Lesson 4.1: Water on Earth

Hydrosphere

The part of Earth’s subsystem containing the oceans, lakes, streams, underground water, and snow and ice.

71%

The hydrosphere takes up how many percent of Earth’s surface?

Water Cycle

It is the movement of water around Earth’s surface and its subsystems.

Reservoirs

These are the places where water resides for varying amount of time.

Pathways

These are the process that allow water to move between reservoirs and subsystems.

Heat coming from the sun

It provides energy for the movement of water.

Evaporation

It is the process in which liquid water changes into vapor.

Transpiration

It is the evaporation of water from the leaves and stems of plants.

Sublimation

Ice can directly transform into water vapor.

Condensation

The change from vapor into liquid.

Precipitation

It transfers water from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface in liquid or solid form as rain, snow, or hail.

Infiltration

Rain that falls into the land surface and is absorbed by the soil