Water Cycle

WATER CYCLE

KAY L A MI E

L I TZ

WHAT IS THE WATER CYCLE?The cycle of processes by

which water circulates between the earth’s

ocean, atmosphere, and land, involving

precipitation as rain, snow, drainage in

streams and rivers, and returns to the atmosphere by

evaporation and transpiration.

OTHER NAMES?• Hydrologic Cycle• H2O Cycle

STAGES OF THE WATER CYCLE• Evaporation• When the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the air.

EVAPORATION

STAGES OF THE WATER CYCLE• Evaporation

• When the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the air.

• Condensation• When water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid,

forming clouds.

CONDENSATION

TYPES OF CLOUDS• Cumulus

• a globular cloud; a puffy white cloud, looks like cotton

• Stratus• A large, dark, low cloud

• Cirrus• A wispy white cloud (usually

of fine ice crystals) at high altitude of 4 to 8 miles

• Cumulonimbus• A dark cloud of great vertical

extent charged with electricity; associated with thunderstorms

STAGES OF THE WATER CYCLE• Evaporation

• When the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the air.

• Condensation• When water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid,

forming clouds. • Precipitation

• When so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore. The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet, or snow.

PRECIPITATION

STAGES OF THE WATER CYCLE• Evaporation

• When the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the air.

• Condensation• When water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid,

forming clouds. • Precipitation

• When so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore. The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet, or snow.• Collection• When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land. When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and animals use to drink or it may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts

COLLECTION

AND THEN IT STARTS ALL

OVER AGAIN!!!