Water Cycle Study Guide
The water cycle is the movement of water from Earth, into the air and back again.
The water cycle is powered by the sun.
The sun evaporates water – turning it into water vapor which rises into the air.
When water vapor moves into the air, it cools and condenses – forming droplets that
make up clouds.
As the droplets get too heavy to remain in the air, they form precipitation – rain,
snow, sleet or hail – which falls to the ground again.
Water collects in a body of water or sinks into the ground forming groundwater.
Fresh water sources are bodies of water with little or no salt in – ex. Streams, rivers,
ponds, lakes.
Salt water sources are bodies of water with salt in them – ex. Oceans, seas.
Oceans help the earth because they keep the temperature on Earth balanced.
An Estuary is where fresh water and salt water meet. The largest one in the United
States is the Chesapeake Bay.