The water cycle Flashcards
What is the water cycle?
The water cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above, or below the surface of the Earth
Precipitation
Condensed water vapour that falls
Evaporation
Liquid to gas as it moves into the atmosphere
Transpiration
Loss of water vapour from leaves into the air
Evapotranspiration
Some of evaporation and transpiration
Advection
Movement of water in any state through the atmosphere
Condensation
Transformation of water vapour to a liquid
Percolation
Water flows horizontally through the soil due to gravity
Sublimation
Solid to gas
Deposition
Gas to solid
Infiltration
Flow of water from ground surface into ground
Run off
Different ways in which water moves across land
Why is the water cycle so important?
-Maintains habitats, polar bears live on ice, frogs need water to reproduce, fish only survive in water
-Essential component of all living organisms
- Maintains freshwater flow and transports nutrients to different parts of ecosystems 
What happens during the water cycle?
-Water moves from one reservoir to another in the forms of solid, liquid or gas
-It involves exchange of heat, which leads to temperature changes
-Evaporation takes up energy and cools the environment 
-Condensation releases, energy and heats the environment
-These heat changes influence climate 
Human activities that can affect the water cycle
- Agriculture
-Construction of dams
-Deforestation and aforestation 
Aquifers
Freshwater running underground
What is the water cycle driven by?
The Sun
Where is the majority of the earths freshwater stored?
Polar ice caps, snowpacks, glaciers
Why is water on Earth unique – how is it different to other planets?
It is stored in three states in this planet e.g. solid, liquid, gas
What three things influence the rate of evaporation on the oceans surface?
-Sea surface temperature
-Air temperature
-Surface winds

What increases the rate of evaporation?
-High winds
-High surface temperature
-High air temperature 
How are clouds formed?
As water vapour cools and condenses into water droplets, they form clouds
What does the availability of water affect?
-The type and abundance of vegetation, the primary source of food for animals and humans
-Flood risk, availability of nutrients
