What water cycle processes happen in the atmosphere?
In the water cycle, water vapor in the atmosphere condenses and becomes liquid. Condensation can happen high in the atmosphere or at ground level. Clouds form as water vapor condenses, or becomes more concentrated (dense). Water vapor condenses around tiny particles called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).
What is the process of water returning to the atmosphere called?
Water at the surface of the ocean, rivers, and lakes can become water vapor and move into the atmosphere with a little added energy from the Sun through a process called evaporation. And water vapor gets into the atmosphere from plants by a process called transpiration.
How does the atmosphere contribute to the water cycle?
Downloadable Water Cycle Products (coming soon!) The atmosphere is the superhighway in the sky that moves water everywhere over the Earth. Water at the Earth’s surface evaporates into water vapor which rises up into the sky to become part of a cloud which will float off with the winds, eventually releasing water back to Earth as precipitation.
What are the steps in the water cycle?
The water cycle is a process where first the water moves from one reservoir to another like from a river to the sea and then to the ocean. The entire process of water cycle takes place in almost five steps which includes the evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff.
How does water vapor enter the water cycle?
Because vapor is lighter than air, it rises into the atmosphere. Water vapor also enters the water cycle through transpiration. This is the process of water moving through plants and being released from plant leaves as vapor into the atmosphere. Transpiration accounts for about 10 percent of the water vapor in the atmosphere.
Which is a component of the global water cycle?
The major physical components of the global water cycle include the evaporation from the ocean and land surfaces, the transport of water vapor by the atmosphere, precipitation onto the ocean and land surfaces, the net atmospheric transport of water from land areas to ocean, and the return flow of fresh water from the land back into the ocean.