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Education: Student Outcomes

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Water, Water Everywhere: Sun Fuels Evaporation
Components of the Water Cycle Clip (Evaporation)


Grade levels: K-4, 5-8, 9-12
Themes: ocean circulation, water cycle
Video: WC_evaporation_IPOD.m4v.flv

This animation of evaporation shows how heating from the sun causes increased evaporation over land during the day. This video is a clip taken from Water, Water Everywhere which incorporates audio not included in this clip.

Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Water in the ocean and atmosphere carry heat from the tropics to the poles. The process by which water moves around the earth, from the ocean, to the atmosphere, to the land and back to the ocean is called the water cycle.

This animation was created using data from the GEOS-5 atmospheric model on the cubed-sphere, run at 14-km global resolution for 30-days. Variables animated here include evaporation, water vapor and precipitation. This animation is time synchronous throughout the animation to allow cross fades during compositing. (source)
 
Student Outcomes 
After viewing this video, students should be able to:
Describe the connections between the salt water found in the ocean and the fresh water in the water cycle. (O: K-4)
Explain that evaporation can separate the water from the salt in salt water. (W: K-4)
Explain how the processes of the water cycle (e.g., evaporation, precipitation) relate to the oceans. (W: 5-8)
Explain the energy conversions found in the water cycle (e.g., evaporation requires heat energy, condensation releases heat energy). (W: 5-8)
Explain the relationship between fresh water and ocean dynamics. (W: 9-12)

Key:  C = climate / O = ocean circulation / T = 21st century technology / W = water cycle