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Keep it simple with this outline of the water cycle.

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Where Does Water Come From? | Ecology for Kids

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Listen in to all the weird things that water does! A scientist answers kids' questions.

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Julie and her daughter, children's author and educator Emma Walton Hamilton, invite you into their library to read their favorite children's books. Every story comes to life with sound, music and activities. Authors, kids and other special guests chime in, too!

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Julie and her daughter, children's author and educator Emma Walton Hamilton, invite you into their library to read their favorite children's books. Every story comes to life with sound, music and activities. Authors, kids and other special guests chime in, too!

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Investigate the water cycle in more depth - warning, big words ahead!

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Water in the Earth system is influencing all aspects of life on Earth. Pathways, storage, transfers and transformations have an effect on the global climate and human welfare. Within this interactive 4 scientists talk about some of the complex aspects of the water cycle.

To use this interactive, move your mouse or finger over any of the labelled boxes and click to obtain more information.

Transcript

Water storage in the atmosphere

There is always water in the atmosphere - it's like the superhighway that moves water around the globe - but that's only 0.001% of the Earth's total water.

Acknowledgement: Aerospaceweb.org

Water storage in ice and snow

Almost 70% of the Earth's freshwater is stored in ice caps, glaciers and permanent snow. Most of this is in Antarctica - the Greenland ice cap contains just 10% of the total global ice mass.

Acknowledgement: US Geological Survey/Public domain

Sublimation

Snowfall that's converted to ice in glaciers may run off through melting, but it can also transform directly from a solid (ice) to a gas (water vapour) - this is called sublimation.

Acknowledgement: OCWO, licensed through 123RF.com

Precipitation

All forms of water that fall from the air to the Earth's surface are called precipitation. Whether it is snow, rain, sleet or hail depends on the temperature of the air that the water falls through.

Acknowledgement: Sergey Minaev, licenced through 123RF.com

Infiltration

Dr Louis Schipper

When you look at the soil, it's not like concrete with no holes or anything like that, it is continuously reworked by animals that live in the soil, by the plant roots, by drying and wetting up, or freezing and thawing, it sort of breaks the soil up, so the water can get into that soil through pores at the surface.

Spring

A spring discharges groundwater on the land surface because the natural flow of groundwater to the place exceeds the flow from it. Springs are ephemeral, discharging intermittently, or permanent, discharging constantly.

Acknowledgement: Graeme Churchard, Creative Commons 2.0

Freshwater storage

Prof David Hamilton

Water can be stored in a lake anywhere from a matter of a day or two, up to in some cases perhaps 10 years, even maybe 100 years in the very deepest of lakes. Lake Taupo, for example, has water stored in it for over 10 years.

Water storage in oceans

Prof Keith Hunter

The role the oceans play in water storage is the dominant one because they contain virtually all the earths water - 98.5%.

Evaporation

Dr Dave Campbell

Wherever there is liquid water - whether it's in the oceans or whether it's in the soil as soil water, or in a river, or in a lake, or within plants - that liquid water can be turned to water vapour, and those water vapour molecules can move into the atmosphere.

Groundwater discharge

Groundwater exiting the land surface, usually through a spring, is called groundwater discharge.

Acknowledgement: Pierre Andrea Leclercq, Creative Commons 4.0 International

Groundwater storage

Large amounts of water are stored in the ground in pores, cracks and spaces between rock particles. Most of this groundwater storage comes from precipitation that infiltrates into the land surface.

Acknowledgement: USGS

Snow melt run-off to streams

When temperatures rise above the freezing point of water, snow starts to melt and runs off into streams. This event occurs seasonally in spring or when temperatures rise.

Acknowledgement: Thomas Neumann, NASA GSFC, Creative Commons 2.0

Surface run-off

Rainwater that does not infiltrate the ground and gradually collects in streams and rivers and eventually flows into the ocean is called surface run-off.

Acknowledgement: Whanganui District Council

Interception loss

After it has rained, plants 'intercept' the pathway for water by temporarily storing water on leaves and stems and evaporating it as the vegetation surfaces dry out.

Acknowledgement: Public domain

Transpiration

Transpiration is where plants evaporate water through the openings in their leaves. The rate of transpiration depends on leaf shape, size, pores (stomata) and waxiness of the leaf surface.

Acknowledgement: MTU/Tech Alive

Condensation

Condensation is the change of water from its gaseous form (water vapour) into liquid water. It generally occurs in the atmosphere when warm air rises, cools and loses its capacity to hold water vapour.

Acknowledgement: University of Waikato

Evaporation

Evaporation is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapour. Large amounts of water are released back into the water cycle due to evaporation from lakes, rivers and oceans.

Acknowledgement: Michael Shake, licensed through 123RF Ltd

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Dynamic and complex: the global water cycle

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Water in the Earth system is influencing all aspects of life on Earth. Pathways, storage, transfers and transformations have an effect on the global climate and human welfare. Within this interactive 4 scientists talk about some of the complex aspects of the water cycle.

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Decide what type of water you think your local waterway is. Could it change?

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Earth is called the blue planet due to the abundance of water. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water, and it is the only natural substance that can be found on Earth in all three states - liquid, solid and gas. Due to this unique property, water can be found just about everywhere.

Liquid, solid and gas

Rivers, groundwater, lakes, the world's five oceans and rain represent the liquid phase of water.

In its gaseous state, water vapour is evaporated by the Sun's solar radiation from the surface of water bodies like oceans or lakes, and from the surface of plants and the land. Water vapour can also evaporate directly from its frozen state.

Snow and ice represent the solid form of water and can be found in the Earth's polar icecaps and on top of high mountains. Some of the snow and ice melts and turns into liquid water. In the polar regions, ice can stay frozen for thousands of years.

Only a small amount of the total amount of water (about 0.3%) is directly useable for human consumption.

Water's journey

If you leave some water on a saucer by a window, it will eventually evaporate. This happens only if there is enough thermal (heat) energy available for the water molecule to vibrate so vigorously that the molecules 'break' out of their liquid structure and turn into a gas.

But why do the oceans not dry up? In fact, most of the evaporation occurs from ocean water. Much of the evaporated water rains back into the oceans again. Some falls on the land surface and might spend some time on there as ice, snow, groundwater or in streams, or it may be stored in lakes before it returns back to sea.

This journey is called the hydrological cycle. It describes the exchange of water in every form between the Earth's systems and is part of what makes the Earth so unique.

Meet the scientists

David Hamilton, Louis Schipper, Dave Campbell and Keith Hunter are New Zealand scientists who each study one aspect of the hydrological cycle. In their studies, they need to consider the Earth as a whole, dynamic and interacting system.

Take up the challenge

The Hub has a number of activities that model aspects of the water cycle.

Other teaching resources include:

Question bank

The H₂O on the go, the water cycle - question bank provides an initial list of questions the water cycle and places where their answers can be found. The questions support an inquiry approach.

Key terms

For explanations of key concepts, see H₂O on the go - key terms.

Timeline

Explore the timeline to look at events in our water cycle from millions of years ago to the present.

Related content

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H₂O on the go, the water cycle - introduction

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Earth is called the blue planet due to the abundance of water. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water, and it is the only natural substance that can be found on Earth in all three states - liquid, solid and gas.

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A straightforward comparison of what happens to rain falling in a forest and a town.

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Introduction

Water is essential to life and is sacred to Māori. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water yet only one percent of this water is useable freshwater. With a growing population and increasing use of water, we all need to learn how to better manage this precious resource.

Every time you make a drink, take a shower, wash the dishes, or go to the loo there is a story about where this water came from and another story about what happens to the remaining wastewater. On this field trip you will trace the journeys of fresh water, in particular drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater and relate these stories to the story of water use in your region and ultimately to your own water use.

Meet Shelley the LEARNZ field trip teacher

Watch the introductory video on vimeo.

Location

The capital city of Wellington is the perfect place to see how our water network operates. The Wellington area has a steady supply of water, but even Wellington can have water shortages. People in the Wellington region use an estimated 240 litres of water per person per day. This is a very large amount compared to people in other countries.

During your field trip to Wellington you will explore a water reservoir and a treatment plant. You will look at how people can use water more wisely. You will discover what happens to water once it enters the drain and meet Wellington locals who are investigating different methods for managing and conserving water.

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Water is essential to life and is sacred to Māori. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water yet only one percent of this water is useable freshwater. With a growing population and increasing use of water, we all need to learn how to better manage this precious resource.

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Make a rain gauge to measure the rain, make sure you go outside and check it when it's been raining!

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You'll need permission and some help for this one!

Dig a small hole into your back yard (no more than 20cm x 20cm wide).

Try and pull the soil out in one piece as below, but it's ok if you can't!

Are there colour differences as the soil gets deeper? How far do the roots reach?

Did you find any insects or worms?

Does it get wetter? Drier? Touch it and find out!

Is the water in the soil part of the water cycle? Where might it go next?

To learn more about soils and see some really good diagrams, click here.

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Begin the visual soil assessment (VSA) by digging out a 20 cm cube of topsoil.

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Go into more detail about those three Cs or Ms

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We all know that land-loving animals need oxygen, but so do most water dwelling, or aquatic, animals. Carp, crayfish and clams all need oxygen to survive. There are two ways oxygen can get into water: from the air, and from oxygen produced by underwater plants. When oxygen dissolves in water and can be used by aquatic organisms to breathe. We call this dissolved oxygen (or DO for short). Dissolved oxygen is extremely important for the health of aquatic ecosystems - it is one of the best ways to figure out how suitable a stream or lake is for supporting life. Bodies of water with higher levels of dissolved oxygen can support many different kinds of aquatic organisms. It's harder for creatures to survive when there are low levels of DO, and when DO is extremely low, plants and animals can die.

How Nature Affects Dissolved Oxygen levels

Time of day: Dissolved Oxygen levels change depending on the season. DO levels also change over a 24 hour period thanks to aquatic plants. Plants convert sunlight and the gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy by a process called photosynthesis. One of the byproducts of photosynthesis is oxygen. So, during the day, as aquatic plants photosynthesize to make their energy, they are also releasing oxygen into the water. In the evening, plants actually breathe back in some of that oxygen. That's why DO levels are often highest during the day and lower at night.

Temperature: The temperature of water also changes how much oxygen it can hold. Ever notice how really cold pop is more fizzy than warm pop? That's because the temperature of a liquid determines how much gas can be dissolved in it. This means colder water can hold more dissolved oxygen.

Salt: Salt can also affect Dissolved Oxygen. The saltier the water, the less DO it can hold. This is why saltwater tends to have less DO than freshwater, all else being equal.

% Saturation: To see how healthy a body of water is, it's important to measure the DO and the temperature. This allows you to calculate something called the percentage (%) saturation. That's a fancy way of saying how much DO water is holding.

Remember, a higher percentage is generally considered good.

How Humans Affect Dissolved Oxygen Levels

Stuff like factories, power plants and even farms can affect DO levels. They do this by messing with the temperature or saltiness of a body of water. They can also affect the plants in the water that help produce oxygen.

Things that affect the temperature of water:
Urban runoff: City streets are covered in material known as asphalt. Asphalt is warmer than natural surfaces, so water that falls on city streets and runs off into a river or lake can be warmer than normal. This can heat up the body of the water, hurting its ability to hold dissolved oxygen.

Lack of tree cover:
Trees help cool bodies of water by providing shade near the shore. When there are few or no trees, a body of water can heat up faster hurting its ability to hold DO. On the other hand, if there are too many trees there may not be enough light hitting the water and the aquatic plants could have trouble.

Erosion:
Hillsides and riverbanks break down over time. As they do, bits of dirt, debris and plant particles crumble and fall into bodies of water. We call this natural process erosion. If there is too much erosion too quickly, water can get cloudy with all this debris and that could decrease the light reaching the aquatic plants. When the water plants can't get light they can't photosynthesize and make oxygen for the water creatures living around them.

Salt:
In winter, people use salt on roads to help melt snow and ice. However, this salt often ends up going into waterways as well, which increases the saltiness, or salinity, of a body of water. The salties a body of water is, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold.
What does my reading mean?
Too Many Nutrients:
Plants need more than just sunlight and the gas carbon dioxide, to survive. They also need things like nitrogen and phosphorous. These are chemical elements called nutrients. These are often found naturally in soil. However, sometimes humans use large amounts of these nutrients when farming. These extra nutrients can get washed into bodies of water over time. At first, this might help plants by feeding them and thereby increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen. However, this can also lead to way too many plants growing in a specific area. This disturbs other animals and messes with dissolved oxygen levels.

There are other ways large amounts of nutrients end up in water. Sometimes factories produce nutrient rich waste that ends up in lakes or streams. Pet waste is also chock-full of nitrogen and phosphorous and all that can be carried to your water after a rainstorm. Plus, pet waste sometimes has bacteria like E. coli which is dangerous to people. So don't let this get into our water, be sure to pick up after your pet!

If you have a high DO reading, you're in the clear! Your water body can support a diversity of aquatic life. Look around and try to see what natural features might be helping keep the water healthy.

If you have a low DO reading, the water is less likely to be able to support a diversity of aquatic life. Take a look at the factors outlined above and see if any might be contributing to your reading.

How Nature Affects Water Temperature
Temperature has a big effect on the plants and animals living in a body of water. Consider us humans. While we're pretty good at adapting to swings in temperature, there are specific ranges in which we function best. Imagine having to play a championship soccer game in -10 ̊ F cold, or take an important test for school if it's over 100 ̊ F. We just don't work as well. Its the same for aquatic life. Some organisms are more sensitive than others. For example, brook trout thrive in waters 55-65 ̊ F , but temperatures above 78 ̊ F are fatal. But fish like the bluegill sunfish can survive in waters as warm as 90 ̊ F!

The temperature of water also affects levels of Dissolved Oxygen. The colder the water, the more dissolved oxygen it can hold. If water gets too warm, there may be a surge in plant growth which can eventually lead to problems for the body of water as well. Rapid changes in temperature can also make fish and insects more vulnerable to parasites, disease, and the harmful effects of pollutants.

How Humans Affect Water Temperature
There are lots of natural factors that influence the temperature of your water. Sunlight and heat from the atmosphere affects the temperature of water. So in sunnier, warmer places, like around the Earth's equator, water is usually warmer than it is in colder, cloudeir places, like the North and South poles.

The size and depth of a water body also affects its temperature. Bigger, deeper bodies of water tend to be cooler than smaller, shallower water. Moving water like streams or rivers also tend to be cooler than water that stays put.

Since water temperature can change so much, there's no one-size-fits-all temperature that's too hot, too cold, or just right. So how do you know if a body of water near you is a good temperature? Well, you can measure the temperature, share your data with XXX and see how it compares to other spots nearby.

Runoff: Sometimes a body of water heats up because some extra source of heat is added to it. This is called "thermal pollution". One of the biggest sources of thermal pollution is called runoff. This is water that drains to a lake or river from somewhere like a factory or city. Factories sometimes heat up water to help them make things and then they dump that water back into a lake or river when they are done. Sort of like how you might heat up a pot of water to cook spaghetti then dump it after the noodles are soft. Warm rainwater runoff can also come from city streets which are often warmer than natural ground. When rain lands, it soaks up that heat and carries it to a nearby lake or river.

Dams: Dams can also cause water temperature to increase. That's because dams block or slow down the flow of water. If the water isn't moving it heats up more easily.

Erosion: Another source of thermal pollution is erosion. Erosion is the gradual breakdown or crumbling of the land around a water body. Dirt and debris created by erosion can end up in our waterways. All this extra stuff increases the turbidity -- or cloudiness of the water. The more turbid, the more stuff there is to absorb the energy of the sun and heat up the water.

Lack of tree cover: Cutting down trees, known as "deforestation," can also cause temperature increases. Natural shade from trees and other vegetation helps keep waters cooler. If trees have been cleared, this could cause water to be more exposed to the sun's warming rays.

When you look at water, one of the first things you notice is how clear it is. Water clarity is one of the most recognizable signs of water quality. Generally, clear water is healthier than murky water. Water quality specialists have a special word for describing how clear a water body is - turbidity. Turbidity is a measure of how much water is clouded by floating particles like clay, silt, algae, or sewage. More floating particles equals greater turbidity. This floating material reduces the amount of light that can penetrate through the water.

How Nature Affects Water turbidity

Aquatic plants need sunlight to make energy in process. It's a process called photosynthesis. So if the water is very turbid, or cloudy, it can weaken aquatic plants, which in turn reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen they produce. To make matters worse, all of these floating particles can easily heat up by absorbing sunlight, causing the body of water to get warmer. Warner water doesn't hold oxygen as well as cold water and plants and animals need plenty of oxygen to survive.
How Humans Affects turbidity
Plus, turbid water can make life tough for fish and other aquatic organisms since the extra material clouds their vision or messes with their sense of smell. Imagine how annoying it would be to have to wade through a bunch of junk just to find a snack in the kitchen! Extremely high turbidity can even impair gill function in fish. Gills are special organs that help fish breathe, so they are super important.

Measuring turbidity before, during, and immediately after a rainstorm can also be very informative. If you see a big jump in turbidity after a rain, that's a good indication that there may be a runoff problem.

Not all water is naturally 100% clear. Fast-moving streams or rivers might kick up more sediment, making them naturally more turbid. Normal erosion can contribute to turbidity as well.

Erosion: A major source of dirt and plant particles in water comes from soil erosion. That's when bits of dirt, debris and plant matter get loose. These little bits can be washed into rivers and lakes leading to cloudy water.

Some degree of erosion over time is natural, but human activity can speed up the process. For instance, farms and constructions sites often create a lot of extra dirt and debris. Also, when humans cut the trees around a lake or a river, they are removing plants that helped keep the soil together. Without those plants and their roots it's easier for the soil to be washed into the water during a rainstorm.

Urban runoff: Modern life produces lots of little bits of stuff, which can get carried into natural waterways by rain or snowmelt.

Algae blooms: Algae is a simple, non-flowering plant that can grow in water. Nutrients from farms can run off into a body of water and feed algae leading to an overgrowth of the stuff. When too much algae grows on a pond or lake it can cloud the water and lead to problems.

Disturbances: When there are too many "bottom-feeder" animals in a body of water, like carp or catfish, it can lead to problems. That's because these fish stir up sediment on the river or lake floor. Boats can do the same thing. In both cases the result is cloudy water.

Did you get a high turbidity value? Look around - is there a big construction project nearby, or farm? Is your body of water protected by surrounding plant life like trees, or is it bare dirt, or pavement? What color is the water? Is it greenish? That could indicate excessive algae growth. Or is it brownish dirty, indicating sediment runoff? Or perhaps tea colored, which could indicate tannins coming from decaying organic matter?

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. Acidic water contains extra hydrogen ions (H+) and basic water contains extra "hydroxyl" ions (OH-). pH is measured on a scale, from 0-14. 1 is very acidic and 14 is very basic. 7 is in the middle and means a substance is not acidic or basic but instead neutral.

Lemon juice is very acidic with a pH level of 3. Your stomach juices are also very acidic, with pH levels of 1. On the other side there are things like bleach and ammonia, which are very basic. Pure water should have a pH of about 7, meaning it is neutral. Sea water is slightly more basic than drinking water, while rain and snow are slightly more acidic.

How Nature Affects pH levels How Humans Affects Water pH levels
A change of 1 unit on a pH scale seems small, but the pH scale is a logarithmic scale. This means that a change in 1 unit represents a 10 fold, or 10 times bigger/smaller change in the pH. That water with pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than water with a pH of 7, and water with a pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than water with a pH of 7.

Just like animals and plants are adapted for specific temperature ranges, they're adapted for specific pH ranges too. A pH below 4 or above 10 will kill most fish and very few animals can tolerate waters with a pH below 3 or above 11. If the water becomes more acidic than a plant or animal is used to, it can hurt them in lots of ways. It might mess with how their eggs develop, or impair their gills, or damage their skin. Amphibians are especially sensitive because their skin is so porous, or easily able to absorb things from the environment. Changes in pH are generally a pretty good indicator that something harmful might have entered a body of water.

The pH level of water can also affect how harmful other stuff in that water is for animals. Heavy metals, for example, become more toxic if the water is more acidic. pH levels can also affect how easily certain chemicals dissolve in water.

pH can vary naturally depending on the environment the water is in. Sandy soils tend to be more acidic, while chalky soils more basic. If your water is surrounded by pine trees, the needles can leech into the water making it more acidic. Rain and snow is also slightly acidic, so recent rainfall or snowmelt can temporarily change the pH of your water.

Runoff: Mining can create acidic runoff that flows into waterways. Factories also sometimes release runoff that is high or low on the pH scale. Pollution from waste pipes or agricultural sources can feed into waterways and affect pH. Industrial processes that involve lots of soaps or detergents can cause pH to increase, while those that use acids can decrease pH.

Acid Rain: Certain air pollution can make water vapor in the atmosphere even more acidic, causing so-called acid rain to fall and decrease the pH of waterways.

Salt: When it snows, people often use salt to help things melt. However, this salt can end up in our waterways. Salt tends to increase pH levels.

Removal of natural defenses: Wetlands, marshes and swamps are good at helping protect nearby bodies of water from big changes in pH. Even a buffer of trees and plants around a body of water can make a big difference

If your pH is in the 5-8 range you're water is pretty normal. If it's less than 5 or greater than 8, your water may have an issue. Consider the factors above and whether one of them could be contributing to your reading.

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The Brains On Water Detective Handbook | Brains on! A podcast for kids & curious adults

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We all know that land-loving animals need oxygen, but so do most water dwelling, or aquatic, animals. Carp, crayfish and clams all need oxygen to survive. There are two ways oxygen can get into water: from the air, and from oxygen produced by underwater plants.

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Learn about different definitions and relationships with water.

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Māori have a special relationship with water in all its forms - it is taonga.

Water is a taonga to Māori. The health of iwi is considered to be closely linked with the health of their local water. Explore some of the values and connections between iwi, wai and awa and the work of Waikato Māori to look after their taonga.

To use this interactive, move your mouse or finger over any of the labelled boxes and click to obtain more information.

Background image of fern against Waikato Awa, Sebastian Vervenne, 123RF Ltd

Transcript

Wai ora

Water is the basis for all life. It is taonga, something to be cherished and looked after. For Māori, wai holds mauri - a spiritual life force. To keep the mauri intact, we need to look after the water. Māori have classifications for wai that describe its qualities, properties and uses.

The following resources provide information about wai, its mauri and the different ways Māori use and classify wai. The videos highlight the special connections between tangata whenua and their local awa.

Select here to view the video transcript and copyright information.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and Waikato Regional Council

Ki uta ki tai

Ki uta ki tai refers to the concept of mountains to the sea - a whole-systems approach to the sustainable management of water. The water catchment influences the biodiversity and ecology of stream and river systems.

The following resources explore what water catchments are and why they are important.

Select here to view the video transcript and copyright information.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and Waikato Regional Council

Mahinga kai

Mahinga kai refers to traditional food sources. Local water bodies were sources of kaiawa such as tuna, īnanga, kōura and pūhā. Maintaining or restoring water quality is crucial for the provision and harvest of mahinga kai.

The following resources have more information about mahinga kai.

These resources have information about ngā ika taketake wai māori - Aotearoa's freshwater fish, many of which are mahinga kai. New Zealand's freshwater fish - introduction is an overview of the resources, with links to the resources in te reo Māori and English. Resources in te reo Māori are listed individually below.

Acknowledgement: Stella McQueen

Mātauranga Māori

Mātauranga Māori is a modern term for the combined knowledge of Polynesian ancestors and the experiences of Māori living in the environment of Aotearoa passed down through generations often in the form of waiata, stories, legends and tikanga. The term takes many forms, such as language (te reo), education and learning (mātauranga), traditional environmental knowledge (taonga tuku iho, mātauranga o te taiao), traditional knowledge of cultural practice, such as healing and medicines (rongoā), fishing (hī ika) and cultivation (mahinga kai).

Mātauranga Māori, as a knowledge base, adds significant understanding to water quality and restoration practices.

Learn more about mātauranga Māori with these resources:

Select here to view the video transcript and copyright information.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and Waikato Regional Council

Te mana o te wai

The Ministry for the Environment notes that the concept of te mana o te wai "reflects the recognition of fresh water as a natural resource whose health is integral to the social, cultural, economic and environmental well-being of communities".

Iwi and hapū play an active part to improve water quality within their rohe and takiwā. These resources highlight some of the projects within the Waikato region along with activities that encourage students to think about river taonga, the past and the future.

Select here to view the video transcript and copyright information.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and Waikato Regional Council

Acknowledgement

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Māori have a special relationship with water in all its forms - it is taonga. Water is a taonga to Māori. The health of iwi is considered to be closely linked with the health of their local water. Explore some of the values and connections between iwi, wai and awa and the work of Waikato Māori to look after their taonga.

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Discover information and hands-on activities about the water cycle.

Find out more about water's transformations in the water cycle. Select a label for background information and hands-on activities.

To use this interactive, move your mouse or finger over any of the labelled boxes and click to obtain more information.

Background image courtesy of Clint Prior.

Transcript

All about the water cycle

Water is constantly recycled through the Earth's water cycle. Use the following resources to learn about the water cycle.
Related articles Related videos Related interactive Downloadable PDFs
These Rivers and Us resources are in a downloadable PDF format.

Select here to view the video transcript and copyright information.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Evaporation and condensation

Evaporation is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapour. Large amounts of water are released back into the water cycle due to evaporation from lakes, rivers, oceans and the land.

Condensation is the change of water from its gaseous form (water vapour) into liquid water. It generally occurs in the atmosphere when warm air rises, cools and loses its capacity to hold water vapour.

The activity Solid to liquid to gas examines the role of heat as water changes from a solid to a liquid to a gas and back again.

This is similar to how the energy from the Sun drives aspects of the water cycle. If you use this activity as an analogy, provide adequate discussion time to help students make the connections between the activity model and the water cycle.

Acknowledgement: Michael Shake, 123RF Ltd

Capturing transpiration

Transpiration happens when plants evaporate water through the openings in their leaves. The rate of transpiration depends on leaf shape, size, pores (stomata) and waxiness of the leaf surface.

Use this image to explain how the process works, then go outdoors to capture transpiration.

Choose a location that receives full sunlight. Place a plastic bag around the leaves of a plant. Secure the bag with a peg or clip. Leave the bag outside for a day or two, but monitor it regularly.

We cannot see transpiration as the water leaves as a gas, but we can capture the water vapour. We can see the water as it condenses - returns to its liquid form.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Make a water cycle model

In science, a model is a representation of an idea, an object, a process or a system that is used to describe and explain phenomena that cannot be experienced directly.

There are components of the water cycle that are out of sight. Using models may help students go beyond the evaporation/precipitation loop and visualise how other components such as ground and surface water are part of the cycle.

The following activities model the water cycle.

Acknowledgement: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Follow the water droplet

The water cycle contains complex interactions between the atmosphere and the land. The activity Follow the water droplet encourages students to place themselves in the water cycle and imagine the types of interactions they might have as a water droplet.

The activity uses text to tell a story from a water droplet's point of view. Students can use the provided storyboard template to create their own water droplet adventures.

Acknowledgement: 123RF Limited

Aquifers and groundwater

An aquifer is an area of fractured rock, gravel or sand that holds water that has soaked down through the soil. Groundwater moves to the lower parts of a catchment and is a source of water for streams, rivers and lakes. We pump groundwater from aquifers for urban and rural uses.

Aquifers can store large amounts of water. It can take months to thousands of years for groundwater to be discharged and to become part of the above-ground water cycle.

The following videos and activities model the groundwater component of the water cycle and how land use can contaminate groundwater.

This PLD article highlights how groundwater models were used to deepen understanding in year 3 classrooms.

Acknowledgement: Public domain

Acknowledgement

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Discover information and hands-on activities about the water cycle. Find out more about water's transformations in the water cycle. Select a label for background information and hands-on activities. To use this interactive, move your mouse or finger over any of the labelled boxes and click to obtain more information.

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Another silly and interesting podcast to learn about water while you do chores (or something!).

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Clean water - we need it, other animals need it, plants too! In fact, every living thing needs access to clean water. But water can pick up all kinds of potentially harmful stuff during its never-ending journey through the water cycle - nitrates, phosphates, dog poop, heavy metals - how does all this stuff get into our water in the first place? And how can we know when it does? And what does it mean for the health of our environment, and us!? For our water series this summer we'll be tackling these questions along with some of your questions, like "Why does water expand when it's cold when other things don't?" and "Why does water stick to things?" It's going to be a splash!

To help steer our aquatic voyage we've brought an award-winning kid scientist on board! 12-year old Gitanjali Rao won the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for an amazing idea she had to help people learn what's in their water and -- spoiler alert -- it involves carbon nanotubes! We talk with Gitanjali about what it's like to compete in a science competition, and learn about what inspired her to create her device - the Flint water crisis. But first things first - the water cycle.

Our planet is home to 326 million cubic miles of water. It's kinda hard to wrap your head around a number that big, so let's use our imagination. Shrink the earth down to the size of a basketball. Now, imagine that all the water in the oceans, ice caps, lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, can be sucked up into a single blob. This blob would be about the size of a ping pong ball. Almost all of that ping pong ball would be salt water. Freshwater makes up less than 3% of the ball, and most of that freshwater is locked up in ice. This means that only 1% of all the water on Earth is available for us (along with all other living things) to use! That 1% of water is also very vulnerable to getting polluted as it moves through the water cycle. The picture below illustrates the idea in a different way.

Earth's water is in constant motion, but much of that motion is too slow for us to see. Despite its sluggishness, the flow of water through the water cycle is the largest movement of any substance on earth! Larger than the migration of wildebeests on the African Savannah! Or the formation of the Himalayan mountains! The engine of this movement is the sun, which warms the oceans and powers plant photosynthesis. Water vapor from surface water and plants evaporates and drifts up into the atmosphere, where it collects in clouds, and falls back down to earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail. From there it can fall back into the ocean, enter lakes and streams, seep into the ground and be stored in aquifers, or become frozen into a glacier. Roughly every 3,000 years, a volume of water that could fill all the oceans of the world completes this cycle!

This leaves lots of opportunities for human activities like industrial production, agriculture, even keeping pets like cats and dogs, to introduce pollutants into the water cycle. Fertilizer runoff from ponds can disrupt the balance of nutrients in lakes and streams; chemical waste from factories can harm fish and plant life; and sometimes, if our drinking water isn't treated properly heavy metals like lead can leach from the pipes that carry water into our homes and cause health problems.

This is what happened in Flint, Michigan in 2014. In this episode we learn why the vast majority of our drinking water does not have lead in it, and what caused Flint's water to become polluted with lead. We hear from the Banks family, whose lives were turned upside-down from the crisis, and Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech professor citizens in Flint called on to prove there was a problem.

Gitanjali Rao, our co-host, was following the Flint crisis on the news, and put her super science skills to work in finding a solution. It can take a long time for people to learn whether or not their water has lead in it with current testing methods. You've figure out how to take the sample correctly, send it into a lab, and wait for the results - it can take weeks! Gitanjali devised a device she later named "Tethys", after the Greek goddess of fresh water. Tethys uses carbon nanotube technology to detect how much lead is in your water, and transmits this information to your smartphone in less than a minute!

Learn more about Gitanjali's invention here.

Stay tuned for more episodes in our water series. In our next episode we'll talk all about how weird water is, and how it's weirdness makes it special, and worth protecting. Plus, we'll fill you in on how you can team up with Brains On and Earth Echo International to learn what's in your water!
Brains On's water series is powered by the Water Main, a new initiative from American Public Media focused on connecting people to their water resources. Find out more at www.watermain.org

In the meantime, interested in learning if your home is connected to the water main by a lead service line? Check out this link.

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What's in your water? | Brains on! A podcast for kids & curious adults

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What's in your water, and how did it get there? Clean water is a must, but modern living can put a lot of bad stuff in it. Road salt, fertilizer, dog doo-doo, heavy metals - how do these things get in our water? Why should we care?

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Larger framework for water studies

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Rivers and Us is a Waikato Regional Council (WRC) initiative to help educators, students and the community to consider the state of water in their local area. It explores how people use water in urban and rural settings and the effects these uses have on water quality. Rivers and Us also has a strong emphasis on investigation and data collection and using these to inform action.

The Hub has collaborated with WRC to update Rivers and Us and create additional resources to support learning. We profile the work of schools, iwi, community groups, farmers and growers - showing how and why they are taking steps to protect water quality.

Key themes and science ideas

Although some of the resources use the Waikato region to provide context, the science concepts are transferable to all parts of Aotearoa.

Te mana o te wai - the holistic wellbeing of water - is central to Rivers and Us and to water quality protection throughout Aotearoa. Explore cultural aspects of wai with the interactive Wai Māori.

All water systems are part of the water cycle. The interactive Learning about the water cycle collates many of the Hub's water cycle resources into one handy location, including three Rivers and Us activities: Follow the water droplet, Water cycle models and Wai words.

Every water body is part of a water catchment. The environment around the catchment area has an impact on water quality. The interactive Water flows and catchments collates background articles and media about catchments and features the activities Mapping water at my school, Mapping my local water catchment and Build a model water catchment.

Water quality is affected by the activities that take place within catchments. The interactives Our use of water - impacts on water quality explores our everyday actions, while Land use - impacts on waterways has a focus on farming and land development.

Gathering data and taking action

Water quality monitoring provides the evidence needed to determine whether water is suitable for humans and local ecosystems and whether users are meeting the conditions of their resource consents. Peruse the interactive Water quality indicators, which features WRC scientist Dr Eloise Ryan speaking about some of the physical, chemical and biological indicators. Watch how to use these indicators to monitor and assess stream health and then head out and monitor your own stream with our step-by-step instructions.

Pedagogy

The balance between our uses of the land and the impacts this has on water quality provides an authentic opportunity for cross-curricular learning. The professional learning and development article Rivers and Us - a context for learning delves more deeply into the concepts as well as the key aspects of environmental education that underpin local stream monitoring and subsequent action.

Nature of science

Acknowledgement

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Rivers and Us is a Waikato Regional Council (WRC) initiative to help educators, students and the community to consider the state of water in their local area. It explores how people use water in urban and rural settings and the effects these uses have on water quality.

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Activities at various levels to understand our reliance on fresh water resources.

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Presenting the water cycle without the impact of humans is only half the story. Check out these great infographics on how we impact water in New Zealand.

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Great hook (who doesn't wonder about being lost at sea?) followed by a well structured lesson on the types of water in the world including estimating and graphing exercises. American so watch out for 'faucet', 'gallons' and 'miles' (though these aren't actually used in the calculations).

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us -we will reply promptly and make things right.

goldfish in fishbowl by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: r.classen

seawater blue by Pexels , used under Public Domain

washing hands in sink by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Thanakorn Hongphan

girl drinking water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: picturepartners

groceries by Pixabay , used under Public Domain

planet earth by NASA , used under Public Domain

pouring orange juice into bottle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: somsak suwanput

caught fish in wooden crates by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: dzorikto

cup of tea by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Africa Studio

fisherman by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: somsak suwanput

jellyfish held in hand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Valeriia Serykh

sprite can by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Abramova Elena

coffee in paper cup by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Africa Studio

scuba diver under water by Pixabay , used under Public Domain

boat in ocean by Pexels , used under Public Domain

great white shark by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Elsa Hoffmann

interior blue bathroom by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Artazum

great white shark fin above water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Sergey Uryadnikov

running shower head by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Telekhovskyi

hand scooping water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Janis Smits

toothbrush under running water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: rodimov

flushing toilet by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Timin

video of vast ocean by OG Pyro

salt and salt shaker by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Yulia Furman

small boat in the ocean by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Pushish Images

irrigation of farmland by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Rudy Umans

gray map of the united states by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Miceking

hand scooping water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: hidesy

salt shaker by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Nature Art

buckets of water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Sutichak

crystal geiser bottle by Webstaurant Store , used under Public Domain

rain cloud by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Sergey Nivens

faucet by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: ILYA AKINSHIN

water bottle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Bluskystudio

running faucet by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Saran Jantraurai

blurry man holding umbrella by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: CHOKCHAI POOMICHAIYA

grand teton national park by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Pung

icebergs by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: leospek

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission.

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This one will need some adapting to the New Zealand context, but demonstrates a good model of how water gets underground, and outlines a lesson for understanding where groundwater is close to the surface. Again, might need to explain what a 'faucet' is!

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us -we will reply promptly and make things right.

All Activity Illustrations by Alex Kalomeris

schoolboy with backpack by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Andrey Popov

house sold by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: rSnapshotPhotos

groundwater well by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: jprom

settlers wagaon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Julia von Siebenthal

video of man digging in deep hole by Alan Madison Video

village pond by Colin Smith

privately maintained flower bed by Chona68 , used under Public Domain

puppy digging in sand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: hurricanehank

puppy playing on the beach digging sand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: hurricanehank

water lillies by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Mirko Graul

small fountain in pond by Psuedopanax , used under Public Domain

video of boy playing and digging in sand by Aunt Heather Piper

boy lawnmowing by Mount Pleasant Granary , used under Public Domain

boy rowing boat on lake by Andrew Montgomery

spacious backyard area by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Artazum

digging into dirt by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: tostphoto

excavator by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: JGA

watering lawn by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: gornostay

rain drops falling off umbrella by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Brian A Jackson

deep well in the dessert by aatifz

running faucet by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: ILYA AKINSHIN

a well for driking water by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: ThomBal

boy collects water from well by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Chipmunk131

boy carrying buckets of water from well by Image used under license from alamy.com: Sean Sprague

girl and boy collecting water from well by Image used under license from alamy.com: Sean Sprague

women collecting water from well by Image used under license from alamy.com: Robert Fried

house sold by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: rSnapshotPhotos

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When you turn on the faucet, where does the water come from?

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission.

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Seems obvious, but this is a great exercise to allow students to come to their own understanding of water movement. Will need adaptation to the New Zealand context.

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Streamer, a website created by the US Geological Survey, lets you explore rivers all over the United States.

Click on Go To Map, then type your location in the search box on the upper right.

Find a nearby river. To see where that river starts, choose Trace Upstream (at the top of the screen), then click on the river.

To see where the river ends, choose Trace Downstream (at the top of the screen), then click on the river.

For a surprise, search for the Mississippi River and trace it upstream and downstream. The Mississippi is the biggest river in the United States!

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If you floated down a river, where would you end up?

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Streamer, a website created by the US Geological Survey, lets you explore rivers all over the United States. Click on Go To Map, then type your location in the search box on the upper right. Find a nearby river. To see where that river starts, choose Trace Upstream (at the top of the screen), then click on the river.

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Make your own water cycle with these simple instructions.