What happens in the water cycle after water vapor rises?
Water vapor rises into the atmosphere, where it condenses, forming clouds. It then falls back to the ground as precipitation. Moisture can also enter the atmosphere directly from ice or snow.
What happens when water vapor is heated?
Evaporation happens when a liquid substance becomes a gas. When water is heated, it evaporates. The molecules move and vibrate so quickly that they escape into the atmosphere as molecules of water vapor.
What process occurs in water when it is changed to a water vapor?
Evaporation is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor. Evaporation is the primary pathway that water moves from the liquid state back into the water cycle as atmospheric water vapor.
Why does water vapor decrease with altitude?
Altitude and height play an important role in vaporization of the water as water vapours are heavy and at higher altitude, the air density decreases. Thus, it becomes difficult for heavier particles that make water vapours to get vaporized. Hence, the rate of water vaporization decreases with increase in altitude.
Does water evaporate into oxygen?
Water does not break apart into H and O atoms. Water does not break apart and form H2 and O2 molecules. A common misconception is that water molecules break apart during evaporation so that the hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms move separately around in the air.
How does water vapor get back to the Earth?
It condenses into clouds, is blown by the wind, and then falls back to the Earth as rain or snow. This cycle is one important way that heat and energy are transferred from the surface of the Earth to the atmosphere, and transported from one place to another on our planet.
What happens to water when it enters the atmosphere?
Water from plants and trees also enters the atmosphere. This is called transpiration. Warm water vapor rises up through Earth’s atmosphere. As the water vapor rises higher and higher, the cool air of the atmosphere causes the water vapor to turn back into liquid water, creating clouds. This process is called condensation.
Why is water vapor a second source of warmth?
Thus, water vapor is a second source of warmth (in addition to sunlight) at the Earth’s surface. These maps show the average amount of water vapor in a column of atmosphere in a given month.
How does evaporated water fall to the surface?
Water vapor drifting above the oceans is carried over land by winds, and eventually falls to the surface in the form of rain and snow. As evaporated water rises in the atmosphere, it expands and cools.