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Earth’s Water Cycle for Middle School Students
Global Precipitation Measurement Mission
Developed by the GPM Education and Public Outreach Team
NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center
Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions
• The Big Picture: Why is it important to measure rain and snow around the globe?
• Earth’s Water: How much of Earth’s water is freshwater?
• Freshwater versus Saltwater: Which of these do we need for our survival?
• The Water Cycle: How does water move through the “water cycle?
• Precipitation: Where do rain and snow come from? Are these made up of freshwater or saltwater?
• GPM: How will the GPM mission measure precipitation all over the world?
• NASA and Earth Science: NASA is helping us learn about our home planet! 2
ENGAGEENGAGE
Solid? Liquid? Gas?Solid? Liquid? Gas?
Freshwater vs. SaltwaterFreshwater vs. Saltwater
How much of Earth’s water is freshwater? We will make a model of Earth’s freshwater. 1.Take the plastic cup, and imagine that the cup is a model of Earth’s surface.2.Fill up ~ 75% with water. This represents how much of Earth’s surface is covered with water.3.Take out one eye-dropper of water, and place it in the small medicine cup. This represents how much of Earth’s water is freshwater- ~ 2.5%4.Take one drop of this water- this represents how much freshwater is easily accessible to us!
Saltwater versus FreshwaterSaltwater versus Freshwater
Water on EarthWater on Earth
Credit: Earth Forum, Houston Museum of Natural Science
Where is our Freshwater?Where is our Freshwater?
The Big PictureThe Big Picture
The Freshwater Connection
Link to GPM movie
How do we use freshwater?How do we use freshwater? In addition to home use, fresh water is used for transportation, agriculture, heating and cooling, industry, livestock, and many other purposes. That one percent of water is primarily used in eight different ways, or categories:
• Domestic. Residential home indoor and outdoor use, such as drinking, cleaning, and watering lawns • Public supply. Public and commercial buildings, such as schools and restaurants • Irrigation. Watering systems for farms that grow food
Freshwater UsageFreshwater Usage
• Livestock. Watering systems for animals on ranches and farms
• Aquaculture- Watering systems for fish farms and hatcheries
• Industrial -Water used for manufacturing products, including food, paper, and petroleum products
• Mining- Water used for extracting natural resources such as metals, minerals, natural gas, and oil
• Thermoelectric- Water used for generating electricity using steam-driven generators
Estimated Water Use in USEstimated Water Use in US
From the American Water Works Assoc.
Thermoelectric 49%
Public Supply 11%
Domestic 1%
Irrigation 31%
Other- 8%: Mining 1%, Industrial 4%, Aquaculture 2%, Livestock 1%
Earth’s Water CycleEarth’s Water Cycle
The Water Cycle and NASAThe Water Cycle and NASA
•http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/water-cycle-featuring-molecule-man
Consider these questions-Consider these questions-
• Where does the water cycle begin?• Where did the water come from?• How can we get more water into our water cycle?• Does any water ever leave the water cycle?
• http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/tour-water-cycle
Where did the water come from?Where did the water come from?
Earth’s WaterEarth’s Water
• We aren’t 100% sure!• Let students research this topic and report in!• Most experts think much of it came from space-
comets and other objects hitting Earth during early formation
• Some may have been in Earth’s interior and in rocks and been outgassed from volcanoes as Earth began to cool.
• Some experts are thinking the solar wind’s interaction with Earth’s oxygen could play a part
Can We Get More Water?Can We Get More Water?
• Recipe for water?• Can people “make water”?• What will happen as the glaciers and ice caps melt to
our water cycle?
How Stuff Works- Manufacturing Water How Stuff Works- Manufacturing Water
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/manufacture-water.htm
Data Animation of Water CycleData Animation of Water Cycle
• http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010884/index.html
Animation of Fluid CirculationAnimation of Fluid Circulation
• http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/water-cycle-watering-land
Measuring PrecipitationMeasuring Precipitation
• How do we know how much precipitation we receive?
• Ground-based measurements: rain gauges, radar
• Space-based measurements: TRMM and GPM
Overview: Global Precipitation MeasurementOverview: Global Precipitation Measurement
The GPM Core Observatory will provide improved measurements of precipitation from the tropics to higher latitudes
GPM is an international mission which will use inputs from an international constellation of satellites to provide improved space and
time coverage of precipitation (rain, snow) over the globe
““For Good Measure”For Good Measure”
• http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/for-good-measure
What can we do with the data?What can we do with the data?LandslidesFlooding
Agriculture/Famine Early Warning
Freshwater Availability
Land surface and climate modeling
World Health
Extreme Events
The rain and snow data gathered from the TRMM and GPM missions already provide and will extend our capabilities to study a wide range of applications for scientific research and societal benefit.