somoutreach

Water Cycle

General Definition and Importance

The water cycle describes the transportation and changes in the phases of water. Water exists in three phases: vapor, liquid, and solid. Weather and climate often describe how much water falls on the surface and in which phase it occurs. For example, flooding typically occurs when a large amount of liquid water (rain) falls on the surface from the atmosphere in a short duration of time. When water falls on the surface from the atmosphere in its solid form, it is often referred to as snow or hail, which have different impacts to our lives. When water falls in its liquid or solid form (named precipitation), we can see it transported from above to the ground. However, for precipitation to occur, water first has to be transported vertically and horizontally in the form of vapor, which we cannot see. The direction and amount of water vapor transport is key to determining how much precipitation can occur in different regions, describing regional weather and climate patterns. This is why the water cycle is a fundamental component of meteorology.

Below are some activities to learn about phases of water, its regional to global-scale transportation in the air, and its impacts on our day-to-day activities.

Key Concepts

Oklahoma State Standards

We found that understanding Earth’s climate is relevant to meeting the 2020 Oklahoma Academic Standards below:

EN.ESS2.2 Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks and interactions that cause changes to other Earth systems.
  • Earth’s systems, being dynamic and interacting, cause feedback effects that can increase or decrease the original changes.
  • The foundation for Earth’s global climate system is the electromagnetic radiation from the Sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space.
3.ESS2.1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
  • Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next.
3.ESS2.2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

Climate describes a range of an area’s typical weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over years to centuries.

6.ESS2.5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions.
  • Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things.
  • These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.
  • Because these patterns are so complex, weather can be predicted only probabilistically.