With the aid of a figure, illustrate and describe the circulation of water in the atmosphere (the hydrologic cycle)
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER: Student answers may vary slightly, but need to include the terms evaporation, precipitation, and condensation. A detailed answer will state that within the atmosphere, there is an unending circulation of water. Since the oceans occupy over 70 percent of Earth's surface, we can think of this circulation as beginning over the ocean. Here, the Sun's energy transforms enormous quantities of liquid water into water vapor in a process called evaporation. Winds then transport the moist air to other regions, where the water vapor changes back into liquid, forming clouds, in a process called condensation. Under certain conditions, the liquid (or solid) cloud particles may grow in size and fall to the surface as precipitation—rain, snow, or hail. If the precipitation falls into an ocean, the water is ready to begin its cycle again. If, on the other hand, the precipitation falls on a continent, a great deal of the water returns to the ocean only after a complex journey. This cycle of moving and transforming water molecules from liquid to vapor and back to liquid again is called the hydrologic (water) cycle.
You might also like to view...
Geosynchronous satellites that always appear at the same place in the sky are
A. beyond the pull of Earth's gravitational field. B. moving at a speed just short of escape velocity. C. stationary in space. D. orbiting Earth with a 24-hour period.
DDT, DDE, PCBs, and PBDEs are all ________
A) non-biodegradable and subject to bioaccumulation and/or biomagnification B) biodegradable and do not persist in the environment C) toxic at the organism level but not at the ecosystem level D) teratogens E) approved for use as pesticides by the EPA
2005 U.S. legislation mandated increased use of biofuels, and the number of ethanol refineries is growing rapidly. In 2016, nearly ________ of the U.S. corn crop was used for ethanol production
A) 40% B) 90% C) 10% D) 20% E) 75%
Which of the following is the hallmark of a saturated hydrocarbon?
A) a hydrocarbon where carbon has only a single bond to two or more other carbons B) a hydrocarbon that is completely dissolved in water C) a hydrocarbon where carbon has multiple bonds to one or more other carbons D) any molecule that is completely dissolved in a hydrocarbon solvent E) none of the above