Water Cycle and

Greenhouse Effect
By:Adan Garcia, Daniel Santiago
 Water Cycle
● What is it: The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle, is the continuous movement of water
on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. It involves the processes of evaporation, condensation,
precipitation, and runoff.
● Causes: The water cycle is primarily driven by solar energy. Heat from the sun causes water to evaporate
from oceans, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, forming water vapor in the atmosphere. This vapor
then condenses into clouds and eventually falls back to the Earth's surface as precipitation.
Key Steps and Features:
● Evaporation: Water is heated by the sun and transforms into water vapor, rising into the atmosphere.
● Condensation: Water vapor cools and condenses into clouds.
● Precipitation: Clouds release water in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
● Runoff: Precipitation flows over the land surface, collecting in rivers, lakes, and oceans, or infiltrating into
the soil to replenish groundwater.
Significance and Effects
● Essential for life: The water cycle ensures the availability of
freshwater for drinking, agriculture, and other human activities.
● Climate regulation: Water vapor in the atmosphere acts as a
greenhouse gas, helping to regulate the Earth's temperature.
● Erosion and weathering: The movement of water shapes
landscapes through erosion and weathering processes.
Greenhouse Effect
● What is it: The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms
the Earth's surface. It occurs when certain gases in the atmosphere
trap heat from the sun, preventing it from escaping back into space.
● Causes: Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), and water vapor absorb and re-emit infrared radiation,
trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere.
 Significance and Effects:
● Climate regulation: The greenhouse effect helps maintain the Earth's
temperature within a habitable range.
● Enhanced greenhouse effect: Human activities, such as burning fossil
fuels and deforestation, have increased the concentrations of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to enhanced global
warming.
● Impact on ecosystems: Changes in temperature and weather patterns
can disrupt ecosystems, leading to shifts in habitats and loss of
biodiversity.
 Link
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/fres
hwater/water-cycle

https://gpm.nasa.gov/education/water-cycle

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/greenhouse-effect-101