{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.water-cycle","code":"thing-q81041","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q81041/","name":"water cycle","alternateNames":["Deep water cycle"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Activities and processes","entryKind":"thing","plane":"ACT","domain":["ACT.PRC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff and groundwater flow, storing and exchanging water among oceans, atmosphere, ice, lakes, rivers, soils and aquifers, with a deep water cycle exchanging water with the mantle over geological time; the water cycle is driven by solar energy and gravity, is central to climate and ecosystems, and is being altered by climate change and human water use.","purpose":"Let an agent explain the water cycle and its processes and reservoirs, describe its role in climate and ecosystems, present changes due to climate change and human use with attribution, and support learning.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Solar-driven","Reservoirs and fluxes","Residence times","Climate link"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What the water cycle is.","layers":[{"id":"processes","name":"Processes","description":"Processes.","findings":[{"id":"processes-finding","name":"Processes","description":"Processes.","questions":[{"text":"How do evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration and runoff move water through the cycle?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits a specific process?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"reservoirs","name":"Reservoirs","description":"Reservoirs and residence times.","findings":[{"id":"reservoirs-finding","name":"Reservoirs","description":"Reservoirs.","questions":[{"text":"Where is water stored, in what quantities, and how long does it remain in each reservoir?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits groundwater?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"systems","name":"Systems","description":"Role in Earth systems.","layers":[{"id":"climate","name":"Climate","description":"Climate and weather.","findings":[{"id":"climate-finding","name":"Climate","description":"Climate.","questions":[{"text":"How does the water cycle drive weather and interact with climate?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits climate?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"ecosystems","name":"Ecosystems","description":"Ecosystems and people.","findings":[{"id":"ecosystems-finding","name":"Ecosystems","description":"Ecosystems.","questions":[{"text":"How do ecosystems and human societies depend on and modify the water cycle?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits water resources?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"change","name":"Change","description":"Changes and hazards.","layers":[{"id":"climatechange","name":"Climate change","description":"Climate change effects.","findings":[{"id":"climatechange-finding","name":"Climate change","description":"Climate change.","questions":[{"text":"How is climate change altering the water cycle, according to scientific assessments, and what uncertainties remain?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which findings carry uncertainty?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"hazards","name":"Hazards","description":"Floods and droughts.","findings":[{"id":"hazards-finding","name":"Hazards","description":"Hazards.","questions":[{"text":"How do floods and droughts arise from the water cycle, and how are they managed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is a flood or drought emergency present now?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"History and teaching.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did understanding of the water cycle develop from antiquity to modern hydrology?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"teach","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","findings":[{"id":"teach-finding","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","questions":[{"text":"How can the water cycle be taught beyond the simple diagram?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which misconceptions arise?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the stages and stores of the water cycle, including groundwater and residence times.","Report observed precipitation, river flow or groundwater levels from monitoring sources it may query."],"mustNot":["Present the water cycle as a closed loop that guarantees local water supply.","Misrepresent the effects of climate change or land use on the water cycle in either direction.","Promote weather modification or extraction schemes as safe without evidence.","Present forecasts of drought or flood without source and uncertainty."],"requiresHuman":["Water allocation or flood warning decisions based on water cycle data."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Water scarcity and floods fall hardest on poor communities.","Shared waters cross borders and need fair, honest information."],"affectedParties":["Communities dependent on water supplies","Farmers","Future generations"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a natural process held in common; water authorities manage its uses.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Hydrological monitoring networks of national agencies"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q846303","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"biogeochemical cycle","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"raindrop","type":"related","note":"precipitation"},{"target":"water storage","type":"related","note":"human storage of water"},{"target":"global warming","type":"related","note":"changes to the cycle"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.water-cycle","Wikidata: Q81041 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q81041)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Evaporation, precipitation, runoff, groundwater","Cycling among reservoirs","The carbon and nitrogen cycles are other biogeochemical cycles","Not physical as a concept; seen in clouds, rain, rivers and groundwater."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain processes and reservoirs","describe role in climate and ecosystems","present changes with attribution","support learning"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Oversimplifying the cycle as a closed loop","Ignoring groundwater and residence times","Floods and droughts as cycle extremes"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Hydrological measurement standards","Water resource management law","No regulation of the cycle"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Movement of water through Earth systems.","atmospheric processes such as evaporation and precipitation","surface processes such as runoff and river flow","subsurface processes such as infiltration and groundwater flow","cryosphere storage","the deep water cycle"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q81041: water cycle","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q81041","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Water cycle","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each process be a separate entry?","How should hydrological data be linked?","How should climate assessments be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q81041/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q81041/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T03:42:37Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:02+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane ACT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}