The Modern Water Cycle

Why did we make these images?

Research from our group has shown that the majority of water cycle diagrams do not include humans. We created an image where human influence is evident across the landscape but also wanted to test the effectiveness of this modification. We created following parallel series of images to study this.

What makes these images different?

Our image includes ideas of water quality and contamination as well as multiple watersheds and emphasizing a connection with groundwater. We also explored the idea of different perspectives to show the cycle from a more familiar view. See our Where is the Water? series for more on this.

How do we recommend you use them?

As always, you can use our black and white images to have students highlight water on the landscape. You can also use this diagram to trace water from one location to another (e.g. "How might a water molecule get from underground to a cloud over the ocean?"). This encourages students to explore water as a vast and interconnected system. They can also try to highlight which fluxes are human-related and which are more naturally caused.