Think Like a Scientist! Observe, Record, Predict, Compare
Did you know that water is all around you? Water is in the air, in the ground under your feet and in every living thing! YOU are over 50% water! You are about 65% water, and to keep your body happy, and healthy, you should drink about 6 pints of water a day.
Mother Nature was the first to recycle and she is still at it!
The hydrologic cycle, or water cycle, describes how water is recycled from the air, to the land, and back to the air. Water is in the air as vapor. Sometimes you can see it. Fog, and haze are made of water vapor. Other times you can’t see it, but it is still there. Vapor forms clouds and eventually falls to the ground as precipitation, such as rain or snow, where it accumulates in surface water and infiltrates into the soil. The sun’s energy warms the soil surface, which causes it to evaporate back into vapor. Plants use the water in the soil to grow, but also “breath out” water as vapor. People and animals also “breath out” water as vapor. When plants “breath” it is called transpiration, when people and animals breath it is called respiration. This starts the cycle again.
