Water is vital to life on Earth. It sustains all living things and is a key component of the natural environment. Water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is the process by which water circulates through the Earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
The water cycle is driven by the sun’s heat, which evaporates water from the surface of the Earth. This water vapor then rises into the atmosphere and condenses into clouds. When these clouds reach a certain level, they release precipitation in the form of rain or snow.
This precipitated water then falls back to the surface of the Earth, where it flows into rivers and lakes. From there, it either evaporates back into the atmosphere or percolates into the ground, where it becomes groundwater. Groundwater eventually returns to the surface through springs or other natural processes. The water cycle is a continuous loop that is constantly recycling water on Earth.
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is a process that recycles the Earth ‘s supply of water every day. This is significant since people, animals, and plants need water to survive. It is regulated by the sun, which generates energy in the form of heat. The world’s oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water get heated and evaporate as a result of solar radiation.
As it evaporates, the water vapor eventually rises into the sky and forms clouds. When the conditions are right, the water falls back to Earth as precipitation. This can be in the form of rain, snow, or hail. Once it hits the ground, the water begins to flow over the land surface and eventually makes its way back into rivers, lakes, and oceans where the cycle begins again. Water is an essential part of life and the water cycle is a never-ending process that helps to keep our planet habitable.
As the water warms, it goes from liquid to gas. This gas is known as water vapor, and this process is known as evaporation. Transpiration occurs when plants give off water vapor. When water evaporates, it rises into cooler air where it condenses. Condensation occurs when the moisture in a cloud cools down and changes back to liquid Water by precipitating (forming droplets).
When the water droplets in clouds become too heavy to be held up by the air, they fall back down to Earth as precipitation. Water can also seep into the ground, where it’s stored in aquifers. From there, it can evaporate back into the atmosphere or flow back out into rivers and lakes, completing the water cycle.
The bigger the water droplets in the clouds, the more time it takes for them to grow. As more and more water vapor cools into cloud particles, the droplets get larger and larger. When the winds in the atmosphere can no longer support them, the droplets fall from the sky as precipitation is known for falling, condensed water molecules that come down as rain, snow, sleet, or hail depending on weather conditions in the atmosphere.
Once the water droplets fall to Earth, they might fall on land or water. If it falls on land, some of the water will evaporate back into the atmosphere and some will seep into the ground. The water that seeps into the ground is called infiltration. Water that can’t soak into the ground runs across the surface in what we call runoff. Some of this runoff flows directly back into rivers and lakes (surface runoff), while some of it soaks slowly into the ground (groundwater recharge).
If precipitation falls directly into a river or lake, it’s called direct runoff. Water can also evaporate from oceans, rivers, lakes, and even from wet soil and plants. Water vapor rises up into the air and eventually condenses to form clouds all over again.
The entire Water Cycle is powered by the Sun’s energy. The sun heats up water on Earth’s surface, causing it to evaporate or sublime (turn from a solid into a vapor without passing through the liquid stage). Water vapor rises into the atmosphere where it eventually cools and condenses into precipitation. Precipitation falls back to Earth’s surface where the water evaporates or infiltrates into groundwater.
Groundwater flows back into rivers and lakes, or percolates deep below Earth’s surface, slowly filling aquifers (natural underground reservoirs) with water. The Sun continues to heat up water on Earth’s surface, causing more evaporation, creating more precipitation, and continuing the Water Cycle.
The Water Cycle is one of Earth’s most important processes. It provides freshwater for all sorts of life on Earth, including humans. The Water Cycle is also an important factor in determining climate. Regions that tend to be wet or dry are determined by a variety of factors, including elevation, latitude, prevailing winds, and local geology.
The Water Cycle is a never-ending, worldwide process. Every day, water evaporates from the surface of the Earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into precipitation, and falls back to the surface. This process is continually recycling water vapor back into precipitation. The whole Water Cycle takes place over and over again every day!
Solar energy powers the water cycle. The oceans account for 86 percent of global evaporation, which cools the planet by evaporative cooling. Without evaporation, the greenhouse effect would result in a much higher surface temperature of 67 °C and a warmer planet.
– Water evaporates from the oceans, lakes and rivers
– Water vapor condenses into clouds
– Precipitation (rain, sleet or snow) falls back to Earth
– Water flows back into the oceans, lakes and rivers
The water cycle is a never ending process that cleans and provides fresh water for all living things. Water is essential for life on Earth.
The water cycle begins when water vapor condenses into tiny droplets in the atmosphere. This can happen when warm air rises and cools, or when cold air moves over warmer ground. The droplets come together to form clouds. When the drops get too heavy they fall back to Earth as precipitation. Precipitation can be rain, sleet, snow, or hail. It all depends on the temperature of the air at the time the droplets form.
Most precipitation falls back into the oceans, where it starts the cycle over again. Some of it lands on land, where it flows over the surface and eventually percolates (seeps) down to groundwater aquifers. From there, it may return to the surface as a spring or seep, begin flowing downhill as a stream or river, evaporate back into the atmosphere from lakes or oceans, or be pulled up by plants through their roots (transpiration).
Water can even become trapped in ice sheets and glaciers for thousands of years before returning to the atmosphere through melting. The entire water cycle takes about a month to complete.
The water cycle is powered by the sun. Solar energy drives evaporation, which is the process of turning liquid water into water vapor. The sun also powers the hydrologic cycle by providing the energy that drives atmospheric circulation. This movement of air around the planet helps redistribute heat and plays an important role in moving water vapor from one place to another. Without the sun’s energy, there would be no water cycle and no life on Earth.
