WATER CYCLE

Water Cycle

WATER IS ALWAYS MOVING!!!

EvaporationEvaporation- the process in which

water particles change from a liquid to a gas

The sun heats water found on the Earth’s surface.

Some of this water turns to a gas and rises into the atmosphere.

Think of a puddle outside. Does it stay there forever? Why not?

Evaporation

During evaporation, water molecules heat up and turn to gas. Then they begin to rise.

CondensationCondensation- the process in

which water particles change from a gas to a liquid

The water vapor that rose during evaporation cools off and becomes a liquid again.

Cause and effect: The water vapor gets cooler, so it turns back to liquid.

Condensation

During condensation, all the water vapor that rose during evaporation cools off andbecomes liquid again.

CloudsAfter condensation, there are lots of tiny water droplets in the air.

These water droplets come together to form clouds.

Cloud- a mass of tiny droplets of condensed water in the atmosphere

Sequence: Clouds form AFTER condensation.

Water droplets in the air are packed together to make clouds. Sometimes they are packed really tight and sometimes they are spread far apart.

PrecipitationPrecipitation- water in the atmosphere that falls to Earth as rain, hail, sleet or snow

When clouds get too heavy, the water that they are made of begin to fall.

Type of precipitation depends on the temperature of the air.

rain hail

sleet or freezing rain snow