5. the cycle of processes by which water
circulates between the earth's oceans,
atmosphere, and land, involving
precipitation as rain and snow,
drainage in streams and rivers, and
return to the atmosphere by
evaporation and transpiration.
WATER CYCLE
6. The water cycle, also known
as the hydrologic cycle or
the hydrological cycle,
describes the continuous
movement of water on,
above and below the surface
of the Earth.
7. IMPORTANCETS OF WATER
Water carries nutrients to all cells in our body and
oxygen to our brain. Water allows the body to
absorb and assimilate minerals, vitamins, amino
acids, glucose and other substances. Water flushes
out toxins and waste. Water helps to regulate
body temperature.
8. 68.7% of the fresh water on Earth is trapped in glaciers.
...
About 6,800 gallons of water is required to grow a day's
food for a family of four. ...
70% of the human brain is water. ...
Children in the first 6 months of life consume seven
times as much water per pound as the average
American adult.
9. Water is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless,
odorless, and nearly colorless chemical
substance, which is the main constituent of
Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all
known living organisms. It is vital for all
known forms of life, even though it provides
no calories or organic nutrients.
11. Ground water refers to any source of water that lies
beneath the soil layer. Ground water can exist in the
soil itself or between rocks and other materials. Most
communities obtain their water from underground
aquifers, or rock formations capable of holding large
amounts of freshwater. Only 3 percent of the water on
earth is considered freshwater, with a mere 30
percent of that small amount being found as
groundwater. Pollution, seawater contamination and
overuse threaten this valuable resource.
GROUND WATER
12. Sources of surface water can include
any above-ground collection of water
such as rivers, lakes, ponds and oceans.
Some sources of surface water are also
fed by underground aquifers. Surface
water accounts for 80 percent of the
water humans use.
SURFACE WATER
13. Although ocean water makes up nearly 97 percent of all water
on earth, it is not a viable source of potable water unless salt
and other impurities are removed. Desalination, the process
by which salt is removed from water, is a rapidly growing
practice. While salt and other microscopic particles can be
removed from water in a variety of ways, the most promising
method is through reverse osmosis. This process forces
saltwater through filters with microscopic pores that remove
salt and other microbes. Reverse osmosis requires large
amounts of energy, making it a very expensive process.
OCEAN WEATER
14. Of the 3 percent of earth's water considered
freshwater, 70 percent of that small amount is
currently locked in glaciers and ice caps. In theory,
frozen glacial and ice cap water could be melted and
used, but the amount of energy needed to melt and
transport vast quantities of ice make it economically
impractical. Glaciers and ice caps also play vitally
important roles in the regulation of earth's climates
and global temperatures, making their preservation
very important.
Ice Caps and Glacial
Melting