Surface water

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/surface-water

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?Terrestrial waterbodies, distinct from oceanic waters
2. What is the primary hydrological inputs?Precipitation (rain, snow) and snowmelt runoff
3. How does surface water form?It comes mainly from rain and snow that melt in spring. The water flows into streams and rivers.
4. Why do plants and animals need surface water?It gives them a place to live and a source of drinking water. It also helps plants grow.

Perennial surface water: Water bodies that are present year-round, such as lakes and rivers.
Ephemeral surface water: Water bodies that are only present seasonally or after rainfall events.
Hydropower: The generation of electricity using the force of moving surface water.
Infiltration: The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.