We use that water to supply our homes and communities. We use water from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater aquifers. We drain water from wetlands for development. In addition to natural processes, human water use affects where water is stored and how water moves. Reservoirs form when a dam is built on a river, allowing water to pool behind the dam. It causes rain, snow, and hail to fall from clouds.Ī reservoir is a human-made lake. Gravity causes water to flow downward on land. Evapotranspiration is the main way water moves into the atmosphere from the land surface and oceans. The sun’s energy causes liquid water to evaporate into water vapor. Energy from the sun and the force of gravity drive the continual movement of water between pools. Water moves naturally and because of human actions. Groundwater can return to the surface through natural discharge into rivers, the ocean, and from springs. Underground, groundwater flows within aquifers. Water moves into the ground through infiltration and groundwater recharge. Water moves across the surface through snowmelt, runoff, and streamflow. Water moves between the atmosphere and the surface through evaporation, evapotranspiration, and precipitation. Circulation mixes water in the oceans and transports water vapor in the atmosphere. Both condensation and precipitation are important fluxes in our water cycle.Īs it moves, water can change form between liquid, solid, and gas. When the water is released back to the Earth's surface we experience precipitation. Visit Media to see details.Ĭlouds are formed by water condensing in the atmosphere. Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Water in groundwater aquifers is found within cracks and pores in the rock. Deeper below ground, liquid water is stored as groundwater in aquifers. In the soil, frozen water is stored as permafrost and liquid water is stored as soil moisture. Water vapor is a gas and is stored as atmospheric moisture over the ocean and land. Water is stored in solid, frozen form in ice sheets and glaciers, and in snowpack at high elevations or near Earth's poles. Fresh water is stored in liquid form in freshwater lakes, artificial reservoirs, rivers, and wetlands. The rest of the water on Earth is fresh water. On land, saline water is stored in saline lakes. Ocean water is saline, meaning it’s salty. Human activities impact the water cycle, affecting where water is stored, how it moves, and how clean it is. It is in us, plants, and other organisms. Water moves at large scales, through watersheds, the atmosphere, and below the Earth's surface. Water moves between the places it is stored. Liquid water can be fresh or saline (salty). Water is stored in the atmosphere, on the land surface, and below the ground. The water cycle describes where water is on Earth and how it moves. What's important to keep in mind is that all of this water is in constant motion across our planet. Water is practically everywhere on Earth, from inside the planet's rocky crust to inside the cells of the human body (NASA). In both liquid and frozen form, it covers 75% of the Earth's surface. Viewed from space, the most striking feature of our planet is the water.
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