Question

Think-Pair-Share: Based on your observation, make a prediction about the way water is recycled in nature. What do you think the key stages of the water cycle are?

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Answer 1

Prediction: Water is constantly recycled between the Earth and the atmosphere. Energy from the Sun lifts water from oceans, lakes, soil and plants into the air, it forms clouds, falls back as precipitation, and then returns to bodies of water or soaks into the ground to repeat the cycle.

Key stages of the water cycle:
- Evaporation: Sun heats surface water (oceans, lakes, rivers) so it turns into water vapor and rises.
- Transpiration: Plants release water vapor from leaves into the air (often grouped with evaporation as evapotranspiration).
- Condensation: Water vapor cools and changes back into liquid droplets, forming clouds or fog.
- Precipitation: Water falls from clouds as rain, snow, sleet or hail.
- Collection/Runoff and Infiltration: Precipitated water flows over land into streams, rivers and oceans (runoff) or soaks into the soil to become groundwater (infiltration).
- Groundwater flow and storage: Some water is stored underground and slowly moves back to surface waters or is taken up by plants, completing the cycle.