The Water Cycle
Name: ____________________ Period: 3
The water cycle is the path that all water follows as it moves around
the Earth. It has been happening for billions of years and all life on the
planet depends on it. There are four main stages, and each one leads into
the next, which is why it is called a cycle rather than a line.
The first stage is evaporation. Heat from the sun warms the
surface of oceans, lakes and rivers. When water gets warm enough its
molecules move fast enough to escape into the air as an invisible gas
called water vapour. Plants add to this through a process called
transpiration, releasing water through tiny holes in their leaves.
The second stage is condensation. As the vapour rises it cools,
because the air is colder higher up. Cooling makes the vapour turn back
into tiny droplets of liquid water, and billions of those droplets
together are what a cloud actually is.
The third stage is precipitation. When the droplets in a cloud
join together they become heavy enough that the air can no longer hold
them up, and they fall as rain, snow, sleet or hail depending on the
temperature.
The fourth stage is collection. The water that falls gathers in
oceans, lakes and rivers, or soaks into the ground and becomes
groundwater. From there the sun warms it again and the whole thing starts
over.
In conclusion, the water cycle is one of the most important natural
processes on Earth. Without it, fresh water would not be carried from the
oceans onto the land, and