The Water Cycle Flashcards
All 6 cards in this deck
What is transpiration?
The loss of water vapour from a plant, mainly through the stomata of the leaves.
What are the stages of the water cycle, in order?
e.g. water moving from the sea back into a river- Evaporation from seas and lakes (and transpiration from plants) — water vapour rises.
- Condensation — the vapour cools and forms clouds.
- Precipitation — rain or snow falls and runs back into rivers and the sea.
What is potable water?
Water that is safe to drink — it has low levels of dissolved salts and microorganisms.
Name the two methods of desalination used to make potable water in areas of drought.
Distillation and reverse osmosis.
What are the steps in producing potable water from seawater by distillation?
e.g. heating a sample of seawater- Heat the seawater so the water evaporates — the dissolved salts are left behind.
- Cool the water vapour so it condenses.
- Collect the condensed water — it is salt-free and potable.
True or false? Potable water is chemically pure water.
False. Potable water is safe to drink but may still contain dissolved substances.