Water cycle

Water can be found all over the Earth in the ocean, on land, and in the atmosphere. The water cycle is the path that all water follows as it moves through our planet. 96.5 percent of the water is in the oceans, 1.7 percent is in lakes, rivers, streams and soil, 1.7 percent is in polar caps, glaciers and permanent snow, and 0.001 percent it is in water vapor in the earth’s atmosphere. Today in this blog we want to tell you what the water cycle is so that you can understand it better and know a little more about water. So enjoy this blog and share all the information that we give you here.

What is the water cycle?

Precipitation is a vital component of how water moves through Earth’s water cycle, connecting the ocean, land, and atmosphere. The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the earth’s surface, rises into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into rain or snow in clouds, and falls back to the surface as precipitation. Water that falls on land collects in rivers and lakes, soil, and porous rock layers, and much of it flows back into the oceans, where it will evaporate once more. The cycle of water in and out of the atmosphere is a significant aspect of weather patterns on Earth. On Earth, you can find water in all three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Liquid water is found in the Earth’s oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, and even on the ground and underground. Solid ice is found in glaciers, snow, and at the north and south poles. Water vapor, a gas, is found in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The sun’s heat causes glaciers and snow to melt into liquid water. This water enters oceans, lakes, and streams. Water from melted snow and ice also enters the ground. There, it supplies water for plants and the groundwater we drink. Snow that falls on a glacier during the winter months generally replaces the water that melts in the summer. However, due to the Earth’s general warming, most of today’s glaciers are losing more ice than they are regaining, causing them to shrink over time.

Then the water reaches the atmosphere. This happens in two main ways. One of them is because of the sun’s heat that causes water to evaporate from oceans, lakes and streams. Evaporation occurs when liquid water on Earth’s surface turns into water vapor in our atmosphere. Water from plants and trees also enters the atmosphere. This is called perspiration. Hot water vapor rises through the Earth’s atmosphere and as the water vapor rises higher and higher, the cold air in the atmosphere causes the water vapor to revert to liquid water, creating clouds. This process is called condensation. When a cloud fills with liquid water, it falls from the sky in the form of rain or snow, also known as precipitation. Then rain and snow fill lakes and streams,

What are the stages of the water cycle?

There are different stages in the water cycle which are evaporation, condensation, sublimation, precipitation, transpiration, runoff and infiltration.

Step 1: evaporation

The water cycle begins with evaporation. It is a process where the water on the surface turns into water vapors. Water absorbs heat energy from the sun and turns into vapors. Bodies of water such as oceans, seas, lakes, and river bodies are the main source of evaporation. Through evaporation, water passes from the hydrosphere to the atmosphere. As the water evaporates, it reduces the temperature of the bodies.

Step 2: condensation

As water evaporates into water vapor, it rises to the atmosphere. At high altitudes, water vapors are transformed into very tiny particles of ice droplets because the temperature at high altitudes is low. This process is called condensation. These particles get closer and form clouds and fogs in the sky.

Step 3: sublimation

In addition to evaporation, sublimation also contributes to the formation of water vapors in the air. Sublimation is a process in which ice turns directly into water vapors without turning into liquid water. This phenomenon is accelerated when the temperature is low or the pressure is high. The main sources of sublimation water are the North Pole and South Pole ice sheets and the polar caps in the mountains. Sublimation is a much slower process than evaporation.

Step 4: Precipitation

Clouds (which are condensed water vapors) then spill out as precipitation due to wind or temperature change. This occurs because the water droplets combine to form larger droplets. Also, when the air can’t hold any more water, it precipitates. At high altitudes, the temperature is low and therefore the droplets lose their thermal energy. These drops of water fall in the form of rain. If the temperature is very low (less than 0 degrees), the water droplets fall as snow. The water also rushes down in the form of drizzle, sleet, and hail. Therefore, the water enters the lithosphere.

Step 5: perspiration

As the water rushes in, some of the soil is absorbed. This water enters the perspiration process. Perspiration is a process similar to evaporation in which plants convert liquid water into water vapor. Plant roots absorb water and push it onto leaves where it is used for photosynthesis. The extra water comes out of the leaves through the stomata in the form of water vapor. Thus, water enters the biosphere and exits the gas phase.

Step 6: runoff

As the water spills out it leads to runoff. Runoff is the process in which water runs over the surface of the earth. When snow melts into water, it also leads to runoff. As the water runs over the ground, it displaces the topsoil with it and moves the minerals along with the current. This runoff combines to form channels and then rivers and ends up in lakes, seas, and oceans. Here the water enters the hydrosphere.

Step 7: infiltration

Some of the water that precipitates does not run into rivers and is absorbed by plants or evaporates. It penetrates deep into the ground. This is called infiltration. The water seeps in and the water table rises. It is called pure water and it is drinkable.

I hope you liked all the information that we give you in this blog …