SCIE-Earth Cycles: Water Cycle

Water Cycle

• It moves in a continuously repeating flow from the Earth to the atmosphere and back again

Liquid to Gas

• Known as water vapor

• Evaporation: liquid water in heated by the sun into the vapor

• Transpiration: water within plant leaves exits to the air

Gas to Liquid

• After water vapor rises, it cools down and condenses from gas to liquid

• it can even become solid if freezes

• These droplets stick together to form clouds

Gas to Liquid con’t

• Droplets continue to stick until they’re too heavy to remain in cloud

• They fall back on earth through precipitation: rain, snow, sleet or hail

Runoff and Percolation

• Precipitation can land on water or onto land

• runoff takes water into the bodies of water

• OR

• water can also percolate into ground to become groundwater supply

Solar energy and Gravity

• These drive the water cycle up and down