The water cycle describes how the water on Earth is always in movement, changing between liquid, solid, and gas states.
The water cycle describes how the water on Earth is always moving. It changes between liquid, solid, and gas states.
How the water cycle works
- There is no starting or ending point in the water cycle.
The sun drives the water cycle, heating water in the oceans and lakes. Some of the water evaporates as water vapour into the air. Ice and snow can also turn into water vapour as they melt.
The water vapour goes up into the air. The vapour joins with water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil.
The vapour rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe.
As clouds form, join together and grow, water falls out of the sky as precipitation.
Precipitation falls on the land, making streams and rivers or soaks into the ground. Water that soaks into the ground, refills aquifers.
Rivers and aquifers empty into lakes and oceans for the cycle to continue.
The water that we use at home follows a similar path. After it goes down the drain it finds its way back to the sea.
How the water cycle works
- There is no start or end point in the water cycle.
The Sun warms the water on the land, sea, rivers and lakes.
Evaporation happens when water warmed by the sun turns to tiny droplets of water called water vapour.
These rise into the air. Plants and trees also make water vapour.
Condensation happens when water vapour cools high in the air and makes clouds.
This water vapour forms drops and falls back to the earth as rain, hail or snow (precipitation).
Water which falls to earth makes streams and rivers or soaks into the ground.
Find out more: Take a look at this water cycle information page on the Science Learning Hub/Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao.
Find out more: Take a look at this water cycle information page on the Science Learning Hub/Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao.
