Mr kousen is...   Water Man.


WATER ANALYSIS RESOURCES


Fresh Water Ecology
and Pollution in Indiana


General Resources / All About Water / The Water Cycle
Ground Water / Treatment of Polluted Water
Rivers of Indiana
Teacher Resources / Ecosystems: Wetlands
General Resources
Earth's Water
Earth is the "watery planet". Viewed from space it is predominantly blue, as 74 % of its surface is covered by water. Oceans contain 97 % of the earth's water while the remaining 3 % is classified as freshwater. Seventy-seven percent of this surface freshwater is stored as ice and 22% as groundwater and soil moisture. The remaining freshwater, making up less than 1 % of the world total, is contained in lakes, rivers and wetlands.
Q and Answers About Water
We've put together a list of questions and answers about water that hopefully you will find interesting and amusing. Things like, "Is salt water used for anything in the U.S.?," and, "How can we have a 100-year flood two years in a row?"
Glossary of Water Related Terms
Use this glossary to look up words found on the Yarra Valley Water World Wide Web Site. For example, the definition of zooplankton can be found by clicking on the letter Z Click on the letter to return to the top of this glossary.

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The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle
You may be familiar with how water is always cycling around, through, and above the Earth, continually changing from liquid water to water vapor to ice. One way to envision the water cycle is to follow a drip of water around as it moves on its way. I could really begin this story anywhere along the cycle, but I think the ocean is the best place to start, since that is where most of Earth's water is. 
The Water Cycle at Work
This site contains a beautiful graphic of the water cycle.
The Water Cycle
Water on earth moves in a continuous cycle. This is called THE WATER CYCLE. There is about the same amount of water on earth now that there was when the dinosaurs roamed our planet.
The Hydrological Cycle (The Water Cycle) (Junior Reading Level)
Water is essential to life. Without it, the biosphere that exists on the surface of the earth wouldn't be possible. 
The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle (also known as the hydrologic cycle) is the journey water takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again. 

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All About Water
Water Basics
Looking at water, you might think that it's the most simple thing around. Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. But it's not at all simple and plain and it is vital for all life on Earth. Where there is water there is life, and where water is scarce, life has to struggle or just "throw in the towel."
Fun Facts About Water
Water has many purposes throughout the world, aside from human consumption and purposes related to that. With 70 percent of the earth's surface covered with water, it makes water the most common substance on earth. There are 326 million cubic miles of water on earth.
Clean water - Life depends on it!
What's in a glass, a sink, a river full of water? ... A refreshing drink ... a cleansing wash ... an invigorating swim ... a home for plants, insects, fish, birds and mammals. It all depends on the water quality.

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Water Pollution
Water Pollution
Sewage is a category encompassing human waste, garbage, and water used for laundering and bathing. About 80% of our sewage goes through treatment plans which remove nitrogenous and phosphorous compounds, as well as other solids.
The Pollution Problem
It is easy to dispose of waste by dumping it into a river or lake. In large or small amounts, dumped intentionally or accidentally, it may be carried away by the current, but will never disappear.

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Ground Water
Ground Water and Well Water
A well is a hole in the earth from which fluid is withdrawn. Although water wells are the most common type, oil, gas, and mining wells also exist.
Groundwater
It is sometimes thought that water flows through underground rivers or that it collects in underground lakes. Groundwater is not confined to only a few channels or depressions in the same way that surface water is concentrated in streams and lakes.

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Treatment of Polluted Water
Visiting a Water Treatment Plant
A water plant is intended to produce drinking water for people that is free of bacteria, sparkling clean and without an objectionable taste or odor. 

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Teacher Resources
Lesson: The Water Cycle
"What are clouds? What are they made of? What is rain? What does the sky look like when it rains? Why does it rain? Where does the rain go after it falls? What happens to puddles after it rains?" Get a discussion going about the different parts of the water cycle: evaporation, precipitation, and condensation. Use as many questions as possible to determine which concepts the students may understand and where any misconceptions may be.
The Water Cycle: Teacher Notes
Water on earth is used over and over. The water cycle, the continuous movement of water from ocean to air and land then back to the ocean in a cyclic pattern, is a central concept in meteorology. 
EPA Office of Water
These links lead to great games and activities that will help you learn about drinking water. 
The Water Cycle Lesson
The water cycle explains the sun heating the earth's surface water so that it evaporates. This vapor gathers in clouds which rise to the cold air. When those clouds become too heavy to float, they release their moisture as precipitation. The precipitation collects in lakes or oceans after siphoning through soil or running down rivers. It then evaporates and repeats the cycle once again
Ecology Projects
Here is a site that you can use in your science classes when conducting ecology experiments. These activities include both indoor and outdoor lessons. Many can be conducted near your schools too. Most of the activities are geared towards grades 4-6 or 6-9. 

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Rivers  of Indiana
Rivers
This section contains information on just about every aspect of rivers. If you explore all of these topics you will be very well informed about Indiana's rivers.

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