Where is the force of gravity used in the water cycle?
Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity, the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape, with streamflow moving water towards the oceans.
What are 3 examples of the role gravity plays on the water cycle?
What role does gravity play? due to surface and deep currents in the ocean; runoff and ground water storage on land masses; exchanges between ice sheets or glaciers and the ocean; and variations of mass within Earth.
Why would a heavy rainfall increase the gravity of the area?
However, such secular gravity changes can result from shifting of mass beneath the surface as well as from vertical displacement. Thus 1 cm of rainfall will increase gravity by 0.4 gal at locations where it falls more rapidly than it can drain away laterally.
Is gravity greater in water?
The measurements were made by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), twin satellites that measure subtle changes in Earth’s gravity over time. Though it is distributed over the landscape, water has mass; the greater the mass, the greater the gravitational attraction.
What drives the water cycle?
The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in oceans and seas. Water evaporates as water vapor into the air. Some ice and snow sublimates directly into water vapor.
What are the terms of the water cycle?
Water cycle, also called hydrologic cycle, cycle that involves the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-atmosphere system. Of the many processes involved in the water cycle, the most important are evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
What is the precipitation of the water cycle?
Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet. Approximately 505,000 km 3 (121,000 mi 3) of water falls as precipitation each year, 398,000 km 3 (95,000 cu mi) of it over the oceans.
What is an example of a water cycle?
water cycle. Water cycle is defined as the way that water moves between being water vapor to liquid water and then back to water vapor. An example of water cycle is when water evaporates from oceans and then returns to the land in the form of rain.