The NRCS water cycle poster is back by popular demand.
The newly-designed poster shows the elements of the water cycle through a diverse landscape. The back of the poster includes a variety of information and activities that teachers can use to get students of all ages engaged in water conservation.
The water cycle is a process that re-circulates Earth’s water through the stages of evaporation, condensation and collection. The water from lakes, oceans, rivers and other water bodies begins to evaporate; vapor from the water bodies condenses into clouds, later causing precipitation. As it rains, hails, sleets or snows, the water is collected back on Earth to start the cycle again.
Agriculture is the largest user of water. Farmers and ranchers depend on clean water moving through the water cycle for their livelihoods, while we all need clean drinking water and a healthy food supply to survive.
Answer to home-page water cycle question: In cities and suburbs, where much of the land is covered by streets, buildings, and industrial development, precipitation runs off as much as 10 times faster than on unpaved land. The water does not have time to soak into soil as it flows into storm drains or through water systems. It moves with high velocity and increased volume, and picks up and carries debris and other pollutants to streams and rivers.
The newly-designed poster shows the elements of the water cycle through a diverse landscape. The back of the poster includes a variety of information and activities that teachers can use to get students of all ages engaged in water conservation.