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Water Science for Schools Site Map

Welcome to the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Science for Schools World Wide Web site. This site offers a broad range of information about water. In fact, there are so many topics and subtopics, you may find it challenging to get around. You might find that this NavGuide, which displays most of the topics and subtopics in a long list, is the easiest way for you to navigate the system.

User Assistance	Water Basics	Earth's Water	Special Topics
Water Use	Activity Center	Water Q&A	Galleries

User Assistance

• Help system
• Glossary of water terms
• Search for a topic - type in a keyword
• Links to other water-related Web sites
• How to reference our pages in your work

Water Basics

• Water basics menu
  • Water properties
  • Capillary action
  • Dissolved oxygen
  • pH
  • Adhesion and cohesion
  • Hardness
  • Sediment
  • Specific conductance
  • Temperature
  • Turbidity

Earth's Water

• Earth's water menu
  • Where is Earth's water located?
  • Earth's water distribution
  • How much water is there on (and in) the Earth?
• The Water Cycle
  • The water cycle
  • Storage in ice and snow
  • Precipitation
  • Snowmelt runoff to streams
  • Infiltration
  • Ground-water discharge
  • Ground-water storage
  • Oceans
  • Evaporation
  • Condensation
  • Water in the atmosphere
  • Evapotranspiration
  • Surface runoff
  • Streamflow
  • Springs
  • Freshwater storage
  • Sublimation
  • Follow this drip through the water cycle
  • See how a 2nd grade Australian class views the water cycle
• Measuring water
• How USGS monitors water
• How is flow in a stream measured?
• How does stream height relate to flow?
• High water marks
• The water around us
• Watersheds
• Impervious surfaces and flooding
• Much, much more water flows during a storm
• Rain
• The water cycle: Precipitation
• Why raindrops are different sizes
• Are raindrops tear-shaped?
• Surface-water menu
• Surface water use
• Rivers and streams
• Runoff
• Runoff and the water cycle
• Impervious surfaces and flooding
• Rivers and the landscape
• Monthly and yearly streamflow patterns
• Sediment in rivers
• Comparing river lengths
• Lakes and reservoirs
• Extreme events
• Q&A about floods
• 100-year floods
• High water marks
• Find out how much water falls during a rainstorm
• Much, much more water flows during a storm
• Q&A about droughts
• Ground water menu
  • What is ground water
  • Ground-water use and decline
  • Effects of drought on groundwater resources
  • Ground water use
  • Importance of ground water
  • Ground-water depletion
  • Trends in ground-water use
  • Ground-water quality
  • Pesticides in ground water
  • Nutrients in our water
  • What is an aquifer?
  • Water wells
  • What is an artesian well?
  • Sinkholes
  • Land subsidence
• Glaciers and icecaps
• EPA's Surf Your Watershed

Special Topics

• Special topics menu
  • Water Quality
    • Effects of urbanization on water quality
    • Ground-water quality
    • Nutrients in our water
    • Pesticides in ground water
    • River quality: Kid's view
  • The effects of urbanization on the water system
  • Water for cities
  • How wet is your state?
  • Storytime: You build the town of Dryville
  • Water shortage! How would you handle it?
  • Acid rain
  • Saline water
    • What do we use saline water for?
    • Thirsty? How 'bout a cool, refreshing cup of seawater?
    • Why is the ocean salty?
    • The water cycle: Oceans

Water use in the United States

• Water use menu
  • Water use by category
    • Summary of water use in the United States in 2000
      • National water source -- water-disposition diagram for 2000
      • Trends in water use, 1950-2000 diagram
    • Ground-water use summary
    • Surface-water use summary
    • Domestic water use
    • Commercial water use
    • Public supply water use
    • Irrigation water use
    • Livestock water use
    • Industrial water use
    • Mining water use
    • Thermoelectric power water use
    • Hydroelectric power water use
    • Wastewater treatment water use
  • Storytime: You build the town of Dryville
  • How much is a million gallons?
  • Water-use maps
  • Water-use data

The Activity Center

• Activity Center overview
• Questionnaires
  1. Where does your home drinking water come from?
  2. What kind of drinking water do you use at home?
  3. How much water do you use at home on a typical day?
• Opinion Surveys
  1. What do you think the biggest water problem will be in the next decade?
  2. How do you rank water concerns with other environmental issues?
  3. Water shortage! How would you handle this water crisis?
  4. Vote for your favorite water body
• Challenge Questions
  1. How much water does it take to grow a hamburger?
  2. How many baths can you get from a rainstorm?
  3. What are the properties of water? (True/False)
  4. How much water does a dripping faucet waste?

Water Questions and Answers

• Water Questions & Answers overview
  • Water use in the United States
  • USGS water data and measurements
  • Water use in your home
  • Chemistry and water
  • Floods
  • Droughts
  • Other items of interest

Galleries

• Galleries overview
  • The Water Science Picture Gallery
  • The Water Science Map Gallery
  • The Water Science Data Library

Acknowledgements