The Water Cycle

• How does the water cycle work?
• Energy from the sun heats the surface of the earth
• Water is evaporated from oceans, rivers, lakes, etc.
• The warm, moist air rises because it is less dense.
• Condensation occurs when water vapour is turned back into water droplets as it cools down. Clouds are formed.
• Precipitation occurs as water droplets get bigger and heavier they begin to fall as rain, snow and sleet, etc.

When the precipitation reaches the surface, some falls directly into the sea but other water falls on land:

• Some water is intercepted by vegetation. Some water may then slowly reach the ground. Some will evaporate from the surface of leaves or be taken up by the plant roots, and some of this water will eventually return to the air as vapour through the process of transpiration. This slows…