Final answer:
The water cycle involves processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Water changes states from liquid to gas during evaporation and from gas to liquid during condensation. Precipitation occurs when water droplets in clouds become too heavy to stay in the atmosphere, and runoff refers to the flow of water over land into bodies of water.
Step-by-step explanation:
The water cycle is a continuous process in which water circulates between the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and back again. It involves several processes, including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
- Evaporation: This is when water changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state, usually due to the heat of the sun. It occurs in bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans, as well as from plants through a process called transpiration.
- Condensation: As the water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it cools down and undergoes condensation, forming clouds. This is when water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid state.
- Precipitation: When the water droplets in the clouds become too heavy, they fall back to the Earth's surface as precipitation. This can be in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail depending on the temperature.
- Runoff: After precipitation, some water is absorbed into the ground, while the rest flows over the land as runoff. It collects in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, and eventually, the cycle begins again.
Learn more about Water cycle processes