What do you call when water falls from precipitation goes into the ground?
When precipitation reaches the earth’s surface, some of it will flow along the surface of the land and enter surface water like lakes, streams, and rivers, as runoff. The rest of it soaks or percolates into the soil, called recharge.
At what stage of the water cycle does some precipitation seep into the ground?
condensation
When molecules of water vapor return to liquid or solid form, they create cloud droplets that can fall back to Earth as rain or snow—a process called condensation. Most precipitation lands in the oceans. Precipitation that falls onto land flows into rivers, streams, and lakes.
What happens when water seeps into the ground?
As water seeps into the ground, some of it clings to particles of soil or to roots of plants just below the land surface. This moisture provides plants with the water they need to grow. Water not used by plants moves deeper into the ground. The water then fills the empty spaces and cracks above that layer.
What happens to precipitation after it reaches the ground?
Once on the land, rainfall either seeps into the ground or becomes runoff, which flows into rivers and lakes. Water falling on uneven land drains downhill until it becomes part of a stream, finds a hollow place to accumulate, like a lake, or soaks into the ground.
Which of the following is the most significant form of precipitation?
The most common types of precipitation are rain, hail, and snow. Rain is precipitation that falls to the surface of the Earth as water droplets.
Can water come up through the ground?
Groundwater is a natural occurrence in which water flows or collects beneath the ground; it originates from rainwater and soaks into the ground filling small empty spaces in soil, sediment and porous rock.
How does evaporation and precipitation occur in the water cycle?
Water covers three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, and the oceans contain 97% of the water available at and near Earth’s surface. Evaporation and precipitation are the two processes that move water from the oceans to the other reservoirs. Evaporation from the ocean’s surface allows water vapor to form clouds and precipitation over land and oceans.
When does surface run off occur in the water cycle?
Some water flows across the surface of the ground – surface run-off. This happens when the surface doesn’t allow water to penetrate. Surface run-off is more likely to occur if the ground is saturated with water or when the rock is impermeable. This water moves quickly to the river. Some water infiltrates into the soil.
Which is the best description of the water cycle?
The water cycle is the journey water takes as it moves from the land to the sky and back again. It follows a cycle of evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Understanding how the water cycle operates is key to understanding how rivers work.
Where does precipitation fall on the earth’s surface?
Water that falls on the land surface as precipitation is stored within snow packs, lakes, reservoirs, soils and underground aquifers. Water availability varies from place-to-place and over time. The availability of water affects the type and abundance of vegetation, the primary source of food for animals and people.