Precipitation, Evaporation, Transpiration, Condensation
Vocabulary
 atmosphere
 hydrosphere
 precipitation
 evaporation
 transpiration – process by which water evaporates from green
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plants/trees
condensation
percolation - the movement of water through the soil
collection
run-off
dew point
97 % of Earth’s water is salt water found in the oceans and seas.
This leaves us with 3% of Earth water that is fresh
water that we can use. 1% is in the lakes and rivers
and the other 2 % of Earth water is frozen in
glaciers.
Since water makes-up the ¾ of the Earth’s
surface it is very important to learn more
about it. To learn more we must learn
about the water cycle.
Earth’s water is always in one of the three states
of matter. When water’s temperature is at or
below 0 degrees Celsius it becomes a solid, called ice.
When the water’s temperature is 100
degrees Celsius or above it becomes a
gas, called water vapor.
When the water’s temperature is in between 0
degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius it is a
liquid.
Spheres of the Earth
Cryosphere (Ice)
Composed of all the
frozen ice and glaciers
Hydrosphere (Water)
composed of all of the
water on or near the earth,
and even the moisture in
the air.
Spheres of the Earth
Atmosphere (Air)
body of air which
surrounds our planet
Composed of:
 78% Nitrogen
 21% Oxygen
 1% …Carbon Dioxide
and other gasses
Spheres of the Earth
Lithosphere/Geosphere
(Land)
•solid, rocky crust covering
the entire planet
Biosphere (Life)
The biosphere is
composed of all living
organisms such as plants,
animals, and one-celled
organisms are all part of the
biosphere
example
Spheres of Earth Interacting
“A.K.A. The Water Cycle”
Precipitation is any form of water that
falls from the sky, such as rain, hail,
snow, or sleet.
Evaporation is the process of changing liquid water into water
vapors. The Sun’s energy creates the change by heating-up the
water particles. The higher the temperature, the faster the water
changes from a liquid to a gas.
Where does the water come from?
The water is stored in lakes, ponds, puddles,
oceans, glaciers, marshes, soil and spaces in
rocks.
Some water also comes from green plants, especially
their leaves, this process is called transpiration.
Transpiration helps cool the plants down, just like
when we sweat our body is cooling us down.
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Condensation is the process in which water vapor
becomes liquid water, the point at which it begins is
called the dew point. During the evaporation process
the water vapors begin to cool as they rise, therefore
the particles are slowing down.
What makes a cloud?
A cloud is made of tiny drops of water or ice crystals. The
droplets combine to form clouds. The drops of water collect
until they so heavy that gravity pulls them down as rain also know
as precipitation.
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Percolation
 Percolation is the movement of water through the soil.
The prime moving force of groundwater is gravity.
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Where does the water go?
•Infiltration happens when precipitation is absorbed into the ground
•Runoff happens when too much precipitation falls too quickly and
it “runs” over the ground
•In both cases the sun can warm it and it can evaporate to take part
of the Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)
WATER CYCLE
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