The Water Cycle - Research Paper Example

? The Water Cycle The hydrologic cycle, commonly known as the water cycle or the H2O cycle, is one of the most important processes happening on Earth to keep living beings alive. Water is the most important necessity for the life of all living creatures on the Earth and one of the basic elements that makes up the Earth’s surface. Water helps various creatures in numerous ways. It is immensely important that the water present on earth is constantly replaced with new, pure and fresh water and is circulated among the different sources and reservoirs of water so that every living organism can take benefit from it. Nature has the ultimate solution of making the above mentioned necessity happen through the “water cycle”. The water cycle is a process in which water switches its state between the three different phases, namely solid, liquid and gas. And then further the water cycle includes circulation between the earth’s surface, water bodies and the atmosphere. The basic driving force of the water is the sun (Hughes 12-19). The water cycle is of immense importance as it helps to regulate the temperature of the earth surface and also helps in bringing rainfall to various parts of Earth.. When the water on Earth’s surface is evaporated it takes away the Earth’s heat as well, thus cooling the surroundings. And when the water condenses it release back the heat thus warming up the environment and this helps in regulating temperature throughout the globe. The water cycle helps to circulate minerals between different places on the Earth and also helps in conversion of rocks to soil. An important contribution of the water cycle is the formation of different topographical features throughout the earth which enhance beauty of the Earth’s surface and also provides other benefits. Without the presence of water cycle it would not be possible for the living organisms to survive (Olien 9-14). The water cycle is comprised of six different processes or steps. Each process has its own significance and importance. The progression of water cycle starts from the process of evaporation. The sun’s heat helps to convert the water present on the earth to water vapors. Water on earth is present in a number of different resources like rivers, oceans, seas, lakes etc. Water evaporates not only from the surface of the earth, but from trees and plants. This process of evaporation of water from trees and plants is called transpiration. Water at the North and South Pole is in the form of snow and ice. At very low temperatures and high pressure snow is directly converted into vapors without having a liquid state. This process is known as sublimation and is much slower than evaporation. The water vapors rise in the air and from clouds. Water gets evaporated by absorbing the heat from the sun and the water can also evaporate by absorbing the heat from the surroundings and thus lowers the temperature of the nearby environment. When water evaporates all impurities are left behind, and the vapors that rise in the air are far pure than the water present on Earth (Hughes 23-27). As the water vapor rises in the air, the temperature decreases as a result of which the vapors condenses to form clouds or remain suspended in the air as fog. The clouds are formed by the accumulation of tiny water droplets. The tiny droplets of water keep on accumulating to form larger and larger clouds. These clouds travel to different parts of the globe and absorb more and more water to increase its size. When the clouds have no longer the ability to hold together, then the tiny droplets of water combine to form larger droplets of water. Also, at higher altitudes the temperature is extremely low. Hence, the water droplets lose their heat energy and fall down on earth as rain. If the temperature of the area is cold then there is a possibility that instead of rain the water droplets fall as snow, hail or sleet. Precipitation can also occur in the form of drizzle. By the process of precipitation the water that has been absorbed up during the process of evaporation and transpiration, returns to the surface of earth in a more purified and refreshed form (Hughes 35-41). The water from precipitation can either remain on the Earth’s surface or run off it. Precipitation can occur above ground or any other water body. When precipitation takes place above any water body like oceans, sea, rive and lake, then the water after being purified returns to the water bodies. In the case when precipitation takes place above land, then the water can either undergo the process of surface run off in which the water flows over the surface of water and finally joins any water body, most probably an ocean as it is the largest source of water on earth. The water from precipitation which falls on the land can also get absorbed into the soil. This process is called infiltration, in which the soil or ground gets soaked up by the water and thus helps to increase the water table level. Increasing the water table level is very beneficial, particularly for the farmers and agriculture based countries. This water that has been absorbed by the ground is pure and fresh and can be used for drinking purposes as well. The fresh water that has been absorbed by the soil can be seen in the face of fresh springs at different locations. The water from the soil also gets absorbed by the roots of the plants. The roots take in the water from the soil by the process of osmosis and push this water up to the leaves so that the water can help he plants to carry out the process of photosynthesis. The remaining water leaves the surface of the leaves through the stomata (which are present on the underside of the leaf) in the form of water vapors and then again become a part of the atmosphere (Olien 34-39). The process of water cycle is a never ending course. The water that is absorbed by evaporation is finally returned to the Earth by the process of precipitation. In this way the water cycle will never end as the oceans, seas and other water bodies will always be providing with a constant supply of water to the water cycle. The constant occurrence of water cycle is of great importance to human life as well as other living organisms. The water cycle is the only means through which the living organisms can have a pure and fresh source of water. Besides this the water cycle is also a source of a number of other important and necessary processes without which the survival of the living organisms would be possible. It also helps to keep a balance in the ecosystem and helps regulating the temperature and weather conditions throughout the globe. A complete cycle of the water cycle from evaporation to precipitation requires almost a period of nine days. But this time period basically depends upon the climatic conditions of a particular region. All the processes of the water cycle do not take place at a single location, but all the processes reach completion in different parts of the world. In fact a single process also gets completed in different locations of the globe. The water cycle also helps to improve the conditions of the environment as precipitation helps to convert an infertile piece of land into a fertile one (Olien 50-53). Works Cited Hughes, Monica. Water Cycle. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2004. Print. Olien, Rebecca. The Water Cycle. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2005. Print. Read More