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Hydrologic Cycle: Atmosphere

The document summarizes the hydrologic cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface, powered by solar energy. Most water evaporates from oceans and is released through plant transpiration, with some entering the atmosphere through sublimation. This water vapor rises and condenses into clouds, producing precipitation that falls back to Earth's surface through rivers and streams and eventually returns to oceans, completing the cycle.

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Jennifer Samaniego
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44 views4 pages

Hydrologic Cycle: Atmosphere

The document summarizes the hydrologic cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface, powered by solar energy. Most water evaporates from oceans and is released through plant transpiration, with some entering the atmosphere through sublimation. This water vapor rises and condenses into clouds, producing precipitation that falls back to Earth's surface through rivers and streams and eventually returns to oceans, completing the cycle.

Uploaded by

Jennifer Samaniego
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

The water, or hydrologic, cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their
way from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again, in some cases to below the
surface. This gigantic system, powered by energy from the Sun, is a continuous exchange of
moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land.

Diagram of the water cycle

Studies have revealed that evaporation—the process by which water changes from a liquid to a
gas—from oceans, seas, and other bodies of water (lakes, rivers, streams) provides nearly 90% of
the moisture in our atmosphere. Most of the remaining 10% found in the atmosphere is released
by plants through transpiration. Plants take in water through their roots, then release it through
small pores on the underside of their leaves. In addition, a very small portion of water
vapor enters the atmosphere through sublimation, the process by which water changes directly
from a solid (ice or snow) to a gas. The gradual shrinking of snow banks in cases when
the temperature remains below freezing results from sublimation.

Together, evaporation, transpiration, and sublimation, plus volcanic emissions, account for
almost all the water vapor in the atmosphere that isn’t inserted through human activities. While
evaporation from the oceans is the primary vehicle for driving the surface-to-atmosphere portion
of the hydrologic cycle, transpiration is also significant. For example, a cornfield 1 acre in size
can transpire as much as 4,000 gallons of water every day.

After the water enters the lower atmosphere, rising air currents carry it upward, often high into
the atmosphere, where the air is cooler. In the cool air, water vapor is more likely to condense
from a gas to a liquid to form cloud droplets. Cloud droplets can grow and produce precipitation
(including rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and hail), which is the primary mechanism for
transporting water from the atmosphere back to the Earth’s surface.
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. Almost all of the water eventually
flows into the oceans or other bodies of water, where the cycle continues. At different stages of
the cycle, some of the water is intercepted by humans or other life forms for drinking, washing,
irrigating, and a large variety of other uses.
What makes Seawater salty?

Salt in the sea, or ocean salinity, is mainly caused by rain washing mineral ions from the land
into water.

Carbon dioxide in the air dissolves into rainwater, making it slightly acidic. When rain falls, it
weathers rocks, releasing mineral salts that separate into ions. These ions are carried with runoff
water and ultimately reach the ocean.

Sodium and chloride, the main constituents of the type of salt used in cooking, make up over
90% of all the ions found in seawater. Around 3.5% of the weight of seawater comes from
dissolved salts.

Some mineral ions are used by marine animals and plants, removing them from the water. The
leftover minerals have built up in concentration over millions of years. Underwater volcanoes
and hydrothermal vents on the seabed can also release salts into the ocean.

Isolated bodies of water can become extra salty, or hypersaline, through evaporation. The Dead
Sea is an example of this. Its high salt content increases the water's density, which is why people
float in the Dead Sea more easily than in the ocean.

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