The Water

Cycle
Odelia Johnson & Seon Gunness
 What is the
water cycle?
The water cycle, also known as the
hydrological cycle, is a natural
process by which water is
continually exchanged between the
surface of the Earth and the
atmosphere.
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 The water cycle is driven primarily by the energy from the sun. This solar energy
drives the cycle by evaporating water from the oceans, lakes, rivers, and even the
soil. Other water moves from plants to the atmosphere through the process of
evapotranspiration, which is water transpired from plants and evaporated from the
soil.

A relatively smaller amount of moisture is added, as ice and

snow sublimate directly from the solid state into vapor.
Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere. The vapor rises into the
air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds.

Air currents move clouds around the globe, and cloud particles collide, grow, and
fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow and can
accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of
years.

Snow packs in warmer climates often thaw and melt when spring arrives, and the
melted water flows overland as snowmelt.
Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity,
the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runof. A portion of runof enters
rivers in valleys in the landscape, with stream flow moving water towards the
oceans.

Runof, and groundwater seepage, accumulate and are stored as freshwater in

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  Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface-water
bodies (and the ocean) as groundwater discharge, and some groundwater finds
openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Yet more groundwater
is absorbed by plant roots to end up as evapotranspiration from the leaves.

 The water cycle is essentially a closed system, meaning that the volume of water that is
in the hydrosphere today is the same amount of water that has always been present in
the Earth system.

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Large Image Slide

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Importance of Water Cycle

• The water cycle involves the exchange of energy, which leads to temperature
changes. 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 controls the ecological function of aquatic life and increases the levels of
dissolved oxygen

The water cycle is extremely important process because it ensures the

availability of water for all living organisms and regulates weather patterns on
our planet.   If water didn’t naturally recycle itself, we would run out of clean
water, which is essential to life.

The water cycle is important in itself, and patterns of water cycling and rainfall
have major efects on Earth's ecosystems. However, rainfall and surface runof
also play important roles in the cycling of various elements. These include
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. In particular, surface runof helps
move elements from terrestrial, land-based, to aquatic ecosystems.

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Thank You