And its different processes
Collins
What is a Water Cycle?
 Also known as hydrologic cycle, water cycle
describes the continuous circulation and
flow of water on, above and below the
surface of earth.
 The water cycle is generated from solar energy. 86% of
the global evaporation are from oceans. Oceans reduce
their temperature by evaporative cooling. Without the
cooling, we might have a warmer planet.
Different Processes
 There are different processes to make water
continue its cycle. In order, These are:
 Precipitation
 Runoff
 Infiltration
 Subsurface Flow
 Evaporation
 Condensation
 Transpiration
Water Cycle Processes
 Precipitation
Precipitation happens when water vapor is pulled
down by gravity and deposited on the Earth’s Land.
Main forms of precipitation are rain, snow, ice pellets
and snow pellets (soft hail).
Water Cycle Processes
 Runoff and Infiltration
Runoff is the water flow that occurs where water
moves across the land then seeps into other bodies of
water or drained in a watershed. Runoff can be
generated by rainfall or melting of snow/ice.
The watershed acts as a tunnel by collecting all
the water within the area below the watershed then
channeling it into a body of water.
Infiltration is the process were the water enters
the soil. Infiltration happens because of gravity and
capillary action.
Water Cycle Processes
 Subsurface Flow
Process were the infiltrated water are channeled and
seeped to different bodies of water like oceans, springs,
rivers or being pumped out of the land surface.
Surface Runoff - rain, snow melt, or other water that
flows in surface streams, rivers, or canals.
Percolation-is the movement of water through the soil
Water Cycle Processes
 Evaporation
Evaporation is a phase transition or the change of state of water or
any forms of liquid to water/liquid vapor (liquid to gas). It occurs
when heat is sufficient (for example, one major factor for
evaporation to happen is the sun). Another example of vaporization
is boiling.
Water Cycle Processes
 Condensation
Another type of phase transition, only that it’s now
water vapor changes into liquid droplets. It happens
when a water
vapor cools or compresses.
Condensation also creates clouds and fogs.
Water Cycle Processes
 Transpiration
A process parallel or similar to evaporation. It is the
loss of water vapor from plants and trees, particularly
perspiration of plants. Transpiration cools and
regulates the plant’s temperature. Transpiration is a
major factor in the environment.
Accumulation
 the process in which water pools in large bodies (like
oceans, seas and lakes).
 There is no water loss without losing Hydrogen first.
Although the balance of water on Earth remains
constant, the water molecules do not. Over time, Earth
loses gases like Hydrogen which can accelerate
Hydrogen loss, and by association is water loss, from
Earth’s atmosphere. If Earth will have a hot lower
atmosphere, it could result in a humid upper
atmosphere that accelerates the loss of hydrogen.
Humidity
 Refers to the amount of water vapor in the air
 We use a hygrometer to measure humidity.
 Relative Humidity-% of water vapor in the air
compared to the maximum amount the air could hold
 Relative Humidity is measured using a Psychrometer.
How do clouds form?
 Clouds of all kinds form when water vapor in the air




becomes liquid water or ice crystals.
We know that cold air can hold less water vapor than
can warm air.
Warm air must rise first, cool, and condensation
occurs creating clouds.
Condensation nuclei—small particles around which
cloud droplets can form
Lifting Condensation Level—the height at which
condensation occurs (this height often relates to the
base of clouds)
Dew Point
 THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DEW POINT!
Relative Humidity is a comparison and dew point is a
temperature.
Dew Point-temperature at which condensation occurs
If Dew Point is below freezing, clouds can be made of ice
crystals instead of rain droplets.
Types of clouds
 Meteorologists classify clouds into three main
categories.
 Cumulus
 Stratus
 Cirrus
Cirrus Clouds
 High clouds
 Thin, wispy, made of ice crystals
Stratus
Form in the middle layers
Appear to blanket the sky
Very thick usually—the sky is not typically visible
Can produce rain or snow
Made of ice and water droplets
Cumulus clouds
 Usually a sign of fair weather
 Big and puffy clouds
 Made of water droplets
Clouds of Vertical Development
 Cumulonimbus--Towering clouds with flat tops
 “Anvilheads”
 These clouds often produce thunderstorms.
 These thunderstorm clouds are also the same clouds
that produce hail.
Types of Precipitation
 Dew-water that condenses from the air onto a cold
surface
 Frost-ice that has been deposited directly from the air
onto a cold surface
 Most droplets will form through a process called
coalescence.
 Coalescence—when cloud droplets collide to form a
larger droplet
Rain vs. snow
 Rain—most common form of precipitation
 Snow-water vapor in a cloud is converted directly into
ice crystals
 Sleet-snow that partially melts as it falls
 Hail-starts as an ice pellet, it gowns thrown around in
the cumulonimbus cloud and each time it is thrown it
gains another layer and eventually they fall to the
ground.
 Hailstones can have devestating effects such as:
damage to cars, crops, and buildings
Measuring Precipitation
 We use a rain gauge to measure precipitation.
 It is an open ended can or tube that collects rainfall.
Air Mass
 Large body of air that takes on characteristics of the
area over which it forms
 Air Masses form over land or water.
 They have less exposure to large amounts of moisture
so they are drier than those that form over water.
Classifying air masses
 Air Masses are classified according to their source
regions or the regions in which they develop.
 Air masses are classified based upon:
 Temperature
 Humidity
Tropical vs. Polar
 Tropical-warm air masses that form in the tropics and
have low pressure
 Polar-cold air masses that form in polar regions and
have high pressure
Maritime vs. Continental
 Maritime-air masses that form over oceans
 Continental-air masses that form over land
Air Masses
 Maritime Polar—bring cool, humid air to the west
coast
 Continental Polar-air masses from central and
northern Canada bring cold air to the central and U.S.
 Continental Tropical—bring hot, dry air from the
Southwest
 Maritime Tropical-come from the Gulf of Mexico and
bring warm, humid air to the eastern United States.
And its different processes
Collins
What is a Water Cycle?
 Also known as hydrologic cycle, water cycle
describes
the
_________________
circulation and flow of water on, above and
below the surface of earth.
 The water cycle is generated from solar energy.
_______ of the global evaporation are from oceans.
Oceans reduce their temperature by
___________________________________. Without the
cooling, we might have a warmer planet.
Different Processes
 There are different processes to make water
continue its cycle. In order, These are:
 Precipitation
 Runoff
 Infiltration
 Subsurface Flow
 Evaporation
 Condensation
 Transpiration
Water Cycle Processes
 Precipitation
__________________________ happens when
water vapor is pulled down by gravity and deposited on
the Earth’s Land. Main forms of precipitation are rain,
snow, ice pellets and snow pellets (soft hail).
Water Cycle Processes
 Runoff and Infiltration
______________________ is the water flow that occurs
where water moves across the land then seeps into other
bodies of water or drained in a watershed. Runoff can be
generated by rainfall or melting of snow/ice.
The ____________________ acts as a tunnel by
collecting all the water within the area below the watershed
then channeling it into a body of water.
_________________________ is the process were the
water enters the soil. Infiltration happens because of
gravity and capillary action.
Water Cycle Processes
 ____________________________
Process were the infiltrated water are channeled and
seeped to different bodies of water like oceans, springs,
rivers or being pumped out of the land surface.
____________________________- rain, snow melt, or
other water that flows in surface streams, rivers, or
canals.
___________________________-is the movement of water
through the soil
Water Cycle Processes
 Evaporation
______________________ is a phase transition or the change of state
of water or any forms of liquid to water/liquid vapor (liquid to gas).
It occurs when heat is sufficient (for example, one major factor for
evaporation to happen is the sun). Another example of vaporization
is boiling.
Water Cycle Processes
 Condensation
Another type of phase transition, only that it’s now
water vapor changes into ___________ droplets. It
happens when a water vapor cools or compresses.
_____________________ also creates clouds and fogs.
Water Cycle Processes
 Transpiration
A process parallel or similar to evaporation. It is the
loss of ______________from plants and trees,
particularly perspiration of plants. Transpiration
cools and regulates the plant’s ___________________.
Transpiration is a major factor in the environment.
____________________
 the process in which water pools in large bodies (like
oceans, seas and lakes).
 There
is ______ water loss without losing
_________________ first. Although the balance of
water on Earth remains constant, the water molecules
do not. Over time, Earth loses gases like Hydrogen
which can accelerate Hydrogen loss, and by
association is water loss, from Earth’s atmosphere. If
Earth will have a hot lower atmosphere, it could result
in a humid upper atmosphere that accelerates the loss
of hydrogen.
Humidity
 Refers to the amount of _________________ in the air
 We use a ___________________ to measure humidity.
 ______________________-% of water vapor in the air
compared to the maximum amount the air could hold
 Relative Humidity is measured using a
___________________________.
How do clouds form?
 Clouds of all kinds form when water vapor in the air




becomes liquid water or ice crystals.
We know that cold air can hold less water vapor than
can warm air.
_________ air must rise first, cool, and condensation
occurs creating clouds.
__________________________—small particles
around which cloud droplets can form
___________________________________—the height
at which condensation occurs (this height often relates
to the base of clouds)
Dew Point
 THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DEW POINT!
Relative Humidity is a ___________________ and dew
point is a temperature.
____________________-temperature at which
condensation occurs
If Dew Point is below freezing, clouds can be made of ice
crystals instead of rain droplets.
Types of clouds
 Meteorologists classify clouds into three main
categories.
 Cumulus
 Stratus
 Cirrus
Cirrus Clouds
 High clouds
 Thin, _____________, made of ice crystals
Stratus
Form in the _________________ layers
Appear to blanket the sky
Very thick usually—the sky is not typically visible
Can produce rain or snow
Made of __________________
Cumulus clouds
 Usually a sign of _____________ weather
 Big and puffy clouds
 Made of _____ droplets
Clouds of Vertical Development
 ____________________--Towering clouds with flat
tops
 “Anvilheads”
 These clouds often produce ______________________.
 These thunderstorm clouds are also the same clouds
that produce hail.
Types of Precipitation
 ____________-water that condenses from the air onto
a cold surface
 ____________-ice that has been deposited directly
from the air onto a cold surface
 Most droplets will form through a process called
coalescence.
 __________________—when cloud droplets collide to
form a larger droplet
Rain vs. snow
 ____________—most common form of precipitation
 ____________-water vapor in a cloud is converted
directly into ice crystals
 ____________-snow that partially melts as it falls
 ____________-starts as an ice pellet, it gowns thrown
around in the cumulonimbus cloud and each time it is
thrown it gains another layer and eventually they fall
to the ground.
 Hailstones can have devestating effects such as:
damage to cars, crops, and buildings
Measuring Precipitation
 We use a ______________ to measure precipitation.
 It is an open ended can or tube that collects rainfall.
Air Mass
 Large body of air that takes on characteristics of the
area over which it forms
 Air Masses form over _____________ or ___________.
 They have less exposure to large amounts of moisture
so they are _________ than those that form over
_____________.
Classifying air masses
 Air Masses are classified according to their
______________________ or the regions in which they
develop.
 Air masses are classified based upon:
 _________________________________
 _________________________________
Tropical vs. Polar
 _______________-warm air masses that form in the
tropics and have low pressure
 _______________-cold air masses that form in polar
regions and have high pressure
Maritime vs. Continental
 ____________________-air masses that form over
oceans
 ____________________-air masses that form over land
Air Masses
 ______________________—bring cool, humid air to
the west coast
 ______________________-air masses from central and
northern Canada bring cold air to the central and U.S.
 _________________________—bring hot, dry air from
the Southwest
 _________________________-come from the Gulf of
Mexico and bring warm, humid air to the eastern
United States.