He water cycle Is the process by which water moves into and out of the Earth. This happens because water is always in motion, constantly changing state. This is how we can sometimes find water in liquid, solid or gaseous state.
The water cycle has taken place on Earth for billions of years, and every form of life on the planet has depended and depended on its existence. This means that if there were no water cycle, life on Earth would not be possible (Perlman, 2016).
Billions of years ago, Earth was composed of volcanic magma. This magma contained water, which was released gradually into the earth's atmosphere, allowing it to cool.
Eventually, the earth's atmosphere cooled enough to allow the water present on the earth's surface to become liquid and solid.
This way you can see how the water cycle is subject to the different temperature changes that allow you to change its state.
As the temperature rises, the water will evaporate. Conversely, as the temperature decreases, the water will go into a liquid and then solid state.
How the Water Cycle Works
First, it must be made clear that the water cycle does not have a starting point. However, it will be assumed that the starting point of this cycle is found in the oceans, since that is where the greatest amount of water is found on Earth.
On the other hand, it should be noted that the water cycle is completely governed by the activity of the Sun (University, 2014).
Water evaporation
The water cycle then begins when a portion of the water that is in the oceans evaporates thanks to the incidence of sunlight.
Sunlight heats the water and causes it to change state, evaporating and passing into the atmosphere along with the air.
A small portion of this steam comes directly from the solid state when fragments of ice and snow are subjected to a sublimation state.
When the air currents rise, the water vapor rises into the atmosphere. This includes water vapor from the oceans, ice, snow and some other sources such as transpiration of plants and water that evaporates from the soil.
The steam rises to the highest part of the atmosphere, where it reaches the cooler air. Thanks to this phenomenon, the water becomes condensed in the form of clouds.
Air currents around the Earth cause cloud particles to collide, grow and fall to the earth in the form of precipitation (Paul, 2015).
Water condensation
Once the clouds collide and the water particles grow and condense, we can see how precipitation occurs.
Some precipitation can fall to the Earth in the form of snow, and can accumulate to form ice caps and glaciers, remaining solid for thousands of years. These decks and glaciers are responsible for storing large amounts of water.
Some snowfalls in warmer climates usually become liquid and melt when spring arrives. Then, liquid water flows over the earth's surface as the snow melts.
Thus, most of the precipitation that fell to the earth in the form of snow returns to the oceans or drips on the ground as surface currents (Frost, 2004).
Some of these surface currents are discharged into rivers located mainly in valleys, where gravity helps with water runoff through the mountains.
Water that does not drain into any river or ocean is accumulated on the surface of the Earth in the form of lakes. Lakes are another source of fresh or fresh water that can be found on the land surface.
Water movement
Water that does not flow to rivers Or to the ocean, and does not remain contained in the lakes, is filtered by the ground.
Sometimes, this water is responsible for supplying water rocks (saturated underground rocks), which store large quantities of fresh water for long periods of time.
At other times, the water filtered by the soil is placed close to the earth's surface, creating aquatic bodies that can emit water discharges periodically, such as fresh water sources or water sources.
However, most of the water that is filtered by the soil is absorbed by the roots of plants and trees, and returns to the atmosphere when they release it in the form of vapor.
Storage and transfer
The water involved in the water cycle is stored mainly in the ocean.
However, other places where water is stored may be glaciers, land and atmosphere. In this way, the movement of water between these storage locations throughout the cycle is known as transfer.
Watersheds
The rivers are the main hydrographic basin that is responsible for depositing the water collected in the mainland and pouring it back into the ocean.
Each river is responsible for"catching"the water that drains by the effect of gravity on the earth. In this way, rivers are responsible for the movement of water along the land. At times, the dumping point of rivers is not the ocean, but a lake (BBC, 2017).
"Completion"of the cycle
As stated earlier, the water cycle has no beginning or end. However, starting from the idea that this cycle begins with the evaporation of the water and its passage in the gaseous state to the atmosphere, it can be affirmed that the cycle concludes when the water, after having moved by numerous places, returns to the ocean .
From this point, the cycle begins again.
References
- (2017). Bitesize . Retrieved from"The Water Cycle and River Terminology": bbc.co.uk
- Frost, H. (2004). The Water Cycle. Mankato: Capstone Press.
- Paul, M. (2015). Water Is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
- Perlman, H. (December 15, 2016). USGS . Obtained from Summary of the Water Cycle: water.usgs.gov
- University, W.J. (2014). Wheeling Jesuit University . Retrieved from The Water Cycle: cotf.edu.