATER CYCLE.
 HOW DOES THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE WORK?
• WHEN WATER FALLS AS PRECIPITATION ON LAND, IT FOLLOWS TWO POSSIBLE PATHWAYS:
• IT RETURNS TO THE HYDROSPHERE BY FLOWING AS RUNOFF FROM THE LAND SURFACE INTO STREAMS ,
RIVERS, LAKES, AND EVENTUALLY THE OCEAN.
• SURFACE RUNOFF- WATER THAT ENTERS A RIVER OR STREAM AFTER A HEAVY RAIN OR DURING A
SPRING THAW OF SNOW OR ICE.
• IT RETURNS TO THE LITHOSPHERE BY INFILTRATION INTO THE GROUND BECOMING SOIL, WATER, OR
GROUND WATER. THIS INFILTRATION HAPPENS WHEN WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE PORE SPACE ON THE
EARTH’S SURFACE.
• INFILTRATION- FLOW OF WATER FROM THE SURFACE INTO THE GROUND. ONCE ITS IN THE GROUND,
IT BECOMES SOIL WATER OR GROUNDWATER.
• PORE SPACE- SPACE BETWEEN PARTICLES OF SOIL.
 WATER MOVES THROUGH DIFFERENT DURING THE
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
• DURING THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE, WATER GOES THROUGH ALL THREE PHASES OF MATTER:
• SOLID
• WATER CAN FREEZE TO SNOW, HAIL, OR SLEET
• LIQUID
• WATER FALLS AS RAIN, AND BECOMES LIQUID DURING CONDENSATION
• GAS
• WATER BECOMES A GAS WHEN IT EVAPORATES
WHAT IS NEEDED IN ORDER FOR
THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE TO
OCCUR?
ENERGY
 THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE AND ENERGY

• WATER GAINS ENERGY:

• DURING EVAPORATION
• WATER RELEASES ENERGY:
• DURING CONDENSATION
• THAT ENERGY RELEASE FORMS CLOUDS
 TWO MAJOR FORCES DRIVE THE WATER CYCLE

GRAVITY (PRECIPITATION) SOLAR ENERGY (EVAPORATION)

 WHERE DOES THE WATER GO AFTER PRECIPITATION?

• ABOUT 76% OF THE WATER IS LOST TO EVAPORATION AND IMMEDIATELY REPEATS THE CYCLE
• 32% RUN-OFF AND ENTERS RIVERS, LAKES, STREAMS, AND THE OCEAN
• A SMALL PERCENT INFILTRATES INTO THE GROUNDWATER
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE CYCLE BEGINS AND ENDS?
 THEY HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE AND POLLUTION

• CONTAMINATION CAN OCCUR WITHIN

ANY STEP OF THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE.
• GROUNDWATER IS EASILY
CONTAMINATED AS POLLUTION
PRESENT IN THE SOIL OR IS SPILLED ON
THE GROUND SURFACE THEN MOVES
INTO THE GROUND WATER AND
IMPACTS NUMEROUS WATER SOURCES.
• CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER PLACES
WHERE CONTAMINATION WOULD
OCCUR?
 OTHER TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THIS UNIT
• WATERSHED- LAND AREA IN WHICH SURFACE RUNOFF DRAINS INTO A RIVER OR A SYSTEM OF
RIVERS AND STREAMS.
• RESERVOIR- ARTIFICIAL LAKE USED AS A SOURCE OF FRESHWATER.
• PERMEABLE- TERM USED TO DESCRIBE MATERIAL THROUGH WHICH WATER CAN MOVE
QUICKLY.
• IMPERMEABLE- TERM USED TO DESCRIBE MATERIAL THROUGH WHICH WATER CANNOT MOVE
QUICKLY
• ZONE OF SATURATION- UNDERGROUND REGION IN WHICH ALL THE PORES ARE FILLED WITH
WATER.
• ZONE OF AERATION- RELATIVELY DRY UNDERGROUND REGION IN WHICH THE PORES ARE
FILLED MOSTLY WITH AIR.
 OTHER TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THIS UNIT

• WATER TABLE- SURFACE BETWEEN THE

ZONE OF SATURATION AND THE ZONE OF
AERATION THAT MARKS THE LEVEL BELOW
WHICH THE GROUND IS SATURATED, OR
SOAKED WITH WATER.
• AQUIFER- LAYER OF ROCK OR SEDIMENT
THAT ALLOWS GROUND WATER TO PASS
FREELY.