Water cycle

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/water-cycle

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 primary energy source?Solar radiation is the primary driver of evaporation and atmospheric water transport
2. What is the key processes?Evaporation, transpiration, sublimation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff are core components
3. What happens to water when it evaporates?When water evaporates, it turns into invisible vapor and rises into the sky, mainly from oceans and lakes, powered by the sun.
4. How do clouds form?Clouds form when water vapor cools and condenses around tiny particles like dust or salt, creating tiny droplets that gather together.

Hydrologic Cycle: The continuous circulation of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, encompassing all its liquid, solid, and gaseous phases.
Evapotranspiration: The combined process of evaporation from the Earth's surface and transpiration from plants into the atmosphere.
Infiltration: The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.
Anthropogenic Impact: The effect of human activities on the natural environment, including significant alterations to the water cycle.