In what 2 ways is the precipitation returning to the surface water?
When precipitation falls over the land surface, it follows various routes in its subsequent paths. Some of it evaporates, returning to the atmosphere; some seeps into the ground as soil moisture or groundwater; and some runs off into rivers and streams.
How does water move through precipitation?
Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity, the precipitation 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.
What are the two processes that form precipitation?
Along with evaporation and condensation, precipitation is one of the three major parts of the global water cycle. Precipitation forms in the clouds when water vapor condenses into bigger and bigger droplets of water. When the drops are heavy enough, they fall to the Earth.
What are two ways water enters the atmosphere in the water cycle?
Water enters the atmosphere through evaporation, transpiration, excretion and sublimation:
- Transpiration is the loss of water from plants (via their leaves).
- Animals excrete water by respiration and by passing urine.
What is the main mechanism for producing precipitation?
Mechanisms. Precipitation occurs when local air becomes saturated with water vapor, and can no longer maintain the level of water vapor in gaseous form. This occurs when less dense moist air cools, usually when an air mass rises through the atmosphere.
How is precipitation produced in the water cycle?
A more efficient mechanism (known as the Bergeron-Findeisen process) for producing a precipitation-sized drop is through a process which leads to the rapid growth of ice crystals at the expense of the water vapor present in a cloud. These crystals may fall as snow, or melt and fall as rain.
Which is the most common form of precipitation?
Precipitation is water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail. It is the primary connection in the water cycle that provides for the delivery of atmospheric water to the Earth. Most precipitation falls as rain.
How does water move through the water cycle?
At its most basic, the water cycle is how water continuously moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again. As it moves through this cycle, it changes forms.