The Water Cycle

(Hydrologic Cycle)
What is the Water Cycle?
• It describes the continuous movement
of water on, above and below the
surface of the Earth.
• Water moves from one reservoir to another
i.e. from river to ocean or from ocean to the atmosphere
• It does this via physical processes such as:
• Evaporation
• Condensation
• Precipitation
• Infiltration
• Runoff
• By transferring water from one reservoir to another, the water
cycle purifies water, replenishes the land with freshwater, and
transports minerals to different parts of the globe
• In doing so water goes through different phases or states:

• Liquid
• Solid (ice or snow)
• Gas (vapour)
• The water cycle involves the exchange of heat, which leads to
temperature changes.
• For instance, when water evaporates, it takes up energy from its
surroundings and cools the environment. When it condenses, it
releases energy and warms the environment.
• These heat exchanges influence climate.
• It is also involved in reshaping the geological features of the
Earth, through such processes as erosion and sedimentation.
• Finally, the water cycle figures significantly in the maintenance
of life and ecosystems on Earth.
TERMINOLOGY
• PRECIPITATION
• This is condensed water vapour that falls to the Earth’s surface in the
from of:
• Rain
• Sleet
• Fog
• Hail
• EVAPORATION
• The transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from
the ground into the overlying atmosphere.
• The source of energy is primarily SOLAR RADIATION.
• TRANSPIRATION
• The release of water vapour from plants and soil into the air.
• EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
• Is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land
surface to atmosphere
• ADVECTION
• The movement of water in any state though the atmosphere. Without
advection water that evaporated over the oceans would not
PRECIPITATE over the land.
• CONDENSATION
• The transformation of water vapour into liquid water droplets in
the air – this creates:
• Clouds
• Fog
• PERCOLATION
• Water flows HORIZONTALLY through the soil and rocks under
the influence of gravity.
• SUBSURFACE FLOW
• The flow of water underground into aquifers.
• This moves slowly and is replenished slowly. It can remain in aquifers for
thousands of years.
• SUBLIMATION
• The change from solid water to water vapour - without passing through
the liquid phase. i.e. from ice or snow to water vapour.
• DEPOSITION
• The change from water vapour to solid water i.e. ice or snow - without
passing through the liquid phase.
• INFILTRATION
• The flow of water from the ground SURFACE into the ground.
• Once infiltrated the water becomes soil moisture or groundwater.
• RUNOFF
• This is the variety of ways in which water moves across the land.
• Surface runoff
• Channel runoff
• As it flows the water may:
• seep into the ground
• evaporate into the air
• become stored in lakes, rivers or reservoirs
• Be extracted for human or agricultural uses
• SNOWMELT
• The water produced by melting snow.
• CANOPY INTERCEPTION
• The PRECIPITATION that is intercepted by plant foliage.
• This eventually evaporates back to the atmosphere
Human activities that alter the water cycle include:

• agriculture
• industry
• alteration of the chemical composition of the atmosphere
• construction of dams
• deforestation and afforestation
• removal of groundwater from wells
• water abstraction from rivers
• urbanization
 SUN

PRECIPITATION HEAT FLUX

H2O TRANSPIRATION
H2O H2O
H2O
SUBLIMATION & DEPOSITION
H2O H2O
VEGETATION H2O
H2O EVAPORATION PLANT CANOPY
SNOW
H2O
H2O

H2O
RUNOFF
H2O H2O
ON SOIL H2O
H2O
H2O
SOIL MOISTURE FLUX OPEN WATER
H22O H2O
H2O
INTERNAL SOIL MOISTURE INTERNAL HEAT FLUX
H2O
INTERNAL FLOW FLUX
H2O
Video

NASA Earth's Water Cycle