Water Cycle

The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into rain or snow in clouds, and falls again to the surface as precipitation. The water falling on land collects in rivers and lakes, soil, layers of rock, and much of it flows back into the oceans, where it will once more evaporate..

Another way of describing the Water Cycle is water is derived from Rain Fall, the culmination of the last stage in the Water Cycle. (The sun heats up water on land, in rivers, lakes and seas and turns it into water vapor. The water vapor rises into the air; Water vapor in the air cools down and changes back into tiny drops of liquid water, forming clouds; The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the ground in the form of rain or snow; Rain water runs over the land and collects in lakes or rivers, which take it back to the sea. The cycle starts all over again.)

A third description of the Water Cycle is the Water Cycle is a natural cycle by which water is circulated between the Earth’s surface (on or under it) and the atmosphere. In essence, water is evaporated from the oceans, forms clouds, is precipitated on land as rain, hail or snow, and then flows in rivers, glaciers or underground to the sea, where it is evaporated again.

Water, Water, Everywhere

Water is practically everywhere on Earth. Moreover, it is the only known substance that can naturally exist as a gas, a liquid, and solid within the relatively small range of air temperatures and pressures found at the Earth’s surface.

Water vapor—and with it energy—is carried around the globe by weather systems.

For human needs, the amount of freshwater on Earth—for drinking and agriculture—is particularly important. Freshwater exists in lakes, rivers, groundwater, and frozen as snow and ice. Estimates of groundwater are particularly difficult to make, and they vary widely.

Groundwater may constitute anywhere from approximately 22 to 30% of fresh water, with ice (including ice caps, glaciers, permanent snow, ground ice, and permafrost) accounting for most of the remaining 78 to 70%.

Water, in both liquid and frozen forms, that covers approximately 75% of the Earth’s surface.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkgg87h/articles/z3wpp39

Water on Earth is constantly moving. It is recycled over and over again. This recycling process is called the water cycle.

1. Water evaporates into the air

The sun heats up water on land, in rivers, lakes and seas and turns it into water vapour. The water vapour rises into the air.

2. Water vapour condenses into clouds

Water vapour in the air cools down and changes back into tiny drops of liquid water, forming clouds.

3. Water fall as precipitation

The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the ground in the form of rain or snow.

4. Water returns to the sea

Rain water runs over the land and collects in lakes or rivers, which take it back to the sea. The cycle starts all over again.