Water Cycle

The amount of water in the earth always remains the same. Water does not enter or get
lost from the earth. Water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land,
involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and returns to
the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.

Water cycle is also called also called the Hydrological cycle

The water cycle has

Stores:
This is where water is stored in the air as water vapor.
It is also stored on the ground in lakes, ice and underground in soils & rocks.
The ocean is the biggest water storage.
Transfers:
This is when water is transferred into the air in the form of vapor.
Water transfers include the flows within the water cycle.
These are, surface runoff , infiltration, stem flow, ground waterflow etc.
Components of the water cycle.
Evaporation:
The vertical transfer of water from the ground into the air. The water gets transferred as
water vapour which is an invisible gas.
Transpiration:
The transfer of water from plants into the air.
Condensation:
The changing of water vapour into a liquid or ice crystals. This forms a mixture small
water droplets and ice crystals called clouds
Precipitation:
The transfer of water from air to the land. Water falls back to the earth as rain, hail,
sleet, snow.etc.
Surface runoff:
The transfer of water back to the sea over the ground. It flows down the slopes to form
rivers
Groundwater.:
The transfer of water through the ground back to the sea.

Factors affecting water cycle:

Climate:
Large amounts of rain and ice will cause more surface runoff.
Hot summer increases transpiration and evaporation
Vegetation:
Areas with a lot of vegetation have high transpiration rates
Slopes:
Steep slopes encourage surface runoff and less underground flow
Soil:
Deep soil increases infiltration hence more underground water
Rocks:
Impermeable rocks do not allow water to pass through and therefore this increases
surface runoff
Permeable rocks allow water to pass through hence increases the underground water