RESOURCES ON EARTH
Tejinder Kaur, Academic Content Creator at Edumarz
Water Cycle
The Water Cycle describes the cyclic movement of water above and below the earth’s surface continuously. It is a continuous process. Hence, do not have a starting or an ending point.
During the cycle, the water changes its form but the total number of water particles remains the same throughout the process.
Stages of Water Cycle:
Stage 1: Evaporation and Transpiration
Under the influence of the Sun’s energy, the surface water of the lakes, rivers, oceans and other water bodies heats up and some water evaporates as vapour in the air. The air currents take up the vapours in the sky.
Similarly, plants and trees also lose up water to the atmosphere in the form of water vapour by a process called transpiration.
Stage 2: Condensation
The water vapours which have risen up, under the influence of cooler temperatures again turn back into a liquid by a process of Condensation. The air currents move the moisture around and lead to the formation of clouds.
Stage 3: Precipitation
The movement of wind now causes the clouds’ particles to collide. As these clouds become filled with water, they fall back on the earth’s surface by the process of precipitation. Depending upon the temperature the form may vary as rain, snow, hail, etc.
Stage 4: Runoff and Infiltration
The precipitated water runs down in oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater and is absorbed by the soil as groundwater.
After this last stage, again the water is ready for evaporation, and hence the same cycle continues.