Are there any other places you can imagine you could go as a water molecule?

Are there any other places you can imagine you could go as a water molecule?

If you were to travel with a water molecule, you would explore ocean depths, float through the atmosphere, splash down on a prairie, and weave among soil particles deep underground.

Where does the water molecule go?

Water molecules travel around the planet. Over and over, they evaporate, condense, freeze, and melt in what is called the water cycle. We can imagine some of the travels the water molecules might have taken. For example, take the water that was in a drinking fountain near one of the first Earth Day celebrations.

What can happen to a drop of water after it falls as rain on the ground?

When precipitation falls over the land surface, it follows various routes in its subsequent paths. Some of it evaporates, returning to the atmosphere; some seeps into the ground as soil moisture or groundwater; and some runs off into rivers and streams.

How does a water molecule go through the water cycle?

The water cycle is the endless process that connects all of that water. It joins the Earth’s oceans, land, and atmosphere. When molecules of water vapor return to liquid or solid form, they create cloud droplets that can fall back to Earth as rain or snow—a process called condensation.

Where do water molecules remain in place the longest?

ocean
The residence time in lakes and glaciers varies between 20 and 100 years, but the longest residence times are in the ocean (3,200 years) and in the groundwater (up to 10,000 years).

What does a water molecule consist of?

A water molecule has three atoms: two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom.

How do you separate water molecules?

You will find out that water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and that we can split the atoms in a water molecule apart using electricity. This process of using electricity to drive a chemical reaction, like splitting water molecules apart, is known as “electrolysis.”

How much water on earth is drinkable?

Only about three percent of Earth’s water is freshwater. Of that, only about 1.2 percent can be used as drinking water; the rest is locked up in glaciers, ice caps, and permafrost, or buried deep in the ground. Most of our drinking water comes from rivers and streams.

Where does the water from a well go?

Or the well water containing the drop could end up in a baby’s drinking bottle or be sent to wash a car or a dog. From these places, it is back again either into the air, down sewers into rivers and eventually into the ocean, or back into the ground.

Which is the best way to envision the water cycle?

One way to envision the water cycle is to follow a drop of water around as it moves on its way. I could really begin this story anywhere along the cycle, but I think the ocean is the best place to start, since that is where most of Earth’s water is.

Can you follow a drop of water through the water cycle?

You may be familiar with how water is always cycling around, through, and above the Earth, continually changing from liquid water to water vapor to ice. One way to envision the water cycle is to follow a drop of water around as it moves on its way. Read on to learn more about the journey.

How is surface water used in the water cycle?

But, with billions of people worldwide needing water for most everything, there is a good chance that our drop will get picked up and used before it gets back to the sea. A lot of surface water is used for irrigation. Even more is used by power-production facilities to cool their electrical equipment.