Factors affecting the magnitude of stores in water cycle

Evaporation

Process of turning from a liquid to a gas

Condensation

The conversion of a vapour or gas into a liquid

Precipitation

Rain, snow, sleet or hail that falls to or condenses on the ground

Drainage basin

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Cryospheric process

Those processes that affect the total mass of ice at any scale from local patches of frozen ground to global ice amounts.

Accumulation

The build up of ice mass

Ablation

The loss of ice mass

Cloud formation

Air in the lower layers of the Earth's atmosphere become saturated due to cooling of the air and/or an increase in water vapour

Frontal Rainfall

Warm air meets cold and is forced to rise. Warm air cools as it rises - condenses to form clouds. Along the front a variety of clouds form causing rainfall

Relief rainfall

Warm air is blown over the ocean and rises over areas of steep relief. As the air rises it cools and condenses. Since cold air can't hold as much moisture as warm air precipitation occurs.

Convectional rainfall

Sun's energy causes rapid evaporation and evapotranspiration. Water vapour rises causing condensation once dew point is reached. Large quantities of water vapour and fast condensation causes storm clouds.

Water cycle

The continuous movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean

Hydrological cycle

AKA Water cycle

Water store

a build-up of water that has collected on or below the ground, or in the atmosphere

Magnitude

The great size or importance of something e.g. magnitude of water stored in groundwater