Reaction Paper - Water Cycle

NAME: Chilton John C.
Duat
COURSE/YEAR: BSCE – 2nd Year
Subject/Offer Number: BES 12_24324
REACTION PAPER
Hydrologic Cycle and Human Water Cycle

The photos and videos showed how water cycles work and how human-made water cycles will help areas
like irrigation and are used as an electric hydro-power source. It explained that water is the fundamental
ingredient for life on Earth. We can see it in the vast and deep oceans, it seems as if there is an abundance
of water for our use. However, only a small portion of Earth's water is available for our needs. How much
fresh water remains and where it is processed affects all of us. Almost two-thirds of this freshwater is
contained in polar ice caps, snow packs, and glaciers, rendering it unavailable for a long period of time.
But water is also constantly moving through another cycle -- the human water cycle -- that powers our
homes, hydrates our bodies, irrigates our crops, and processes our waste. The tight connection between
water, food, and energy makes them dependent on one another. The water cycle describes how water is
exchanged through Earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere.
Solid ice is found in glaciers, snow, and at the North and South Poles. In the water cycle, liquid water
evaporates and becomes water vapor. Water vapor surrounds us, as an important part of the air we
breathe. Water vapor is also an important greenhouse gas.
Greenhouse gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide insulate the Earth and keep the planet warm
enough to maintain life as we know it. Increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also
contribute to global warming. The water cycle's evaporation process is driven by the sun. As the sun
interacts with liquid water on the surface of the ocean, the water becomes an invisible gas.
Evaporation is also influenced by wind, temperature, and the density of the body of water. Condensation
is the process of a gas changing to a liquid. In the water cycle, water vapor in the atmosphere condenses
and becomes liquid. Condensation can happen high in the atmosphere or at ground level.
Clouds form as water vapor condenses, or becomes more concentrated. Water vapor condenses around
tiny particles called cloud condensation nuclei. As is the case with evaporation and condensation,
precipitation is a process. Precipitation describes any liquid or solid water that falls to Earth as a result of
condensation in the atmosphere.
Precipitation includes rain, snow, and hail. Fog is not precipitation. Precipitation is one of many ways
water is cycled from the atmosphere to the earth or ocean. Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
are important parts of the water cycle.
Transpiration is the process of water vapor being released from plants and soil. Plants release water vapor
through microscopic pores called stomata. The opening of stomata is strongly influenced by light, and so
is often associated with the sun and the process of evaporation. Evapotranspiration is the combined
component of evaporation and transpiration and is sometimes used to evaluate the movement of water in
the atmosphere.
Ice is solid water. Most of Earth's freshwater is ice, locked in massive glaciers, ice sheets, and ice caps.
As the ice melts, it turns into liquid. The ocean, lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers all hold liquid
water.
Water vapor is an invisible gas. Water vapor is not evenly distributed across the atmosphere. Above the
ocean, water vapor is much more abundant, making up as much as four percent of the air. Two weather
conditions that contribute to climate include humidity and temperature.
Humidity is simply the amount of water vapor in the air. As water vapor is not evenly distributed by the
water cycle, some regions experience higher humidity than others. As water condenses, it releases energy
and warms the local environment. The Great Lakes were created as an enormous ice sheet melted and
retreated, leaving liquid pools.
The process of erosion and the movement of runoff also create varied landscapes across the Earth's
surface. Erosion is the process by which the earth is worn away by liquid water, wind, or ice. Erosion can
include the movement of runoff. These canyons can be carved by rivers on high plateaus.
They can also be carved by currents deep in the ocean. An underground aquifer can store liquid water, for
example. The ocean is a reservoir. Ice sheets are reservoirs.
The atmosphere itself is a reservoir of water vapor. Engineers may consult a reservoir's residence time
when evaluating how quickly a pollutant will spread through the reservoir, for instance.
Scientists and Engineers High invented a great technology called pressure membranes which are used to
remove very small contaminants from the water. Contaminants such as bacteria, parasites, and viruses
could affect public health. Water that we flush down in the toilet or rinse down the sink is transported to
the wastewater treatment plant to remove organic carbon and nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus
before it can be safely released back into the environment. Kartik Chandran at Columbia University in
NYC is researching ways of recovering those nutrients from wastewater to produce energy.
They were able to convert organic carbon and food waste, in sewage sludge, in fecal sludge to biodiesel
which is a liquid fuel used in diesel engines. Water can be diverted to produce hydropower, The largest
source of clean electric energy in the United States, and other forms of energy production too such as
coal, gas, and nuclear power. Our food supply is reliant on water. Two water cycles, one natural, and one
man-made yet both are fundamental to meeting our growing needs for water, food, and energy.

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NAME: Chilton John C.

Hydrologic Cycle and Human Water Cycle

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