Water is refreshing on a hot day COOL STEM CAREERS HYDROLOGIST 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y S K I L L S L I B R A R Y CHAPTER ONE FROM PUDDLES TO OCEANS Jesse opened the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of water After playing basketball outside on this hot summer day he was ready for a refreshing drink
His mom smiled as he poured the water into a glass and took a long drink Thirsty she asked I sure am he said using his arm to wipe sweat from his forehead Maybe I should take a shower Good idea Jesse’s mom replied Try not to stay in there too long though You don’t want to waste water Jesse set his glass down as a thoughtful expression came over his face Hey Mom where does all this water come from What do you mean Well we have water in the fridge and there’s water in the shower But I’ve never seen a lake around here Our water has to come from somewhere right You’re right said Jesse’s mom We live in a pretty dry area Luckily there are scientists and engineers who know how to bring the water to us Water is one of the planet’s most valuable natural resources People animals and plants all need water to survive We drink it and use it to prepare food We also use it to clean our possessions and ourselves Farmers use it to help their crops grow and companies use it to manufacture products In the United States alone people use more than 400 billion gallons 1 5 trillion liters of water each day
Ocean waves help shape the cliffs along the coastline of central California COOL STEM CAREERS HYDROLOGIST 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y S K I L L S L I B R A R Y Water covers about 71 percent of Earth’s surface Without water life as we know it could not exist Even the planet’s physical features would be different This is because water is one of the major shapers of Earth’s landforms Roaring rivers help dig deep valleys and canyons in rocky environments The constant movement of ocean waves wears away the edges of coastlines
Many people do not stop to consider whether or not they waste water at home There are many simple ways you can avoid using more water than you need When you wash your hands turn off the faucet while you lather the soap You can also turn off the faucet after wetting your toothbrush to brush your teeth Avoid using the toilet to flush trash away Each flush in most toilets uses more than 2 gallons 7 5 L of water LIFE CAREER SKILLS Earth’s water supply is limited The total amount of water on the planet can never increase or decrease Almost all of Earth’s water is saltwater most of which is located in the world’s oceans People cannot drink this water because our bodies cannot process the high levels of salt To survive people need freshwater Just 3 percent of the planet’s water supply is freshwater This is the water that rains down from the sky and makes up most rivers lakes and ponds It is also the water that goes into the ground to become groundwater People drink freshwater and use it for important tasks
