This process is known as condensation-these tiny droplets form into what we know as clouds and fog.Įxperiment: You can see this in action by pouring out a glass of cold water. Thus, it begins to cool and turns this vapor into tiny water droplets. As it goes up, the temperature goes down at higher altitudes. When water turns into vapor, the hot air rises into the atmosphere. This process helps in cooling down the water sources. Then, it moves from the hydrosphere to the atmosphere. Here, water changes from liquid to gaseous form. During evaporation, surface water like oceans, lakes, and rivers absorb the heat radiated by the sun. The water cycle usually begins with evaporation. But we can start from the evaporation process. The water cycle does not have a definite starting point as the cycle is on a continuous loop. These are in no particular order as processes like evaporation, sublimation, and transpiration happen simultaneously. Many steps make the circulation process possible. Continuous water circulation maintains our supply of clean water. Water goes through various forms during its cycle, i.e., rain, ice, or water vapor. This lesson will discuss how water moves between each location.The water cycle is the continuous movement of water from the ground to the air and vice-versa. Think about how water moves from one location to the next. Try to recall where the most water is located. When water is present on the skin of an animal (for example, as perspiration), evaporation may occur.Ĭreate a list as to where all water can be located on the earth (example: oceans, rivers, etc.). Water is excreted as a liquid or leaves as a gas, usually through respiration. Water is either directly consumed by animals or is removed from foods during digestion. Humans and other animals carry water within their bodies, transporting it from one location to another. Eventually, the water droplets become too heavy and gravity pulls the water to the earth. In clouds, water molecules collect on tiny dust particles. Water condensation can be seen as dew on plants or water droplets on the outside of a glass of cold water. Where it condenses and returns to earth depends upon loss of heat energy, gravity, and the structure of the earth’s surface. In fact, water vapor surrounds us all the time. As a vapor, water can travel through the atmosphere over the earth’s surface. The combination of evaporation and transpiration is referred to as evapotranspiration. Plants give off water vapor through transpiration. Evaporation occurs when water from the ground or bodies of water move into the atmosphere. Water is constantly evaporating, changing from a liquid to a gas. Water travels slowly underground, seeping and filtering through particles of soil and pores within rocks.Īlthough unseen, water’s most dramatic movements take place during its gaseous phase. Water is seen flowing in streams and rivers and tumbling in ocean waves. One of the most visible states in which water moves is the liquid form. Snow on mountaintops melts and descends through watersheds to the oceans of the world. Water as a solid, liquid or gas has mass and is subject to gravitational force. Gravity further influences the ability of water to travel over, under, and above the surface of the earth. Glaciers melt to pools which overflow to streams, where water may evaporate into the atmosphere. With each change in state, physical movement from one location to another usually follows. When the motion of the molecule increases because of an increase in heat energy, water will change from solid to liquid to gas. Heat energy directly influences the rate of motion of water molecules. While water does circulate from one point or state to another in the water cycle, the paths it can take are variable.
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