How The Water Cycle Works!What has been around since the earth was created? Yes water! But have you ever wondered where does water end up after you use it? Well did you know that throughout the whole entire world ninety seven percent of the water on earth is salt water and so that leaves three percent as freshwater. Although out of that three percent of freshwater only one percent is drinkable. All the water on earth is part of the water cycle. The water cycle is a continuous cycle that repeats over and over again, there are three main stages in the water cycle, evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Each of these three mains stages play an important part in the water cycle. Let’s focus on where it all starts, evaporation.
Evaporation is a process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or water vapour. When looking at evaporation there are many examples of this that surrounds us daily in our homes, for example a kettle. The process of a boiling kettle is when heat is added to water it turns into steam also known as water vapour. When you have noticed that the water vapour disappeared that is when the water has turned into a gas. Have you ever wondered if puddles on the ground evaporate? Well the answer is yes! When the sun comes out it is the same process, it warms up the water and turns the water on the ground to water vapour before it disappears into the atmosphere. When the water vapour cools down it turns into tiny water droplets this stage is called condensation.
When the heat of the sun warms up the water from a river, mountain or lake it turns into water vapour this happens because gas is lighter than liquid. When the gas turns into water vapour it goes up into the atmosphere it cools down and turns into tiny little droplets. An example of condensation is when you go up to a mirror and breathe on it and you can see that there are tiny little droplets on the mirror this is because we have water vapour in our mouth and so when we breathe it condenses into tiny little droplets. Up in the atmosphere the water droplets forms into a cloud and grows. When the water droplets bang into each other it starts to get bigger and heavier and so when it starts to get heavier it starts to precipitate, this is the next stage in the water cycle.
When it starts to precipitate it either forms as rain, snow, sleet or hail. When it starts to precipitate it falls back down to earth and will be collected in the oceans, rivers, lakes or streams. Most of the water that precipitates infiltrates (soaks in) into the ground and will be collected as underground water. After this step in the water cycle it starts all over again, from evaporation to condensation and the final step, precipitation.
To conclude the water cycle is an important cycle on earth. Evaporation is when water turns into gas, condensation is the process of the water droplets connecting and forming a cloud, and precipitation is when rain, snow or hail falls back to the ground. Without the water cycle life on earth there would be no life. It is important that we stop wasting water so that the water cycle can exist, next time when you have a glass of water think about how that water has been able to reach your glass.
