Question

You are a molecule of water. Choose a starting point in the water cycle and describe the process you would go through to move through the entire cycle

Answer 1

The water cycle is the continuous movement of water all around the Earth. The water cycle is like a big circle and doesn’t really have a starting point. There are 4 main stages involved in water cycle i.e. evaporation, condensation, precipitation and runoff. So, how does this cycle works? When the sun shines, the water from the ocean or lake evaporates due to heat from the sun. When it evaporates, it turns into water vapor and goes up into the atmosphere. This water vapor gets together with other water vapor and turns into a cloud. When clouds get dense, they drop the water back to Earth in some form of precipitation like rain, snow, hail or sleet. When the water falls back down to the Earth, they find their way on the ground surface into puddles, streams and rivers. Again this water will evaporate and the whole cycle will start again.

Answer 2

The water molecule in the lake evaporates.The water molecule cools and undergoes condensation.The water droplet increases in size, then falls to the Earth in the form of precipitation.The precipitation returns to a reservoir, in this case, ground water.The water remains in the reservoir temporarily before it is evaporated and begins the process again.