
Water enters the atmosphere through evaporation, transpiration, excretion and sublimation:
- Transpiration is the loss of water from plants (via their leaves).
- Animals excrete water by respiration and by passing urine.
- Sublimation is when ice or snow transforms directly into water vapour without going through a liquid phase (i.e. they do not melt).
What are the five stages of the water cycle?
What are the stages of the water cycle quizlet?
- Evaporation. Water changes into water vapor.
- Runoff. Water source comes from a stream.
- Precipitation. Rain or snow onto land.
- Condensation. Water vapor cools and turns back into water.
- Transpiration. Water evaporates from plants.
- Infiltration. Water enters the soil.
- Collection.
What are 4 facts about the water cycle?
- Every loaf of bread produced takes about 570 gallons of water from the Water Cycle.
- Every ton of steel produced takes about 8000 cubic feet of water from the water cycle.
- In the agricultural sector, it takes at least 2.5 gallons of water to grow one tomato. ...
- It takes about 5,200 cubic feet of water to produce a new car. ...
What are the steps in the water cycle?
What is the water cycle?
- Step I: Evaporation The water cycle usually begins with evaporation. ...
- Step II: Condensation When water turns into vapor, the hot air rises into the atmosphere. ...
- Step III: Sublimation Sublimation is another process that helps create water vapors. ...
What is the driving force of the water cycle?
The sun’s energy is the driving force behind the water cycle. The sun heats up water on land and in the oceans, lakes, and seas. The water changes from liquid to vapor in a process called evaporation. What is the driving source behind the water cycle? The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the oceans.

How does a drop of water go through the water cycle?
Water drops form in clouds, and the drops then return to the ocean or land as precipitation - let's say this time, it's snow. The snow will fall to the ground, and eventually melts back into a liquid and runs off into a lake or river, which flows back into the ocean, where it starts the process again.
What are the 7 steps of water cycle?
THE WATER CYCLE.EVAPORATION.CONDENSATION.PRECIPITATION.INTERCEPTION.INFILTRATION.PERCOLATION.TRANSPIRATION.More items...
What is water cycle very short answer?
The water cycle shows the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere. It is a complex system that includes many different processes. Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and precipitates back to earth in the form of rain and snow.
What is water cycle short answer 6?
Answer: The constant movement of water from the Earth to the atmosphere and back to the Earth through the process of evaporation, condensation and precipitation is known as the water cycle.
What are the 5 stages of water cycle?
Student Features. Many processes work together to keep Earth's water moving in a cycle. There are five processes at work in the hydrologic cycle: condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and evapotranspiration.
What is water cycle explain with diagram Class 7?
What is the water cycle? The constant movement of water from the earth to the atmosphere as water vapour and back again to the earth in the form of rain is known as the water cycle. The sun and the water bodies such as the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes are the components of the water cycle.
What is the first step of the water cycle?
The first step of the water cycle is evaporation. About 85% of the water vapor in the air comes from water that evaporated from the oceans. The other 15% comes from evapotranspiration, which is a catch-all term for water that evaporates from over land.
What is the water cycle Class 5?
In the water cycle, water from lakes, rivers, and oceans evaporate and enter the atmosphere where it cools, condenses into liquid water, and comes back to Earth as rain.
What is the water cycle?
The water, or hydrologic, cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their way from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again, in some cases to below the surface. This gigantic system, powered by energy from the Sun, is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land.
What are the three processes that contribute to the hydrologic cycle?
Together, evaporation, transpiration, and sublimation, plus volcanic emissions, account for almost all the water vapor in the atmosphere that isn’t inserted through human activities. While evaporation from the oceans is the primary vehicle for driving the surface-to-atmosphere portion of the hydrologic cycle, transpiration is also significant. For example, a cornfield 1 acre in size can transpire as much as 4,000 gallons of water every day.
How does water vapor affect the Earth?
Water vapor is a powerful greenhouse gas, and it is a major driver of the Earth’s weather and climate as it travels around the globe, transporting latent heat with it.
How is latent heat obtained?
Latent heat is heat obtained by water molecules as they transition from liquid or solid to vapor; the heat is released when the molecules condense from vapor back to liquid or solid form, creating cloud droplets and various forms of precipitation. Water vapor—and with it energy—is carried around the globe by weather systems.
What causes water to rise in the ocean?
A primary cause for increased mass of water entering the ocean is the calving or melting of land ice ( ice sheets and glaciers). Sea ice is already in the ocean, so increases or decreases in the annual amount of sea ice do not significantly affect sea level.
What is the mechanism that transports water from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface?
Cloud droplets can grow and produce precipitation (including rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and hail), which is the primary mechanism for transporting water from the atmosphere back to the Earth’s surface. When precipitation falls over the land surface, it follows various routes in its subsequent paths.
How much water is on Earth?
Viewed from space, one of the most striking features of our home planet is the water, in both liquid and frozen forms, that covers approximately 75% of the Earth’s surface. Geologic evidence suggests that large amounts of water have likely flowed on Earth for the past 3.8 billion years—most of its existence. Believed to have initially arrived on the surface through the emissions of ancient volcanoes, water is a vital substance that sets the Earth apart from the rest of the planets in our solar system. In particular, water appears to be a necessary ingredient for the development and nourishment of life.
What is the water cycle?
About 75 percent of our planet is covered by water or ice. The water cycle is the endless process that connects all of that water. It joins the Earth’s oceans, land, and atmosphere.
How did the Earth's water cycle begin?
It joins the Earth’s oceans, land, and atmosphere. The Earth’s water cycle began about 3.8 billion years ago when rain fell on a cooling Earth, forming the oceans. The rain came from water vapor that escaped the magma in the Earth’s molten core into the atmosphere.
What is the process by which water vapor becomes liquid?
condensation. Noun. process by which water vapor becomes liquid. evaporation. Noun. process by which liquid water becomes water vapor. sublimation. Noun. the process by which snow or ice becomes water vapor without first melting and passing through the liquid phase.
How does water vapor form?
When warmed by the sun, water on the surface of oceans and freshwater bodies evaporates, forming a vapor. Water vapor rises into the atmosphere, where it condenses, forming clouds. It then falls back to the ground as precipitation. Moisture can also enter the atmosphere directly from ice or snow. In a process called sublimation, solid water, such as ice or snow, can transform directly into water vapor without first becoming a liquid.
What happens when water vapor returns to the surface?
Most precipitation lands in the oceans. Precipitation that falls onto land flows into rivers, streams, and lakes.
How does moisture enter the atmosphere?
Moisture can also enter the atmosphere directly from ice or snow. In a process called sublimation, solid water, such as ice or snow, can transform directly into water vapor without first becoming a liquid. A misty cloud rises over Deer Streams National Park.
Where is water stored on Earth?
About 1.7 percent of Earth’s water is stored in polar ice caps and glaciers. Rivers, lakes, and soil hold approximately 1.7 percent. A tiny fraction—just 0.001 percent—exists in the Earth’s atmosphere as water vapor.
What is the water cycle?
The water, or hydrologic, cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their way from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again, in some cases to below the surface. This gigantic system, powered by energy from the Sun, is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land.
What is the path of water in the hydrologic cycle?
Throughout the hydrologic cycle, there are many paths that a water molecule might follow. Water at the bottom of Lake Superior may eventually rise into the atmosphere and fall as rain in Massachusetts. Runoff from the Massachusetts rain may drain into the Atlantic Ocean and circulate northeastward toward Iceland, destined to become part of a floe of sea ice, or , after evaporation to the atmosphere and precipitation as snow, part of a glacier.
How has the ocean been over replenished?
In the case of the oceans, the continual excess of evaporation versus precipitation would eventually leave the oceans empty if they were not being replenished by additional means. Not only are they being replenished, largely through runoff from the land areas, but over the past 100 years, they have been over- replenished: sea level around the globe has risen approximately 17 centimeters over the course of the twentieth century.
What is the process of water vapor condense?
In the cool air, water vapor is more likely to condense from a gas to a liquid to form cloud droplets. Cloud droplets can grow and produce precipitation (including rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and hail), which is the primary mechanism for transporting water from the atmosphere back to the Earth’s surface.
What happens when precipitation falls over the land surface?
When precipitation falls over the land surface, it follows various routes in its subsequent paths. Some of it evaporates, returning to the atmosphere; some seeps into the ground as soil moisture or groundwater; and some runs off into rivers and streams. Almost all of the water eventually flows into the oceans or other bodies of water, where the cycle continues. At different stages of the cycle, some of the water is intercepted by humans or other life forms for drinking, washing, irrigating, and a large variety of other uses.
How does water get into the atmosphere?
Most of the remaining 10% found in the atmosphere is released by plants through transpiration. Plants take in water through their roots, then release it through small pores on the underside of their leaves. In addition, a very small portion of water vapor enters the atmosphere through sublimation, the process by which water changes directly ...
What are the phases of water molecules?
Water molecules can take an immense variety of routes and branching trails that lead them again and again through the three phases of ice, liquid water, and water vapor. For instance, the water molecules that once fell 100 years ago as rain on your great- grandparents’ farmhouse in Iowa might now be falling as snow on your driveway in California.
What is the global water cycle?
Dynamic and complex: the global water cycle. Water in the Earth system is influencing all aspects of life on Earth. Pathways, storage, transfers and transformations have an effect on the global climate and human welfare. Within this interactive 4 scientists talk about some of the complex aspects of the water cycle.
How does water return to the atmosphere?
5. through processes like transpiration. 6. and photosynthesis. 7. . Water may also be returned to the atmosphere through the combustion.
What happens when snow turns into water?
and by passing urine. Sublimation is when ice or snow transforms directly into water vapour without going through a liquid phase (i.e. they do not melt). Water commonly occurs in the atmosphere in the form of water vapour. If it cools down, it can condense, accumulating in clouds.
What is the loss of water from plants?
Transpiration is the loss of water from plants (via their leaves).
What is the term for the formation of rain, hail, snow, and ice in the atmosphere?
In meteorology, this term describes the formation of rain, hail, snow or ice in the atmosphere. hydrosphere: All the water on Earth, whether it is liquid, solid (ice and snow) or vapour (in the atmosphere). geosphere: The solid part of Earth – land and rock.
What is the process of water moving through the soil?
This second process is called infiltration – water moves through pore spaces between soil particles or rocks. Once the water is in the hydrosphere or geosphere, it can be used by living things. Plants can take water from the soils, and animals can drink water from rivers and lakes or eat plants.
What is the water cycle model?
Water cycle models use simple materials to observe the interactions along the water cycle. It’s one of many activities featured in the interactive Learning about the water cycle. water cycle: The continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth (also known as the hydrological cycle).
How does water get into the ground?
We all know the drill: surface water is evaporated into the clouds and then the moisture condenses and forms rainclouds, which eventually precipitate (rain, sleet, hail or snow) the water back down to the reservoirs we utilize for drinking water. From there, the water is filtered and treated and then transported to us through pipes and taps. Our bodies absorb the water and eventually release it back to the ground, oceans and reservoirs, where it embarks on the journey all over again.
How long does water stay in the atmosphere?
Atmosphere: Water is in the atmosphere for a just around nine days ; this is the briefest visit water will make on it's journey through the cycle
How long does fresh water stay in the ocean?
Glaciers trap that fresh water for 20 to 100 years. Ocean: Water can also end up in the ocean, where it could stay for over 3,000 years! Ice shelf: If water makes its way to an ice shelf like in Antarctica, you can just forget about it. If all goes well, that water could be there for 900,000 years.
How long can water stay underground?
Deep ground water can remain underground for 10,000 years. Snow and Glaciers: Water could come back down to earth as snow cover instead, where it could remain for two to six months until the spring melt. Glaciers trap that fresh water for 20 to 100 years.
Where is most of the fresh water stored?
A much smaller percentage, around 0.03–0.01%, is stored in reservoirs like lakes and rivers and is available for human consumption.
What is sedimentation in science?
Sedimentation: for solids separation, that is, removal of suspended solids trapped in the floc
What is the water cycle in Hawaii?
1: Water in the Atmosphere. Hawaii's fresh water supply is intimately dependent upon a continuous chain of events called the water cycle. The atmosphere, ocean, and land -- as well as the sun and other elements of environment -- are linked to replenish this island's fresh water supply. A healthy water cycle is essential.
How does ocean water evaporate?
Ocean water is warmed by the sun, then water molecules evaporate in the form of vapor, rising into the atmosphere. Aloft, the moisture is blown onshore by trade winds. On land, fresh water from streams, ponds, marshes -- even puddles -- also evaporates and contributes to the water cycle.
What is the watershed on Oahu?
The watershed is Oahu's collection basin. The watershed catches, collects, and stores water. Oahu has two main regional watersheds: one in the Koolau Mountains and another in the Waianae Mountains. The Koolaus run perpendicular to the Northeast trade winds and experience the heaviest rainfall.
What is the name of the area of land that collects rainwater?
The Watershed . A watershed is an area of land, encompassing a mountain or valley, that catches and collects rainwater. The surface features, and geologic character, of that land influence whether rainwater moves toward the sea via rivers and streams or by movement underground. The watershed is Oahu's collection basin.
How does evaporation occur?
Evaporation occurs when water is heated and changes from a liquid to a vapor, or gas. In the Hawaiian Islands, where we are surrounded by water and have plentiful sunshine, most of the evaporation in our water cycle takes place offshore. Ocean water is warmed by the sun, then water molecules evaporate in the form of vapor, rising into the atmosphere. Aloft, the moisture is blown onshore by trade winds. On land, fresh water from streams, ponds, marshes -- even puddles -- also evaporates and contributes to the water cycle.
Where does most of Oahu's precipitation occur?
Most of Oahu's precipitation occurs on the peaks and northeast-facing slopes of the Koolau Mountains. On average, more than 250 inches of rain fall upon the peaks of this range each year. That's far more than the meager amounts that usually fall upon the arid leeward areas of the island.
Where do streams occur in Hawaii?
Most of the natural streams in Hawaii occur on the windward sides of the islands , where rainfall is most plentiful due to the moisture brought by trade winds. On Oahu, streams can blanket the northeastern slopes of the Koolau and Waianae ranges, but they are rare on the arid southern and leeward slopes.
How does a cold water line work?
Instead of sending water through the heater, cold water service lines run directly to every water appliance in the home. Plumbers install these pipes in straight lines, 90 degree angles, or slight downward slopes to facilitate easier flow. Each water appliance has its own intake pipe, which branches off from the cold water pipes to supply ...
How does the water line get to my faucet?
How Does It Get To My Faucets? Once inside, the water main line runs directly to your water heater. Just before connecting with the water heater, however, your main line splits into two different pipe paths. These paths are called the hot and cold service lines.
How Does It Get Out of the City Main Line?
Your home’s main line is probably near the edge of your property. Your water main receives pressurized, treated water directly from the pumping stations sending it via this line. The pressure applied to the water by the pumps gives city water enough force to travel to you.
How Does It Get Into My Pipes?
After entering your water main, the water moves through a large (¾ inches or larger) pipe headed toward the home. This pipe, called the water or supply line, carries water from the mainline to your house. The supply line is buried deep enough underneath the property that it won’t freeze, and it runs from the ground directly into the home. Supply lines are usually made of plastic, galvanized iron, or (ideally) copper.
Why is my water pressure low?
This happens because the pressure and momentum provided by the pumps partially dissipates before reaching your water line. If your home has consistently low water pressure, professionals can install a pump on your water main line, to re-pressurize water enough to circulate through your house.
What happens when you run out of hot water?
When you “run out” of hot water after a long shower, you’ve used up your water heater’s reserves.
What happens when water from main line floods tank?
The end of this path empties out into the water heater. When water from the main line floods the tank, a sensor in the base of the tank sends a message to the heating element.
