The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

Water Cycle

· There are four parts to the water cycle:

– evaporation

– condensation

– precipitation

– runoff

Evaporation

· evaporation changes liquid to gas

· this occurs when water on Earth heats and rises in the sky as a gas

· evaporation - water evaporates from a water source

· transpiration - water evaporates from the leaves of a plant

· perspiration - water evaporates from animal skin

Condensation

· Condensation changes gas to liquid. This occurs when water vapor cools to form clouds.

Precipitation

· Precipitation is water falling back to Earth. This occurs as rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

Runoff

· Runoff is water flowing over land. This occurs when water moves, by gravity, from high to low elevations.

The Hydrologic Cycle