asked 89.7k views
3 votes
Briefly describe the hydrologic cycle.

1 Answer

5 votes

Answer:

Here's what I get

Step-by-step explanation:

The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves from the surface of the Earth into the atmosphere and then returns in a continuous cycle.

I would divide it into four stages.

1. Moving from Earth's surface to the atmosphere

  • Evaporation: water evaporates from the surfaces of oceans and lakes.
  • Transpiration: plants emit large quantities of water vapour through pores in their leaves.

2.Transport in the atmosphere

  • Condensation: The water vapour cools and condenses into clouds of water droplets or ice crystals. Winds carry the clouds around the world.

3. Moving from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface

  • Precipitation: The water in the clouds returns to the surface as rain, snow, or hail.

4. Transport along the Earth's surface

  • Runoff: Rain and melted snow flow in creeks and rivers to lakes and oceans.
  • Percolation: Some of the precipitation moves between pores in the soil until it reaches the water table and becomes groundwater. Much of the groundwater is extracted for use as drinking water and for agricultural uses.

And the cycle repeats.

Briefly describe the hydrologic cycle.-example-1
answered
User Guy Lowe
by
7.1k points
Welcome to Qamnty — a place to ask, share, and grow together. Join our community and get real answers from real people.