WATER CYCLE

EVAPORATION

• Evaporation is the processs of water from a liquid state to a gaseous state
• Evaporation transfers water from land and water masses such as lakes, and rivers
• Evaporation from the oceans accounts for 80% of the water as precipitation
• Evaporation only occurs on the surface of a liquid; boiling evaporates the body

CONDENSATION

• Condensation is the change of water from its gaseous form into liquid water.
• Condensation generally occurs when warm air rises, cools and looses its capacity to hold water vapor.
• Due to condensation, excess water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets
• Condensation is crucial to the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of clouds

SUBLIMATION

• Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase
• Sublimation happens without passing through a liquid phase
• Most often describes the process of snow and ice changing into water vapor in the air without melting
• Sublimation also occurs more at higher altitudes, where the air pressure is less than at lower altitudes

PRECIPITATION

• Precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapour that falls under gravity.
• Precipitation is water in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail
• It is the primary connection in the water cycle that provides for the delivery of atmospheric water to the Earth
• Most precipitation falls as rain.

TRANSPIRATION

• Transpiration is the process of moisture being carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves
• In these pores water changes to vapor and is released to the atmosphere.
• Transpiration is essentially evaporation of water from plant leaves.
• Transpiration serves to evaporatively cool plants as the escaping water vapor carries away heat energy

RUNOFF

• Runoff is the flow of excess water from rain that flows over the earth's surface
• Runoff occurs because rain arrives more quickly than soil can absorb it.
• Runoff is the primary agent in soil erosion by water
• Runoff keeps lakes and rivers full of water

INFILTRATION

• Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil
• Infiltrated water percolates down to the ground water table, or becomes part of the subsurface runoff process.
• Infiltrated water can percolate deeper into the ground until it enters aquifers
• Infiltration usually occurs after precipitation

INFILTRATION POLLUTION

• During rain showers contaminated runoff flows over land
• This contaminated water infiltrates into soil
• The contaminated water goes down into ground water and aquifers
• The contaminated water is no longer suitable for human use

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