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    The Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)

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    Heather Clarchick
    The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. Water evaporates from the surface into the atmosphere, condenses to form clouds, and falls as precipitation back to the surface, where it may collect in streams, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, or be absorbed by plants. The sun drives the water cycle via evaporation and transpiration, and the cycle is essential for transporting heat around the globe and supporting life through the provision of freshwater.

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    The Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)

    Uploaded by

    Heather Clarchick
    6 views15 pages
    The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. Water evaporates from the surface into the atmosphere, condenses to form clouds, and falls as precipitation back to the surface, where it may collect in streams, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, or be absorbed by plants. The sun drives the water cycle via evaporation and transpiration, and the cycle is essential for transporting heat around the globe and supporting life through the provision of freshwater.

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    The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. Water evaporates from the surface into the atmosphere, condenses to form clouds, and falls as precipitation back to the surface, where it may collect in streams, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, or be absorbed by plants. The sun drives the water cycle via evaporation and transpiration, and the cycle is essential for transporting heat around the globe and supporting life through the provision of freshwater.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    6 views15 pages

    The Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)

    Uploaded by

    Heather Clarchick
    The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. Water evaporates from the surface into the atmosphere, condenses to form clouds, and falls as precipitation back to the surface, where it may collect in streams, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, or be absorbed by plants. The sun drives the water cycle via evaporation and transpiration, and the cycle is essential for transporting heat around the globe and supporting life through the provision of freshwater.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 15

    The Water Cycle

    (Hydrologic Cycle)
    What is the Water Cycle?
    • It describes the continuous movement
    of water on, above and below the
    surface of the Earth.
    • Water moves from one reservoir to another
    i.e. from river to ocean or from ocean to the atmosphere
    • It does this via physical processes such as:
    • Evaporation
    • Condensation
    • Precipitation
    • Infiltration
    • Runoff
    • By transferring water from one reservoir to another, the water
    cycle purifies water, replenishes the land with freshwater, and
    transports minerals to different parts of the globe
    • In doing so water goes through different phases or states:

    • Liquid
    • Solid (ice or snow)
    • Gas (vapour)
    • The water cycle involves the exchange of heat, which leads to
    temperature changes.
    • For instance, when water evaporates, it takes up energy from its
    surroundings and cools the environment. When it condenses, it
    releases energy and warms the environment.
    • These heat exchanges influence climate.
    • It is also involved in reshaping the geological features of the
    Earth, through such processes as erosion and sedimentation.
    • Finally, the water cycle figures significantly in the maintenance
    of life and ecosystems on Earth.
    TERMINOLOGY
    • PRECIPITATION
    • This is condensed water vapour that falls to the Earth’s surface in the
    from of:
    • Rain
    • Sleet
    • Fog
    • Hail
    • EVAPORATION
    • The transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from
    the ground into the overlying atmosphere.
    • The source of energy is primarily SOLAR RADIATION.
    • TRANSPIRATION
    • The release of water vapour from plants and soil into the air.
    • EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
    • Is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land
    surface to atmosphere
    • ADVECTION
    • The movement of water in any state though the atmosphere. Without
    advection water that evaporated over the oceans would not
    PRECIPITATE over the land.
    • CONDENSATION
    • The transformation of water vapour into liquid water droplets in
    the air – this creates:
    • Clouds
    • Fog
    • PERCOLATION
    • Water flows HORIZONTALLY through the soil and rocks under
    the influence of gravity.
    • SUBSURFACE FLOW
    • The flow of water underground into aquifers.
    • This moves slowly and is replenished slowly. It can remain in aquifers for
    thousands of years.
    • SUBLIMATION
    • The change from solid water to water vapour - without passing through
    the liquid phase. i.e. from ice or snow to water vapour.
    • DEPOSITION
    • The change from water vapour to solid water i.e. ice or snow - without
    passing through the liquid phase.
    • INFILTRATION
    • The flow of water from the ground SURFACE into the ground.
    • Once infiltrated the water becomes soil moisture or groundwater.
    • RUNOFF
    • This is the variety of ways in which water moves across the land.
    • Surface runoff
    • Channel runoff
    • As it flows the water may:
    • seep into the ground
    • evaporate into the air
    • become stored in lakes, rivers or reservoirs
    • Be extracted for human or agricultural uses
    • SNOWMELT
    • The water produced by melting snow.
    • CANOPY INTERCEPTION
    • The PRECIPITATION that is intercepted by plant foliage.
    • This eventually evaporates back to the atmosphere
    Human activities that alter the water cycle include:

    • agriculture
    • industry
    • alteration of the chemical composition of the atmosphere
    • construction of dams
    • deforestation and afforestation
    • removal of groundwater from wells
    • water abstraction from rivers
    • urbanization
    SUN

    PRECIPITATION HEAT FLUX


    H2O TRANSPIRATION
    H2O H2O
    H2O
    SUBLIMATION & DEPOSITION
    H2O H2O
    VEGETATION H2O
    H2O EVAPORATION PLANT CANOPY
    SNOW
    H2O
    H2O

    H2O
    RUNOFF
    H2O H2O
    ON SOIL H2O
    H2O
    H2O
    SOIL MOISTURE FLUX OPEN WATER
    H22O H2O
    H2O
    INTERNAL SOIL MOISTURE INTERNAL HEAT FLUX
    H2O
    INTERNAL FLOW FLUX
    H2O
    Video

    NASA Earth's Water Cycle

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