Water Impacts

Summarize the hydrologic cycle . How important is this cycle to Earth

The hydrologic cycle or the water cycle is basically the incessant and continuous flow and movement of water , beneath , above , and on the Earth 's surface (Encyclopedia of Earth , 2007 . It involves a number of processes such as the changing of water into its different states namely , vapor , ice , and liquid , as it goes through the different stages of the cycle (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007 . In addition , since it is a cycle , it does not have a beginning or an end

p Basically , in broader terms , the water cycle is a conceptual model of the movement and the storage of water between the lithosphere hydrosphere , biosphere , and atmosphere (Encyclopedia of the Earth 2007 . Water is stored in the earth 's major reservoirs such as oceans rivers , lakes , glaciers , soils , snowfields , groundwater and even the atmosphere (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007

As mentioned above , water goes through different processes . These processes can be generally divided into 5 parts : condensation evaporation , precipitation , infiltration , and runoff (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007 . The first process is condensation which occurs when the water vapor transforms into water droplets in the air thereby producing clouds . As these clouds condense further , they hold more moisture . When it can no longer contain the moisture , they release through precipitation , which can be in the form of rain , snow , hail sleet , and fog drip (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007

The water that drops back down to the earth then seeps into the ground through a process called infiltration . On the other hand , if precipitation occurs much faster than it can infiltrate the ground , it then becomes a process called runoff . Basically , runoff water remains on the surface and then subsequently flows to large bodies of water such as oceans , rivers , lakes , and seas among others (Encyclopedia of the Earth 2007

Finally as infiltration and runoff occur simultaneously , evaporation which is a process driven by the sun , also occurs . Evaporation is the transformation of liquid water into water vapor . This process is largely aided by sunlight as it increases the temperature in lakes , oceans , and seas (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007 . As the water in these bodies of water heats , its molecules are released and are turned into gas . This warm air then rises into the atmosphere and then becomes the water vapor involved in the condensation process , which repeats the hydrologic cycle (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007

However , other processes also occur within these five processes . One example is sublimation which is the direct transformation of solid water , such as ice and snow , into water vapor without passing through the liquid state (Encyclopedia of the Earth , 2007

Basically , the hydrologic cycle is highly important to the Earth as it provides life to its inhabitants . The cycle basically moves the water through a continuous and constant flow and keeps it fresh for different uses . For example , if water that evaporates does not fall back to the earth through precipitation in...