What is the path of ocean water through the water cycle?
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 path might a drop of water follow through the water cycle once it falls to Earth?
Most falls back into the ocean. Some falls into rivers that flow into the ocean. Some falls on land, sinks into the ground, and drains slowly back into the ocean. It may take thousands of years, but eventually all water returns to the ocean.
In which step of the water cycle does the water return to land and falls from the clouds?
condensation
When molecules of water vapor return to liquid or solid form, they create cloud droplets that can fall back to Earth as rain or snow—a process called condensation. Most precipitation lands in the oceans.
How does water follow its path through the hydrologic cycle?
describe the path of a molecule of water might follow through the hydrologic cycle from the ocean to land and back again evaporation causes condensation and then it rains and either as runoff goes back into the ocean or goes into aquifers about what percent of the worlds water is liquid, fresh, surface water that supports most terrestrial life
Where does the water go when it returns to the Earth?
The returning water falls directly back into the oceans, or onto land as snow or rain. It soaks into the soil to move into the groundwater or runs off the Earth’s surface in streams, rivers and lakes, which drain back into the oceans. The water may be taken up by plants and returned to the atmosphere
Can you follow a drop of water through the water cycle?
You may be familiar with how water is always cycling around, through, and above the Earth, continually changing from liquid water to water vapor to ice. One way to envision the water cycle is to follow a drop of water around as it moves on its way. Read on to learn more about the journey.
Which is the best way to envision the water cycle?
One way to envision the water cycle is to follow a drop of water around as it moves on its way. I could really begin this story anywhere along the cycle, but I think the ocean is the best place to start, since that is where most of Earth’s water is.