Water Cycle
71% of the Earth is covered with ocean and some times called “water planet”. Earth’s liquid freshwater is in the form of ice, snow and groundwater. Groundwater are found in underground cracks and between particles of rock and soil.
Water moves among the oceans, atmosphere and land in a cycle that covers earth. Water cycle is the continuous movement of water.Made up of several processes including evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, eventual return of flowing water to the ocean.
Evaporation
Evaporation is the process that changes liquid into gas by the heat of the sun.The warm, moist air expands and rises carrying water vapor in the atmosphere. Most of the evaporation occurs in the ocean and lakes.Transpiration is the process of water vapor entering the atmosphere released from leaves of trees and other plants
Condensation
Water vapor does not stay in the atmosphere for long. Since cold air holds less water vapor than warm air, condensation occurs. Condensation is when water vapors form droplets on small particles of air.Billions of the droplets or ice crystals make up clouds
Precipitation
Water droplets or ice crystals in clouds get too heavy, gravity causes to fall on the ground as precipitation - rain, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain. Evaporation and precipitation is balanced.
Water moves among the oceans, atmosphere and land in a cycle that covers earth. Water cycle is the continuous movement of water.Made up of several processes including evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, eventual return of flowing water to the ocean.
Evaporation
Evaporation is the process that changes liquid into gas by the heat of the sun.The warm, moist air expands and rises carrying water vapor in the atmosphere. Most of the evaporation occurs in the ocean and lakes.Transpiration is the process of water vapor entering the atmosphere released from leaves of trees and other plants
Condensation
Water vapor does not stay in the atmosphere for long. Since cold air holds less water vapor than warm air, condensation occurs. Condensation is when water vapors form droplets on small particles of air.Billions of the droplets or ice crystals make up clouds
Precipitation
Water droplets or ice crystals in clouds get too heavy, gravity causes to fall on the ground as precipitation - rain, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain. Evaporation and precipitation is balanced.
Glaciers
About 90% of water that evaporates from ocean falls back into the ocean. Most falls on land and quickly evaporates back to the atmosphere.Much of the remaining water seeps into the soil as groundwater or become frozen in glacier. Glacier is a large mass of moving ice and snow on land.
Glaciers form in area where more snow falls than melts each year. As snow builds up, the weight presses the layer of snow below forming ice. When the weight is great enough, it will slowly move downhill. Icebergs are large pieces of ice that break off when a glacier reaches the ocean.
Only small portion of water on earth is freshwater which is free mineral and salt. These are located in the atmosphere, streams, and lakes. Most is located in groundwater and glaciers
Glaciers form in area where more snow falls than melts each year. As snow builds up, the weight presses the layer of snow below forming ice. When the weight is great enough, it will slowly move downhill. Icebergs are large pieces of ice that break off when a glacier reaches the ocean.
Only small portion of water on earth is freshwater which is free mineral and salt. These are located in the atmosphere, streams, and lakes. Most is located in groundwater and glaciers
Runoffs
Streams and rivers contains even less fresh water than the atmosphere. But water passes through streams shaping the surface of the land. When rain falls on land, much of it enters the ground, but some becomes runoff. Runoff is water that flows over Earth’s surface. Stream is any natural channel of flowing water and they form a network called the river system. A major river has many smaller streams, called tributaries. Tributaries collect runoff from the surrounding land and channels into rivers. Watershed is the area of land that contributes water to a river system.
About a quarter of all freshwater is groundwater. Close to the surface the pore space in rocks and soil are filled with air. Deeper below the surface is the saturated zone, a region where the pore spaces are filled with groundwater. The top of the saturated zone is the water table where water flows slowly from high elevations of water table to low. The level of the water table determines from the amount of rainfall. Water flows more easily through some rocks than others. A rock is permeable if water can easily pass through it. A permeable rock layer that is saturated with water called an aquifer. Aquifer is used as drinking water in wells. Rocks are impermeable if water cannot easily pass through them. Groundwater in loose rock of soil above the impermeable layer flows out of the hillside as a spring.
About a quarter of all freshwater is groundwater. Close to the surface the pore space in rocks and soil are filled with air. Deeper below the surface is the saturated zone, a region where the pore spaces are filled with groundwater. The top of the saturated zone is the water table where water flows slowly from high elevations of water table to low. The level of the water table determines from the amount of rainfall. Water flows more easily through some rocks than others. A rock is permeable if water can easily pass through it. A permeable rock layer that is saturated with water called an aquifer. Aquifer is used as drinking water in wells. Rocks are impermeable if water cannot easily pass through them. Groundwater in loose rock of soil above the impermeable layer flows out of the hillside as a spring.