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.
The boundary between these two zones is known as the water table, which rises or falls as the amount of groundwater changes. However, far more water—in fact, some , cubic kilometers of it—are cycled through the atmosphere every year. It is as if the entire amount of water in the air were removed and replenished nearly 40 times a year. This map shows the distribution of water vapor throughout the depth of the atmosphere during August Even the wettest regions would form a layer of water only 60 millimeters deep if it were condensed at the surface.
Water continually evaporates, condenses, and precipitates, and on a global basis, evaporation approximately equals precipitation. These water droplets fall down as rain. If the temperature is very low below 0 degrees , then the water droplets would fall as snow. In addition, water could also precipices in the form of drizzle, sleet and hail. Hence water enters lithosphere. As water precipitates, some of it is absorbed by the soil.
This water enters into the process of transpiration. Transpiration is a process similar to evaporation where liquid water is turned into water vapor by the plants.
The roots of the plants absorb the water and push it toward leaves where it is used for photosynthesis. The extra water is moved out of leaves through stomata very tiny openings on leaves as water vapor. Thus water enters the biosphere and exits into gaseous phase.
As the water pours down in whatever form , it leads to runoff. Runoff is the process where water runs over the surface of earth. When the snow melts into water it also leads to runoff.
As water runs over the ground it displaces the top soil with it and moves the minerals along with the stream. However, snow that falls in the winter may only stick around for a few days in mid-latitudes locations, where temperatures often rise above freezing causing the snow to melt, or up to six months closer to the Arctic, where temperatures stay below freezing all winter.
Water stays in soil for around one to two months although this varies greatly. There are exceptions. For example, while water vapor spends relatively little time in the atmosphere, vapor that makes its way into the stratosphere , the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere where weather typically forms, may remain there for a long time.
Also, while water generally spends thousands of years in the ocean before moving on, water in warm, shallow coastal areas may evaporate and leave the ocean very quickly as compared with other areas of the ocean. Soil moisture is typically higher at tropical latitudes than elsewhere. Moist soils are shown in blue. The most dry soils are shown in yellow and orange. Credit: NASA. Warming global temperatures increases the rate of evaporation and precipitation. The impacts are expected to increase over this century as climate warms.
Some areas may experience heavier than normal precipitation, and other areas may become prone to droughts. Other parts of the water cycle - such as clouds, the ocean, glaciers and sea ice - are also affected by climate change.
Mudcracks form during droughts when the ground dries out and moisture evaporates. Just as the water you wash your car with runs off down the driveway as you work, the rain that Mother Nature covers the landscape with runs off downhill, too due to gravity. Runoff is an important component of the natural water cycle.
Solid, liquid, and gas - the three states of water. We see water freeze and turn to ice and we see water evaporate and turn to gas but This process is called sublimation and you can read all about it below.
Skip to main content. Search Search. Water Science School. Evaporation and the Water Cycle. Downloadable Water Cycle Products coming soon! Printable versions of our water-cycle diagrams and products. Science Center Objects Overview Related Science For the water cycle to work, water has to get from the Earth's surface back up into the skies so it can rain back down and ruin your parade or water your crops or yard.
Your table salt might have come from an evaporation pond. Credit: Wikipedia, Creative Commons. Credit: Wikimedia , Creative Commons. Below are other science topics associated with the water cycle.
Date published: July 10, Filter Total Items: Year Select Year Apply Filter. Date published: November 6, Note: This section of the Water Science School Date published: September 8, Date published: July 16, Date published: June 12, Note: This section of the Water Science School discusses the
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