16 The Water Cycle

The Water Cycle written by Carol Krueger

Every living thing needs water to live. People need water, animals need water, and so do plants. When people drink water, they are drinking the same water that has been going around for years! Water moves in a cycle. That means that it just keeps changing and going around again and again. Did you know that the water we use has moved around the world millions of times?

lake Water is everywhere. It is in rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and under the ground. It comes down from the clouds as rain, hail or snow. Most of this water ends up in the sea. On hot days, the sun shines on the sea and makes it warm. When it gets too hot, tiny pieces of the sea's surface break away, rise into the air, and reach the sky.

sea Then there is a change. The water turns from a liquid into a gas called water vapour. It rises into the air, getting higher and colder. The higher it goes, the colder it gets. When the vapour gets very cold, it changes into water again. It becomes miIlions of tiny water droplets, which float in the air.

clouds The water droplets join together to make clouds. Each cloud has billions of tiny water droplets. There are many clouds floating in the sky. As the wind blows them over the land, they pick up more water vapour from rivers, ponds, and puddles.

plants The clouds pick up water vapour from plants, too. Plants have long roots. They drink lots of water from the earth through their roots. When it gets hot, water vapour comes out of the plants through tiny holes in their leaves.