The Water Cycle: A Continuous Journey
The water cycle begins with evaporation, where the sun heats water from oceans, lakes, and rivers, turning it into water vapor that rises into the atmosphere. As this vapor ascends, it cools and undergoes condensation, forming clouds composed of tiny water droplets or ice crystals.
When these droplets become too heavy, they fall back to Earth as precipitation in forms like rain, snow, or hail. Once precipitation reaches land, it can flow as runoff across the surface into bodies of water, or it can soak into the ground through infiltration and percolation, becoming soil moisture or groundwater.
Plants play a crucial role through transpiration, absorbing ground water through their roots and releasing it as vapor through tiny openings in their leaves called stomata. This continuous cycle repeats endlessly, moving water from the surface to the atmosphere and back again.
Did You Know? The same water molecules that existed during the time of dinosaurs are still cycling through our water system today! The water you drink might once have been part of an ancient ocean or prehistoric rainstorm.
