Water cycle

• The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or H2O cycle, describes the continuous
movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. Water can change states
among liquid, vapour, and ice at various places in the water cycle. Although the balance of water on
Earth remains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and go. The water
moves from one reservoir to another, such as from river to ocean, or from the ocean to the
atmosphere, by the physical processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration,
runoff, and subsurface flow. In so doing, the water goes through different phases: liquid, solid, and
gas.
• The hydrologic cycle also involves the exchange of heat energy, which leads to temperature
changes. For instance, in the process of evaporation, water takes up energy from the surroundings
and cools the environment. Conversely, in the process of condensation, water releases energy to its
surroundings, warming the environment.
• The water cycle figures significantly in the maintenance of life and ecosystems on Earth. Even as
water in each reservoir plays an important role, the water cycle brings added significance to the
presence of water on our planet. By transferring water from one reservoir to another, the water
cycle purifies water, replenishes the land with freshwater, and transports minerals to different parts
of the globe. It is also involved in reshaping the geological features of the Earth, through such
processes as erosion and sedimentation. In addition, as the water cycle involves heat exchange, it
exerts an influence on climate as well.
 Description

• The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in oceans and seas. Water
evaporates as water vapor into the air. Ice and snow can sublimate directly into
water vapor.Evapotranspiration is water transpired from plants and evaporated
from the soil. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere where
cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move water
vapor around the globe, cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky
as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow or hail, and can accumulate as ice
caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years. Snowpacks
can thaw and melt, and the melted water flows over land as snowmelt. Most
water falls back into the oceans or onto land as rain, where the water flows over
the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the
landscape, with streamflow moving water towards the oceans. Runoff
and groundwater are stored as freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into rivers,
much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration. Some water infiltrates deep into
the ground and replenishes aquifers, which store freshwater for long periods of
time. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into
surface-water bodies (and the ocean) as groundwater discharge. Some
groundwater finds openings in the land surface and comes out as freshwater
springs. Over time, the water returns to the ocean, where our water cycle started.
 Different Processes

• PrecipitationCondensed water vapor that falls to the Earth's surface . Most precipitation occurs as rain, but also
includes snow, hail, fog drip, graupel, and sleet.[1] Approximately 505,000 km3(121,000 cu mi) of water fall as
precipitation each year, 398,000 km3 (95,000 cu mi) of it over the oceans.[2]Canopy interceptionThe precipitation
that is intercepted by plant foliage and eventually evaporates back to the atmosphere rather than falling to the
ground.SnowmeltThe runoff produced by melting snow.RunoffThe variety of ways by which water moves across
the land. This includes both surface runoff and channel runoff. As it flows, the water may seep into the ground,
evaporate into the air, become stored in lakes or reservoirs, or be extracted for agricultural or other human
uses.InfiltrationThe flow of water from the ground surface into the ground. Once infiltrated, the water
becomes soil moisture or groundwater.[3]Subsurface FlowThe flow of water underground, in the vadose zone and
aquifers. Subsurface water may return to the surface (e.g. as a spring or by being pumped) or eventually seep into
the oceans. Water returns to the land surface at lower elevation than where it infiltrated, under the force
of gravity or gravity induced pressures. Groundwater tends to move slowly, and is replenished slowly, so it can
remain in aquifers for thousands of years.EvaporationThe transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it
moves from the ground or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere.[4] The source of energy for evaporation
is primarilysolar radiation. Evaporation often implicitly includes transpiration from plants, though together they
are specifically referred to as evapotranspiration. Total annual evapotranspiration amounts to approximately
505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of water, 434,000 km3 (104,000 cu mi) of which evaporates from the
oceans.[2]SublimationThe state change directly from solid water (snow or ice) to water vapor.[5]AdvectionThe
movement of water — in solid, liquid, or vapor states — through the atmosphere. Without advection, water that
evaporated over the oceans could not precipitate over land.[6]CondensationThe transformation of water vapor to
liquid water droplets in the air, creating clouds and fog.[7]TranspirationThe release of water vapor from plants and
soil into the air. Water vapor is a gas that cannot be seen.
 Residence times
• The residence time of a reservoir within the hydrologic cycle is the average time a water molecule will
spend in that reservoir (see adjacent table). It is a measure of the average age of the water in that
reservoir.
• Groundwater can spend over 10,000 years beneath Earth's surface before leaving. Particularly old
groundwater is calledfossil water. Water stored in the soil remains there very briefly, because it is spread
thinly across the Earth, and is readily lost by evaporation, transpiration, stream flow, or groundwater
recharge. After evaporating, the residence time in the atmosphere is about 9 days before condensing and
falling to the Earth as precipitation.
• The major ice sheets - Antarctica and Greenland - store ice for very long periods. Ice from Antarctica has
been reliably dated to 800,000 years before present, though the average residence time is shorter.[9]
• In hydrology, residence times can be estimated in two ways. The more common method relies on the
principle ofconservation of mass and assumes the amount of water in a given reservoir is roughly
constant. With this method, residence times are estimated by dividing the volume of the reservoir by the
rate by which water either enters or exits the reservoir. Conceptually, this is equivalent to timing how long
it would take the reservoir to become filled from empty if no water were to leave (or how long it would
take the reservoir to empty from full if no water were to enter).
• An alternative method to estimate residence times, which is gaining in popularity for dating groundwater,
is the use ofisotopic techniques. This is done in the subfield of isotope hydrology.
 Average reservoir residence

• Antarctica20,000 years
• Oceans3,200 years
• Glaciers20 to 100 years
• Seasonal snow cover2 to 6 months
• Soil moisture1 to 2 months
• Groundwater: shallow100 to 200 years
• Groundwater: deep10,000 years
• Lakes or lake retention time)50 to 100 years
• Rivers 2 to 6 months
• Atmosphere 9 days
 Changes over time
• The water cycle describes the processes that drive the movement of water throughout the hydrosphere. However, much
more water is "in storage" for long periods of time than is actually moving through the cycle. The storehouses for the vast
majority of all water on Earth are the oceans. It is estimated that of the 332,500,000 mi3 (1,386,000,000 km3) of the world's
water supply, about 321,000,000 mi3 (1,338,000,000 km3) is stored in oceans, or about 95%. It is also estimated that the
oceans supply about 90% of the evaporated water that goes into the water cycle. [10]
• During colder climatic periods more ice caps and glaciers form, and enough of the global water supply accumulates as ice to
lessen the amounts in other parts of the water cycle. The reverse is true during warm periods. During the last ice age glaciers
covered almost one-third of Earth's land mass, with the result being that the oceans were about 400 ft (122 m) lower than
today. During the last global "warm spell," about 125,000 years ago, the seas were about 18 ft (5.5 m) higher than they are
now. About three million years ago the oceans could have been up to 165 ft (50 m) higher.[10]
• The scientific consensus expressed in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Summary for
Policymakers[11] is for the water cycle to continue to intensify throughout the 21st century, though this does not mean that
precipitation will increase in all regions. In subtropical land areas — places that are already relatively dry — precipitation is
projected to decrease during the 21st century, increasing the probability of drought. The drying is projected to be strongest
near the poleward margins of the subtropics (for example, theMediterranean Basin, South Africa, southern Australia, and
the Southwestern United States). Annual precipitation amounts are expected to increase in near-equatorial regions that
tend to be wet in the present climate, and also at high latitudes. These large-scale patterns are present in nearly all of
the climate model simulations conducted at several international research centers as part of the 4th Assessment of the IPCC.
• Glacial retreat is also an example of a changing water cycle, where the supply of water to glaciers from precipitation cannot
keep up with the loss of water from melting and sublimation.Glacial retreat since 1850 has been extensive.[12]
• Human activities that alter the water cycle include:
• agriculture
• industry
• alteration of the chemical composition of the atmosphere
• construction of dams
• deforestation and afforestation
• removal of groundwater from wells
• water abstraction from rivers
• urbanization