The Water Cycle

Important Terms:

• The geosphere is made up of the solid parts of the earth including rocks or minerals. The geosphere at Karoo National Park includes a unique rock formation surrounding the park.

• The hydrosphere includes all the water on Earth. A major water source running through Karoo is the Tankwa River.

• The atmosphere includes all the gases (oxygen, etc.) that make up the earth.

• The biosphere is the ecosystem of the earth. Karoo's biosphere is its large variety of plants or animals in the park.

The diagram above represents the water cycle at Karoo National Park. The cycle begins in the atmosphere and travels to the hydrosphere, which in this case is the Tankwa river. The cycle then goes from the hydrosphere to the biospere and then to the geosphere, where the water is then precipitated back up to the atmosphere to begin the water cycle all over again.