Where Is Our Water? An Insider’s Perspective
Article by ELISA VELADOR Photos courtesy of CONSERVATION LEGACY
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here Is Our Water? is one of the five Wildlife by Design presentations that L.A.N.D.S. Educators offer to teachers and students across Texas. This lesson covers topics that include the water cycle, water conservation, surface water vs. groundwater and aquifers. Central to all Wildlife by Design presentations is a discussion of how we can be good land stewards for the benefit of our water, soil and wildlife especially on private land. Read on for an overview of how the water lesson is taught and what students learn. THE WATER CYCLE Students learn about the water cycle in their early elementary years, so this part of the presentation can be a brief review for older students, or each component of the water cycle can be explained in detail for younger students. Students are always amazed to learn that the same water the dinosaurs drank 65 million years ago, is the same water that humans drink today thanks to the water cycle. Students learn that the sun drives the water cycle; it causes evaporation from bodies of water and from plants. The water vapor that is produced cools down in the atmosphere and forms clouds in the sky during condensation.
Water droplets get bigger in the clouds producing precipitation as rain, snow, hail or sleet. After precipitation falls on the earth it can become runoff or infiltrate through the soil and become groundwater. Students learn the difference between surface water and groundwater followed by the different water sources on earth. WHERE IS OUR WATER? Students are asked what the biggest source of water is. Most of them know that the biggest source of water is the ocean or salt water. Unfortunately, we humans are not adapted to drink salt water; we drink fresh water. The next question is: What are the different sources of Earth’s fresh water? Students quickly answer that fresh water is found in rivers, lakes, streams and ponds. They are reminded about all the groundwater that is also fresh water and then they are asked one more question. Where in the world can frozen fresh water be found? After thinking about the question, hands start to go up. “Icebergs?” a student asks. “Snow?” another student asks. Finally, someone says, “Glaciers!” Yes, glaciers are a source of frozen fresh water and there is also a lot of frozen fresh water in the polar ice caps. These are all the places where water is found.
ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD DEMONSTRATION All the Water in the World is a great demonstration that shows the amount of water per category that is available on earth and how much is available for human use. Three volunteers are secured from the group of students. Two gallons (7.57 L) of blue water are ready in a large container. This represents all the water in the world.
14 T E X A S W I L D L I F E
JUNE 2021
