How does the water cycle function because of the change in matter?
physical changes in water cause the water cycle to function; the liquid changes to gas form and rises with warm air; after it cools, clouds of liquid are formed and it drops back to earth.
What causes the water cycle to function?
The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the oceans. Some of it evaporates as vapor into the air. The vapor rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe, cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation.
What happens to liquid water in the water cycle?
Evaporation is the process of a liquid’s surface changing to a gas. In the water cycle, liquid water (in the ocean, lakes, or rivers) evaporates and becomes water vapor. Water vapor surrounds us, as an important part of the air we breathe.
How does the water cycle affect the atmosphere?
The water cycle involves a water changing state as it moves from one exchange pool or reservoir to another. Water changes to water vapor and enters the atmosphere through evaporation, sublimation, and transpiration. Water vapor in the atmosphere changes to liquid water by condensation, which may form clouds and fall back to Earth as precipitation.
Why is the water cycle important to life on Earth?
The water cycle is an extremely important process because it enables the availability of water for all living organisms and regulates weather patterns on our planet. If water didn’t naturally recycle itself, we would run out of clean water, which is essential to life. Learn more about Earth’s water cycle on the Precipitation Education website.
How does condensation occur in the water cycle?
Condensation is the process of a gas changing to a liquid. In the water cycle, water vapor in the atmosphere condenses and becomes liquid. Condensation can happen high in the atmosphere or at ground level. Clouds form as water vapor condenses, or becomes more concentrated (dense).