Water Cycle Expository Essay

Lydia Waybright

Mr. Sharpe

Earth Science

November 8, 2013

Water Cycle Expository Essay

        The water cycle is a vital part of our day to day life. We experience it every single day.  There are three phases of the water cycle—evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.  It is important to know about each phase of the water cycle and how they impact the world.

The water cycle does not occur in any particular order, but one phase to study is evaporation.  In evaporation, water changes from liquid to gas.  Water evaporates because the energy from heat breaks the bonds that hold water molecules together.  In this phase Latent Heat is absorbed.  Transpiration is the form of evaporation that comes from plants, and evapotranspiration is the process of water vapor being released into the atmosphere because of transpiration.  Evaporation is also useful in producing some consumer products.  For example, seawater is put in evaporation ponds so that salt and other minerals will be obtained when the water evaporates.  The evaporation process is constantly happening and is useful for all humans.

Another phase of the water cycle is condensation, where gas becomes liquid.  In this phase, Latent Heat is released.  Because of condensation, clouds are formed when vapor in the atmosphere becomes liquid, and clouds are formed to hold the water.  Fog is similar.  It is water droplets suspended in the atmosphere near ground level; fog is essentially clouds closer to the ground.  Contrails are man-made clouds.  When a jet flies by and leaves water vapor in the cold atmosphere, that is a contrail.  They can be used for weather forecasting.  If they go away quickly, there will be good weather.  That is how condensation is experienced every day.

The last phase of the water cycle is precipitation, which is when water is released from the clouds in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.  The water in the clouds gets too heavy and drops back down to the Earth.  Once water hits the ground, it soaks into the ground and becomes groundwater.  Precipitation also feeds the oceans.  The water falls into lakes and rivers and eventually flows into the oceans.

These are details about each phase of the water cycle.  Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation happen every day.  Without the water cycle, things that occur normally every day would not be able to function.  The water cycle is extremely important to our world.  

Weather Videos

How is a warming climate changing weather? *Current examples
How does weather affect our lives?
What should we do to prepare?
How important are accurate weather reports?
     The warming climate is changing weather patterns because of the heat in the atmosphere.  It causes more flooding and increases the dangers of hurricanes in certain zones.
Weather affects our lives because we have to plan how to be prepared for it day to day.  We have to have accurate weather reports to know how to prepare for each day.  It could be something small like whether to carry an umbrella, but it can also be much more detrimental.  If there is a tornado or hurricane on its way, people have to know to get out of the area and go somewhere safe.
    There are many ways that people can prepare for inclimate weather.  For one thing, they can rely on weather reports, which is why it is important for accurate weather reports to be accurate. In addition, people can take precautions such as getting a small generater or having a plan in case of a tornado.  People have to be educated about the safest ways to get through storms.
     Weather has been very harsh lately.  There have been several tornadoes in Indiana and severe storms in the Philippines.  The people affected by these storms have to have plans of action when these storms are coming along.  Preparation and knowledge are key because these storms are not going to stop occuring.

Water Cycle CMap

Dropbox Files for Scientific Method Project

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/plqupu9g921t4iy/lgIRF6PHt_

Questions Surface Temperature Analysis

Lydia Waybright and Keely Adkins

Mr. Sharpe

2^nd mod

October 16, 2013

Question

Is the temperature of a wet surface different than the temperature of a dry surface? Why or why not?

Abstract

This project determines whether a wet surface has a different general temperature than a dry surface.  We hypothesized that a wet surface would be cooler. By examining the steps of the process and analyzing a chart of the data from the Softball field, it is clear that there is not a correlation between temperature and wetness/ dryness.  The temperatures were scattered and there was no direct line regarding whether the surface was wet or dry. 

Hypothesis

The temperature of a surface will change depending on if it is wet or dry.  A dry surface will be warmer than a wet surface because wet surfaces have moisture to keep them cool.

Procedure

1.      Gather in classroom

2.      Take a surface sheet with a specific surface.  Fill in the information- names, date, school

3.      Walk to the edge of the teacher’s parking lot and examine cloud coverage as a group

4.      Break off into different groups and go to specific surface

5.      Mark whether the surface is wet or dry

6.      Take the temperature with an IRT

7.      Repeat 9 times in different areas of the surface

8.      Record data on surface sheet

9.      Return to classroom and return IRT

10.  Record data into excel spreadsheet and globe.gov

 

 

 

 

Collect Results

Softball Infield

Analysis

The chart comes from the temperatures of the surface and whether it was wet or dry.  This is taken from the softball infield.  It shows that there is not a correlation between the wetness and dryness and the temperature of the surface.  It is all scattered.

Conclusion

The temperature of a dry surface is not different than the temperature of a wet surface. Based on the chart, there is no correlation between the surface temperature and the dryness or wetness of the surface.  The chart is scattered.  The temperature differences are based on other factors, but whether the surface is wet or dry does not affect it. 

Presentation

Brief Power Point based on your report and delivered to the class

Atmosphere Notes

     The atmosphere is a thin layer of air that protects the Earth's surface from extreme temperatures.  It has four layers: the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.  It is a mixture of solids, liquids, and gases. 
     The early atmosphere was different than it is today.  Volcanoes produced nitrogen and carbon dioxide, but little oxygen.  Early organisms began producing oxygen over two billion years ago.  Eventually, the oxygen formed an ozone layer that protects the Earth from harmful rays. 
     The gases in the atmosphere are 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, .04% water vapor, .037% Carbon Dioxide, and .93% Argon.  Each gas has a different purpose, and there are also traces of neon, helium, methane, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, and ozone. 
     The atmosphere is changing because of pollution.  Pollutants mix with oxygen and other chemicals and form smog.  There are solids such as dust, salt, and pollen; and there are liquids which include water droplets and droplets from volcanoes.
    The troposphere is the lowest layer.  It extends up to 10 kilometers, and it contains 99% of the water vapor and 75% of the atmospheric gases.  It is the first layer above the surface, and it contains most of the clouds and half of the Earth's atmosphere.  Weather occurs in the troposphere.  Most of the layer's heat is from the Earth, and temperature cools about 6.5 degrees C per kilometer of altitude.
     The next layer is the stratosphere which is from 10 kilometers to 25 kilometers above the Earth's surface.  A portion of this layer contains the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful rays from the sun.  Th ozone layer is necessary for life! However, pollutants called CFC's are destroying the ozone.  Planes fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable.
    The next layer is the mesophere; it goes to 85 kilometers above the surface.  It is the coldest layer and contains little ozone.  Meteors or rock fragments burn up here.  The ionosphere, a layer of charged particles, is in this layer. 
     The thermosphere is the thickest layer; it goes from 85 to 500 kilometers above the surface.  It has auroras and is known for high temperatures.  It warms as it filters out X-Rays and gamma rays from the sun.  The ionosphere is here as well; it helps carry out radio waves. 
     Next is the exosphere, which merges into space.  This is the upper limit of our atmosphere.  It is the outer layer where space shuttles orbit.
     The sun's energy is either reflected or absorbed.  Albedo is the fraction of solar radiation reflected back into space; it is harmless.  Absorbtion is the fraction of solar radiation NOT reflected into space; this is greenhouse.  The greenhouse effect is solar energy that is absorbed by the Earth's land, and water is changed to heat that moves/radiates back into the troposphere where gases absorb the heat.
    The Urban Heat Island Effect occurs when a metropolitan area is warmer than the surrounding rural areas.  UHI Effect is caused primarily by modification of land surfaces in developments that use materials that retain heat. 

Solar System Power Point

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpt6v1tojng8s1o/Solar%20System%20Formation2.pptx

Big Crunch

     The Big Crunch Theory does not differ from the Big Bang Theory, rather it relies on the Big Bang Theory.  It gives a prediction for the end and possible rebirth of the universe.  According the the article, "How the Big Crunch Theory Works," the universe is either open (expanding forever), flat (coasting from the energy of the big bang), or closed (expanding then coming back into itself).  The Big Crunch will happen if the universe is closed.  Once it reaches maximum expansion, it will start recoiling and collapse on itself, and the universe will end in hot, dense singularity.
     Gravity and density are the deciding factors as to whether the universe will expand or retract.  If the gravity within the universe ins strong enough, it could pull the universe to contract.  Also, if the density of the universe is greater than the critical limit, the universe will contract.  The reason scientists believe the universe is closed and the Big Crunch will happen is because dark matter, which cannot be seen, may be adding enough force to bring the universe back onto itself. However, dark energy may be speeding up the expansion.
     The problem with the Big Crunch Theory is that dark matter and dark energy cannot be seen and can only be estimated.

Ekpyrotic Theory

     The Ekpyrotic Theory gives the Big Bang Theory an alternate beginning.  According the the Ekpyrotic Theory, the universe arose from the collision of two three-dimensional worlds in a space with a fourth spatial dimension.  Instead of the universe beginning at infinite temperature and density, this theory suggests that the universe was cold and vacuous billions of years ago, and the collision made the universe hot and expanding. The theory does not cancel out the Big Bang Theory; it just offers a different beginning.  It fixes some problems with the Big Bang, specifically the magnetic monopoles. Monopoles are over produced in the Big Bang; with this theory, they are not produced at all.  The issue with this theory is that it is still in the works.  The article says, "Our proposal is based on unproven ideas in string theory and is brand new."  It still needs a lot of work to be proven and accepted.

Big Twang Theory

    The Big Twang Theory is a compromise between the Big Bang Theory and the String Theory.  It argues that the Big Bang did in fact form the universe and drove it into expansion, but it also argues that the universe expanded by vibration energies, a wave front of cosmic sound.  The "multi-dimensional harmonics account for the multivarient phenomena we perceive at all scales, e.g. galaxies, planets, atoms, and their interactions." In simple terms, the Big Twang Theory describes the formation of the universe as "not born of violence, but of music." The problem with this theory is that it is not well supported or credited by scientists.

Big Bang Theory

     The Big Bang Theory is a widely accepted theory that the universe began from an initial atom and has expanded over billions of years.  The Big Bang Theory discredited the Steady State Theory.  The Inflation Theory is a component of the Big Bang; it addresses the early moments of the universe following the Big Bang.  It suggests that the universe was created in an unstable energy state, so rapid expansion took place in the early stages of the earth's formation. Another element of the theory, CMB Radiation, is the remnant energy left over from the Big Bang.   There are some unaswered questions regarding the Big Bag Theory still.  The most frequent concerns are what existed before the Big Bang and what caused the Big Bang. There were some issues with Inflation Theory, such as homogeneity, flatness, and the overproduction of magnetic monopoles.  These issues have been potentially solved through various experiments. 

Steady State Theory

     The Steady State Theory was considered by George Gamow whose thoughts challenged those of the Big Bang Theory.  The back and forth triumphs and failures of both theories are demostrated in the article, "Big Bang or Steady State."  Gamow's work was followed up by Fred Hoyle, who fought to defend the Steady State Theory.  He claimed that the Big Bang theory, Steady State's rival, was a ridiculous concept.  The basic argument of the Steady State theory is that the universe was unchanging yet dynamic, like a smoothly flowing river.  The unchanging earth was dynamic because matter was continuously being created.  There were challenges that the Steady State Theory overcame and some for which the theory offered no answer.  The main obstacle that discredited the Steady State Theory was the idea of radiation.  Gamow had argued that the universe would be full of radiation and energy, but two scientists, Alpher and Herman, discovered that the temperature of the universe would now be about 5 degrees Kelvin.  Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson conducted  a similar experiment with microwave radiation which discredited the Steady State Theory, although it was already largely discredited.