Water Cycle (HYDROLOGIC CYCLE)

► Water cycle shows the continuous movement of water within the

Earth and atmosphere.
► It is a complex system that includes many different processes, it
shows the circular movement of evaporation, condensation and
precipitation.
► Earth’s water keeps changing from liquid water to vapor and then
back again. This happens because of the sun’s heat and gravity.

EVAPORATION: Liquid water turns to water vapor and goes up in the

atmosphere.
CONDESATION: Vapor rises into the air where cooler temperatures
cause it to condense into the clouds.
PRECIPITATION: Cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky.
SURFACE RUN OFF: Water from rain, snowmelt, and other resources
that flows the land surface and is a major component of water cycle.

Unique Properties of Water

What is water? A substance composed of the chemical elements
hydrogen and oxygen and existing in gaseous, liquid, and solid states.
It is one of the most plentiful and essential of compounds. A tasteless
and odorless liquid at room temperature, it has the important ability
to dissolve many other substances.

1. Water is polar: Water molecules are polar, with partial positive

charges on the hydrogens, a negative charge on the oxygen, and a
bent overall structure. This is because oxygen is more
electronegative, meaning that it is better than hydrogen at attracting
electrons.
2. Water is an excellent solvent: Water has the unique ability to
dissolve many polar and ionic substances. This is important to all
living things because, as water travels through the water cycle, it
takes many valuable nutrients along with it!
3. Water has high heat capacity: It takes a lot of energy to raise the
temperature of a certain amount of water by a degree, so water
helps with regulating temperature in the environment. For example,
this property allows the temperature of water in a pond to stay
relatively constant from day to night, regardless of the changing
atmospheric temperature.
4. Water has cohesive and adhesive properties: Water molecules
have strong cohesive forces due to their ability to form hydrogen
bonds with one another. Cohesive forces are responsible for surface
tension, the tendency of a liquid’s surface to resist rupture when
placed under tension or stress. Water also has adhesive properties
that allow it to stick to substances other than itself.
5. Water is less dense as a solid than as a liquid: As water freezes,
the molecules form a crystalline structure that spaces the molecules
further apart than in liquid water. This means that ice is less dense
than liquid water, which is why it floats.
6. Surface Tension: Surface tension is the name we give to the
cohesion of water molecules at the surface of a body of water.
7. Capillary Action: Capillary action is related to the adhesive
properties of water. Capillary action is when water moves up a
cylinder.
Common mistakes and misconceptions: Water dissolves everything
because it is the “universal solvent." Water has the ability to dissolve
many substances but the term “universal solvent" is misleading.
Water is able to dissolve other polar molecules and ions, such as
sugars and salts. However, nonpolar molecules like oils lack partial
positive or partial negative charges, so they are not attracted to
water molecules. This is why nonpolar substances like oil remain
separate when added to water.

Uses of Water
Water Resources are divided: Water resources are divisible into two
distinct categories: the surface water and the ground water
resources. Each of these categories is a part of the earth’s water
circulatory system called the hydrologic cycle.
 Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household,
recreational, and environmental activities. Virtually all of these
human uses require fresh water.
Percentage of Water in every activity:
o Agriculture 55%
o Institutional 1%
o Industrial 2%
o Commercial 4%
o Parks and Open Oceans 2%
o Golf courses 5%
o Residential indoor 7%
o Residential outdoor 24%

Agricultural
 It is estimated 69% of worldwide water is use for irrigation. In
some areas of the world irrigation is necessary to grow any
crop at all, in other areas it permits more profitable crops to be
grown crop yield.
  Aquaculture is small but growing agricultural use of water.
Household
 It is estimated 15% of worldwide water use is for household
purposes. These include drinking water, bathing, cooking,
sanitation, and gardening.
Recreation
 Recreational water use is usually a very small, but growing
percentage of total water use. Recreational water is mostly tied
to reservoirs.
 Recreational usage may reduce the availability of water for
other users at specific times and places.
Industrial
 It is estimated that 15% of worldwide water use is industrial.
Major industrial users include power plants, which use water
for cooling or as power source. Ore and oil refineries, which use
water in chemical process and manufacturing plants, which use
water as solvent.
Environmental
 Explicit environmental water use is a very small but growing
percentage of total water use. Environmental water usage
includes artificial wetlands, artificial lakes intended to create
wildlife habitat.