Question

Some of the water that falls as rain evaporates back into the atmosphere. What happens to the water molecules during this process?

Answer 1

Water molecules that evaporate after rain transform from liquid to gas through evaporation, driven by the Sun's energy, and rise into the atmosphere where they can cool, condense into clouds, and fall again as precipitation.

Step-by-step explanation:

When some of the water that falls as rain evaporates, the water molecules undergo a process known as evaporation. During this process, the water changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state known as water vapor. The energy required for this transformation generally comes from the Sun's energy. Once the water has evaporated and transformed into water vapor, it is carried up into the atmosphere by rising air currents. Here, it cools down and can condense to form clouds through a process called condensation. Eventually, these water droplets can grow heavy enough to fall back to Earth as various forms of precipitation, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Answer 2

The water molecules separate into oxygen and hydrogen molecules which allows them to transfer back up into the atmosphere in their individual state.