As water evaporates, for example, it absorbs energy and cools the local environment. Through the water cycle, heat is exchanged and temperatures fluctuate. Islands or coastal regions, where water vapor makes up more of the atmosphere, are usually much more humid than inland regions, where water vapor is scarcer.Ī region's temperature also relies on the water cycle. This contributes to radically different climates. As water vapor is not evenly distributed by the water cycle, some regions experience higher humidity than others. Humidity is simply the amount of water vapor in the air. These weather conditions are influenced by the water cycle. Two weather conditions that contribute to climate include humidity and temperature. The water cycle has a dramatic influence on Earth's climate and ecosystems.Ĭlimate is all the weather conditions of an area, evaluated over a period of time. Above isolated deserts, it can be less than one percent. Above the ocean, water vapor is much more abundant, making up as much as four percent of the air. Water vapor is not evenly distributed across the atmosphere. The ocean, lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers all hold liquid water. Most of Earth's fresh water is ice, locked in massive glaciers, ice sheets, and ice caps.Īs ice melts, it turns to liquid. Through the water cycle, water continually circulates through three states: solid, liquid, and vapor. Evapotranspiration is the combined components of evaporation and transpiration, and is sometimes used to evaluate the movement of water in the atmosphere. The opening of stomata is strongly influenced by light, and so is often associated with the sun and the process of evaporation. Plants release water vapor through microscopic pores called stomata. Transpiration is the process of water vapor being released from plants and soil. Transpiration is another important part of the water cycle. Snowmelt, for example, is an important type of runoff produced as snow or glaciers melt and form streams or pools. Runoff, for instance, describes a variety of ways liquid water moves across land. Precipitation is one of many ways water is cycled from the atmosphere to the earth or ocean.Įvaporation, condensation, and precipitation are important parts of the water cycle. Fog and mist are a part of the water cycle called suspensions: They are liquid water suspended in the atmosphere. The water in fog does not condense sufficiently to precipitate, or liquefy and fall to Earth. Precipitation includes rain, snow, and hail.įog is not precipitation. Precipitation describes any liquid or solid water that falls to Earth as a result of condensation in the atmosphere. Air pressure is also an important influence on the dew point of an area.Īs is the case with evaporation and condensation, precipitation is a process. As water vapor cools, it reaches its saturation limit, or dew point. Like evaporation, condensation is also influenced by the sun. Clouds at ground level are called fog or mist. CCN can be specks of dust, salt, or pollutants. Water vapor condenses around tiny particles called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). In the water cycle, water vapor in the atmosphere condenses and becomes liquid.Ĭondensation can happen high in the atmosphere or at ground level. Clouds form as water vapor condenses, or becomes more concentrated (dense). Evaporation is also influenced by wind, temperature, and the density of the body of water.Ĭondensation is the process of a gas changing to a liquid. As the sun interacts with liquid water on the surface of the ocean, the water becomes an invisible gas (water vapor). The water cycle's evaporation process is driven by the sun. Increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also contribute to global warming. Greenhouse gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide insulate Earth and keep the planet warm enough to maintain life as we know it. Water vapor is also an important greenhouse gas. Water vapor surrounds us, as an important part of the air we breathe. In the water cycle, liquid water (in the ocean, lakes, or rivers) evaporates and becomes water vapor. The water cycle consists of three major processes: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.Įvaporation is the process of a liquid's surface changing to a gas. Water always exists in all three phases, and in many forms-as lakes and rivers, glaciers and ice sheets, oceans and seas, underground aquifers, and vapor in the air and clouds.Įvaporation, Condensation, and Precipitation The water cycle describes how water is exchanged (cycled) through Earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere.
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