Question

What must ocean water go through to fall as snow?

Answer 1

Ocean water goes through a process called the water cycle in order to fall as snow. The water cycle is the continuous movement of water between the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and oceans. Here is a summary of the process that ocean water goes through to fall as snow:

• Evaporation: Ocean water evaporates into the air as water vapor, a process that is driven by the sun's energy.
• Condensation: As the water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it cools and condenses into tiny droplets, forming clouds.
• Precipitation: When the clouds become heavy and full enough, the water droplets fall back to the Earth's surface as precipitation. If the temperature is cold enough, the precipitation will fall as snow.
• Collection: The snow that falls on land will eventually melt, and the water will either be absorbed into the ground or flow into streams and rivers that lead back to the ocean.

This process is constantly occurring, so ocean water is always going through the water cycle and can fall as snow at any time.

Answer 2

Ocean water must evaporate into the sky and then cool down to the proper temperature in order to fall as snow. When the temperature is sufficient enough for the liquid water to change state and become water vapor, such as in the ocean, water evaporates from bodies of water.