How the water cycle works
- There is no starting or ending point in the water cycle.
The sun drives the water cycle, heating water in the oceans and lakes. Some of the water evaporates as water vapour into the air. Ice and snow can also turn into water vapour as they melt.
The water vapour goes up into the air. The vapour joins with water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil.
The vapour rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe.
As clouds form, join together and grow, water falls out of the sky as precipitation.
Precipitation falls on the land, making streams and rivers or soaks into the ground. Water that soaks into the ground, refills aquifers.
Rivers and aquifers empty into lakes and oceans for the cycle to continue.
The water that we use at home follows a similar path. After it goes down the drain it finds its way back to the sea.
